Posted on 05/08/2002 3:29:21 PM PDT by RCW2001
It's the "more" that matters. Bush knows that Arafat doesn't mean anything he ever says in English and only part of what he says in Arabic. Meanwhile, Arafat's Swiss bank accounts, full of his own people's money, keep growing and growing.
In the meantime, Sharon will do what he must do - especially if Arafat's actions don't match his words. And since we know they won't, he may be a dead man.
Arafat condemned this bombing using language that we haven't seen before. It was even stronger than the one he used after the bombing during Powell's visit. This statement didn't seem to be made with a gun pointed at Arafat's head like last time.
Do you see the difference now?
I voted for the man twice (primary & general election), attended his rallies, proudly displayed pins and bumper stickers, and tried to convince everyone I came into contact with to vote for the man. I believed in him. A part of me still does. But that part is getting smaller with each passing week.
But give credit where credit is due. At least we're able to criticize our leaders. That's an art that's been totally lost on the Democrats.
I have some ocean front property...
Bingo! The only quibble I would have is that this is not just the nature of "oriental war," but of all war or, indeed, all human action.
May 8, 2002
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush called Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's condemnation of terrorism an "incredibly positive sign" Wednesday. He urged Israel to consider the consequences of "whatever response" it chooses in retaliation for the latest suicide bombing.
"You've got to want peace to achieve peace," Bush said. He spoke at the beginning of a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II.
He balanced the cautionary note to Israel with a warning to Arafat: The Palestinian Authority must enact democratic reforms to earn economic benefits from the international community.
Bush met with Abdullah a day after a suicide bomber killed 15 people in an attack on a pool hall in Israel. The militant Islamic group Hamas claimed responsibility. Arafat, in a speech on Palestinian television, said in Arabic that he had ordered his security forces to prevent terror attacks against Israeli civilians.
"I hope that his actions now match his words," Bush said.
As Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon considered a range of tough responses, including a large-scale military operation or expelling Arafat, Bush and his advisers signaled that the United States would not stand in his way.
"Israel is a nation that is a sovereign nation, but whatever response Israel decides to take, my hope, of course, is that the prime minister keeps his vision of peace in mind," Bush said.
U.S. officials said the attack was likely to embolden advisers such as Vice President Dick Cheney and Pentagon chief Donald H. Rumsfeld who have been pushing Bush to jettison Arafat from the peace process and give Sharon more leeway.
Powell holds a competing view: He has urged Bush to make equally balanced demands of Arafat and Sharon.
Adding to the swirl of cross pressures, Jordan's Abdullah wants Arafat to play a part in the peace process.
The king said he hoped the Oval Office meeting would help chart a way "to bring Palestinians and Israelis to peace and security."
Earlier, Secretary of State Colin Powell said the latest suicide bombing in Israel threatens to derail Middle East peace efforts, and the White House questioned whether Arafat was "dedicated to violence" or to peace.
"Every time these events happen, it takes us off a course" toward peace, Powell said.
Bush met with the king after returning from a speechmaking trip to Wisconsin.
Aboard Air Force One, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said Arafat was being put on notice.
"This is the heart of the matter for the Palestinian people: Is their leadership dedicated to violence or is there stated promise in Oslo a meaningful one?" Fleischer said. The 1993 Oslo accords laid a framework for peace in the Middle East.
Fleischer stuck to long-stated policy that Arafat is a part the peace process, but his comments left the door wide open for an alternative.
"The president's focus includes Yasser Arafat, but it's broader than that," Fleischer said. "Progress can be made by talking with a number of people, including Arab nations, as well as those people who work diligently in the Palestinian Authority to try to find ways to bring about reforms."
U.S. officials say Bush is determined to pursue political talks with or without Arafat. The Palestinian leader needs to oversee reforms if he wants to be part of the process, they said.
Asked if Arafat was still relevant to the peace process, Bush praised him for the anti-terrorism statement.
Bush said the Palestinians stand to gain economically from peace. "But that can't happen unless there is a Palestinian Authority that's backed by a true government," he said.
At a State Department session with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, Powell said the bombing "puts at risk the possibility of going forward" on the peace campaign.
But he predicted the process would get back on track "because no matter how many military operations one conducts or how many suicide bombs are delivered, at the end of the day, we have to find a political solution." He said CIA Director George Tenet probably will go to the region next week to help Palestinians build an anti-terrorism security force.
Powell's timetable may be a bit optimistic because the Bush administration may want a resolution to the Bethlehem standoff and several days of relative quiet before sending Tenet.
Powell said the bombing would spur "acts of self-defense" - one of many signals from the administration that Sharon will be given leeway as he decides how to retaliate.
Still, Boucher said Sharon needs to consider carefully the consequences of Israeli actions, even in self-defense.
AP-ES-05-08-02 1849EDT
This story can be found at : http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGA0URFSZ0D.html
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