Posted on 04/15/2004 9:29:46 AM PDT by SJackson
(KRT) - George W. Bush and Ariel Sharon washed each other's backs Wednesday in Washington. Bush gave the Israeli leader a good scrubbing by hailing his Gaza withdrawal plan as "historic and courageous."
Sharon reciprocated by praising the American president for his "ongoing, deep and sincere friendship for the State of Israel and to the Jewish people."
Sharon's choice of words wasn't accidental.
When the prime minister of Israel starts speaking for "the Jewish people," especially in an election year, he is making an American political statement. Bush now has Sharon's endorsement. In battleground states like Florida, Pennsylvania and Illinois, it could make a difference.
Sharon faces his own political battles at home; his Likud Party base is emotionally opposed to a Gaza Strip pullout, and even more upset at the idea of dismantling some West Bank settlements. But Bush's (written) guarantees and concessions are so generous from the Israeli point of view that Sharon goes home an almost certain winner.
The Palestinians could be winners, too, if they actually wanted self-determination. In his letter to Sharon, Bush became the first U.S. president publicly to commit American support for "a Palestinian state that is viable, contiguous and independent."
But this offer was angrily rejected by Yasser Arafat as a death blow to the nonexistent peace process. He and his fellow Palestinian leaders simply can't accept the Bush-Sharon terms: Territorial compromise in the West Bank, an end to terrorism, the establishment of a constitutional government and, most of all, relinquishing the Palestinian dream of flooding Israel with millions of Arab "refugees."
The negative Palestinian reaction was predictable. It was also not unwelcome to Bush or Sharon. Neither wants another radical state in the heart of the Middle East. And any Palestinian leadership that won't accept the compromise - even in return for statehood - is, by definition, radical. Catch-22.
The Sharon-Bush partnership creates a ticklish tactical problem for John Kerry. The Democrats (like the GOP) have traditionally regarded Jewish settlements in the West Bank as "obstacles to peace."
Now that Bush has ruled that some of them are kosher, Kerry is in an awkward position.
If he follows President Bush's new policy direction he will bump up hard against the Jimmy Carter-NPR wing of his own party, not to mention polite European society. If, on the other hand, he decides to stand pat he will, much to his dismay, find himself running for commander in chief as the favorite son of Arafat and Hamas.
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ABOUT THE WRITER
Zev Chafets is a columnist for the New York Daily News
Everything I've seen says that's garbage. It's not accidental that American Jews vote liberal Dem. He really thinks a hawkish, conservative Sharon is going to bring Jews to Bush? These Jews wouldn't vote for Sharon, much less Bush.
No problem. We can all hear the sound of flip-flop-flip-flop...
So proud were they that they made a public anouncement at a recent business event that this was happening and how proud they were. So, having had the glorious opportunity myself to have recently had my picture taken with W I asked during my visit yesterday if there was a copy of the picure of their son-in-law with the President as I had not yet received mine.
The sister-in-law went to get the picture as the "proud" mother-in-law says, humph, all the pictures in the world with him wouldn't impress me, he's still not getting my vote. With the that the women who is this fellows sister-in-law came back with the picture. There was W with the most warm, caring look, sitting next to their relative and each was smiling at each other. He had just signed something that was going to make his life better and both mother-in-law and sister-in-law's reactions were, we still can't stand him.
Now I know this is purely antidotal but my guess is that W could end all fighting in the Middle East and drive the Palastianian terroists into the sea and the American Jews will still vote for the anti-semtic democrats. How sad.
Depends on Kerry. If he endorses the Jimmy Carter/ Euroleft line, he will lose some.
He already has, actually. I know a few liberalish Jews who are going with Bush. The turnout for Bush will be higher than some think..
”Guns Before Butter.”
We'll see. If half vote for Bush, it would be a great turnaround, given all the old Palm Beach/FDR dinosaurs still living in the past.. I think he can do it, actually.
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