Posted on 03/26/2002 12:37:46 PM PST by Hugin
Edited on 04/12/2004 5:33:59 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
WASHINGTON -- The war on terrorism is suddenly going terribly wrong. Suicide bombers serving Yasser Arafat, the world's senior and most successful terrorist, have caused U.S. policy in the Middle East to buckle and become more accommodating. So more than six months into the war on terror, terror is more vindicated as a tactic than ever before.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
Bush-Bashing by Bill Bennett
Patrick J. Buchanan
March 22 2002
"Your words can be interpreted in such ways that they hurt national resolve," thundered William J. Bennett at Jimmy Carter's remark that President Bush's "axis of evil" phrase was unhelpful.
Imputing a near lack of patriotism to war critics, Bennett that day launched his Americans for Victory Over Terrorism, AVOT. Mission: Stalk and shame the war critics. "Our goal," said Bennett, "is to fortify public opinion in the war against terrorism."
Only days later, a perfect AVOT target came into view. Under the contemptuous headline – "Where Bush Rewards Terror" – some wretch had accused our president of making "concessions to terrorism" and "ceding ... lands to dictators."
Stunned by this attack on our commander in chief on the op-ed page of the Washington Post, I wondered: "Where is AVOT? Where is Bill?" Then I noted the name of the miscreant who had savaged our president. It seemed familiar. Indeed it was – "William J. Bennett"!
What had the president done to merit Bennett's invoking of Munich and the Holocaust? ("The world, we thought, would long note what the long march of Jewish blood libels, mixed with the ceding of land to dictators, caused.")
The president had suggested that Ariel Sharon's rampage through refugee camps with tanks, where hundreds were cut down including women and children, was "not helpful." Worse, his vice president had agreed to meet with Yasser Arafat, if Arafat showed seriousness in trying to halt the violence.
What is going on here? Bennett's piece is a shot across the president's bow by a front man for "Bibi's Boys," those acolytes of the once-and-future Prime Minister "Bibi" Netanyahu. Their scribblings may be found, disguised as "conservative commentary," on op-ed pages of the major media and in National Review, Commentary, The New Republic and The Weekly Standard.
Bibi's Boys have seized upon Sept. 11 as their last, best hope to morph America's war into Israel's war. They look with anticipation to what Norman Podhoretz calls "World War IV," a clash of civilizations between America and Islam, with Israel as America's first, even if only, ally.
"America's fate and Israel's fate are one and the same," proclaims Bennett.
But how can this be? Between 1776 and 1948, America grew from 13 rural colonies on the seaboard of North America into the greatest economic and military power in history – a republic without peer – before Israel ever existed. In what sense, then, are our fates "one and the same"? Bennett's answer: "We are both democracies."
Well, yes, but the United States and Britain are both democracies, and were allies in two world wars. But that did not prevent President Eisenhower from telling Britain – and Israel's David Ben Gurion – to get out of Suez and Sinai in 1956.
Bennett is constantly calling for "moral clarity." But, mental clarity is also in order here. While Israel is indeed our ally in the war on terror, its annexations of Arab land, its dispossession of the Palestinian people, and its denial of their right to a homeland and state of their own on land their fathers farmed for a thousand years are a principal cause of this war and a primary reason why America's reputation has been ravaged in the Arab world.
Bennett also savages the president's father for having restrained Israel in 1991. "[W]hen the United States asked Israel not to defend itself after Saddam Hussein launched Scud missiles at it during the liberation of Kuwait," America sent the world a message, says Bennett. "The message is this: Jewish blood is cheap. ... Terrorism works. The message may not be deliberate, but it is tragically clear."
This is a blood libel against the president's father. In 1991, he gave Israel Patriot missile batteries, $5 billion in aid and $10 billion in loan guarantees, then smashed Israel's mortal enemy, Iraq, asking only that America be allowed to do it ourselves. To Bennett, this translates into "Jewish blood is cheap." Someone should remind Bennett that, in the Gulf War, it was American blood that was shed.
"Israeli control of the West Bank and Gaza is not the problem for the Arabs. Democracy is the problem," writes Bennett. But is Bennett saying that if Israel became a dictatorship, she would be welcome in the Middle East? This is nonsense.
The president must and does condemn as barbaric and evil these terror attacks on Israeli civilians. But if America is to be the Great Power broker of peace in the Middle East, we must make clear where American policy differs from Sharonite practices – or Ariel Sharon will drag America's reputation through the mud and blood of Ramallah and Bethlehem until there is nothing left of it.
But if the president does, as he must, he must also expect more of the same from Bibi's Boys.
Iraq, Iraq, Iraq nothin but Iraq.
Once that problem is solved Yassar is next !
I wish that were true. But then why is Bush so hot to set him up with his own terror-state?
-US starts asking Isreal to ease off on Sharon says yes.
-More and more forces sent to the middle east.
-Iraq claims there are US special forces in their country.
-The Kurds in the North say the CIA has been there.
-Cheney visits 13 countries and doesn't say much.
-Blair is visiting Bush next week "at the ranch" !
-Russian General says they won't stand in the way if we attack Iraq.
-Intel shows Saddam is stocking up on food/supplies.
-Iran and North Korea want to talk now!
There is alot more but I don't want to post them in public !
If a state attacks another state it's called war but if some people attack a state it's called terrorism or freedom fighters or whatever they call them!
These comments from Pat make it real clear where these guys are coming from and why.
What is going on here? Bennett's piece is a shot across the president's bow by a front man for "Bibi's Boys," those acolytes of the once-and-future Prime Minister "Bibi" Netanyahu. Their scribblings may be found, disguised as "conservative commentary," on op-ed pages of the major media and in National Review, Commentary, The New Republic and The Weekly Standard.
Bibi's Boys have seized upon Sept. 11 as their last, best hope to morph America's war into Israel's war. They look with anticipation to what Norman Podhoretz calls "World War IV," a clash of civilizations between America and Islam, with Israel as America's first, even if only, ally.
You can tell when Rush gets out of character does these things. Now we know why, he is one of BIBI's boys. BiBI is one of the few people that Rush will have a discussion with during his program!
I seem to remember someone saying "If you support a terrorist, if feed, cloth, train or arm a terrorist, you're a terrorist."
But once Saddam is out of the way for good, the diplomatic restraints will be off and Arafat's room to maneuver will get very narrow - about the width of a plank.
You are so right, it is sad to say. For crying out loud, Bush is not Jesus Christ/Buddha/Krishna/God/etc., and he is capable of screwing up and making mistakes... some people on here don't seem to realize this... jumping up and down and screaming about the stupid things he is doing is our only hope that he will change and return to the themes and promises that he campaigned on.
I know that you had your doubts about Bush, but I doubt that you would ever thought in your wildest dreams that you'd see him coddling a murdering thug like Yasser Arafat, or that he would be demanding that Peru release a commie terrorist like Lori Berenson. I thought we left those days behind when Clinton left office, and most certainly after the events of September 11th...
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