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No, he endorsed a Palestinian state. Perhaps you weren't listening today, or the numerous other occasions he and Powell of repeated this. It's his "vision" thing ...

It's his "vision" thing ...

Illusions is more like it. He endorsed a democracy. No democracy, no end to the vision. Illusion. You're a smart guy. Get with the program. Powell is a showhorse for State. I actually think that the last time Bush sent him to see Arafat, it was taking him to the woodshed. Powell looked the fool, not Bush. Powell doesn't call the shots.

Is that really any different that the Taiwan situation? We've been acting as if there was or soon will be a Palestinian state for years, else how could Clinton almost negotiate such agreements? So Bush ended a doublespeak, but by doing so he got to define conditions for recognition of the state. Which it is doubtful they will live up to or even meet. And once defined, all the easier to wall off and force migration to(though Israel has stated that practically total segregation of the Palestinians is not possible.)

I understand(and also felt) the anger and disappointment of recognizing(and thus giving a form of credibility) to this terrorist state. Yet if 3/4+ of the Palestinians view Arafat as their leader, if all the other countries recognize it in some form or fashion, then not that much is lost by us doing so. We recognize N. Korea, Iran, Iraq, etc., yet there is a real chance that we might attack and perhaps even destroy one or more of them. To me this seems to be only a short-term hollow victory at most for the Palestinians.(Though personally I would have preferred he not give even that much, but perhaps there is an endgame that justifies this move.)