Posted on 04/12/2002 2:56:08 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
Who cares what the Arab states think? Who in the hell are they to decide how reasonable we are. They're a collection of tin horn dictators, corrupt monarchs, and evil despots. They are not now, nor will they ever be our allies. All this hand wringing about the arab street and the *moderate* arab regimes is nonsense. When the stuff hits the fan in Iraq we will have no support from any of these monsters.
Israel is our only ally in the middle east and one of our very very few true friends in the world.
Note to the Pallies: When that filthy pig you use for a "leader" is finally, properly whacked, could you possibly choose someone to replace him who at least looks human? It would do your "cause" a world of good if its main representative didn't look like a peep-show patron with the fashion sense of Fidel Castro.
According to the briefing by State in Israel, the answer to that question was "off means off". Powell has said he will meet with some other folks from U.N and other organizations. Boucher at State in Washinton said that "Arafat's condemming terrorism would not be a pre-condition to re-scheduling the meeting. I think that is pretty clear. They are leaving the door open, but only a crack.
Arafat is now between the devil and the deep blue sea. If he denounces the terrorist homicide bombers, in Arabic of course, his own people will do the whacking, and blame it on the Jews of course. If he does not, the Jews will do the whacking after finally being given the green light from Powell. It's a lose lose situation for Yassir. However don't expect the bombings to end with Arafats demise, more likely they will increase, at least for a time.
BTW, will y'all be at the meeting tomorrow?
I would argue that your brush is too broad. Turkey is our NATO ally, yet it is an Islamic nation in the Middle-East. Jordan has signed a peace treaty with Israel, sent troops to fight with us against the Taliban in Afghanistan, and acted as an intermediary for us in various ME political situations. Egypt, with whom we train and finance military equipment, has also signed a peace treaty with Israel (and has honored it for the past 20+ years). Qatar is hosting our new military base, and Kuwait along with Saudi Arabia have agreed to favorable oil export policies over the past few years.
Furthermore, one of the problem nations in the ME isn't even Arabic; rather, it is Persian.
Let's keep our eyes on the problem states, work with those who are somewhat friendly towards us, and help those who are allied with us, rather than painting them all with one big brush and writing off the entire region, shall we...
Do you really think he hasn't been already?
I get it, Powell needs to see the bodies carried away in person before he can understand what the real situation is.
What a genius!
One thing this administration seems to have is tactical savvy. While even the most ardent supporters are bewildered by moves made by this administration, there seems to be a method to what transpires. I suspect that Arafat and the Arab states are being played by virtuosoes. Powell may well leave without meeting with Arafat. AND, with armloads of intel on exactly what the PLA has been up to for many years. Just enough will be released to hang Arafat and discredit the PLO/PLA. The American people will side with Bush and Israel because of this. This administration seems not to give a damn what Europe thinks. Information obtained may be helpful in flogging the Arab states into some sort of submission, while the radical states like Iraq, Iran, Syria and the terror groups go forward with war plans against Israel. When the US and Israel smash the radical states, the "moderates" will be more muted in criticism of retaliation. The "moderates" will have enough trouble keeping hold of power in their own lands to cry too loudly about militants being flattened.
After all, he's playing them all for suckers whilst giving them naught but despair and squalor in return for their children. Methinks that, should they ever wake up in his lifetime, what they do to him wouldn't be wished on an egg-sucking dog.
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