The problem with being President of the United States is that everything is about you. This Chicago Trib article talks about how success or failure in Gaza will be pinned on Bush when in reality it will have almost nothing to do with the President or even with the Israelis (who are pulling it out). The success or failure of Gaza is up to…. believe it or not… the Palestinians.
MEANWHILE: Israel appears to be speeding things up.
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Sure, but when Gaza turns into a seething backwater of terrorism and poverty, we need an acceptable target of blame. We can’t blame the poor perpetrators!
I see the UN is doing everything they can to insure intafada…er, success.
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=17086_Outrage_of_the_Day#comments
Quite true. America will be damned no matter what.
We’ve seen this before. We’re damned for helping Saddam in the 1980 as he warred with Iran. We’re damned for kicking him out of Kuwait and damned for not finishing the job. We’re damned for refusing to deal with him in the 1990s as we obeyed the sanctions while he starved his people. Then we’re damned for removing him from power. Let’s just face it: we’re not damned for what we do, we’re damned for who we are.
The left does this but Arabs are masters of this kind of manipulation. It’s something I noticed when I’ve argued with many an Arab and found out that they don’t want us to go away — they want more intervention until we please them in the style they’d like to become accustomed. I did an experiment.
The same thing will be true in Gaza. We (the G8) poor in money like we’ve done for the past fifty years and Pali terrorism will grow. Haven’t we learned anything? We’re not to blame (for their backwards culture) but we’re not too smart either.
I am increasingly become less sympathetic towards the settlers. Hasnít the rest of Israel done enough for these cry babies? They have cost their fellow citizens an enormous amount money and even deaths on their behalf. I just think it so obviously rational to have all the Jews on one side of the fence and the Palestinians on the other. Will the Palestinian radicals perceive this a propaganda coup? Yes, but so what? The benefits seem to far outweigh this negative aspect. On top of that, many settlers refuse to join the military. Who in hell do they think they are?
A number of these settlers are describing their eviction in Holocaust terms and accusing the Israeli government of Nazi behavior. This is absolute idiocy. Israel is a democracy and the settlers were unable to win at the ballot box. Well, that ës just the way the cookie sometimes crumbles. Your defeat does not give you a right to condemn the system itself.
David,
I tend to agree with you about the “settlers”. BUT, what you and I think is unimportant. What is important is the the Israeli government has made a determination. The Israeli Courts did not overturn that decision. And the Israeli army and security forces, operating at the direction of the government are enforcing that determination.
A functioning government in a country ruled by an elected government.
On the other side, what do we have. You know what we have. Anarchy. How can anyone negotiate or make any agreements with a government (Abbas) which cannot enforce its agreements or the laws enacted. Until the word of Abbas is law in Gaza or the West Bank there is no Palestinian state. How that will be accomplished is the chore of the Palestinians.
JasonP,
You seem particularly adept at identifying how the blame for acts of violence by Islamics will be blamed upon the US.
Any thought on today’s bombings in Bangladesh will be attributed to US actions?
And to the guy who said, about this:
this:
I feel compelled to bestow the Captain Obvious Award.
Jason.
Interesting analysis. I find results of your ìexperimentî not at all surprising. Sadly, it’s not only Arabs/Muslim who think like that.
Thanks, Katherine, and you’re right that it’s a wider problem.
Knucklehead, you’ve raised a good point.
I’ve noticed something interesting. When arguing with those on the left and the paleo-right, who claim jihadist violence is a result of our foreign policy, I list the counter examples like the one you’ve sighted and many others. For example, the Islamic inspired violence against the Christians in the Philippines, against the Buddhist of Thailand, against the Hindus in Kashmir and India, Jews in Israel, and places like Nigeria, Sudan, Kosovo, Cyprus, etc. This often ends the debate.
As Samuel Huntington observes, “Islam has bloody boarders.” And Robert Spencer at JihadWatch continually points out that jihadist violence is against any non-Muslims or even Muslims who are’t “Muslim enough” (like the Shiites in Iraq being killed by Sunni jihadists.)
David T:
I understand your lack of sympathy for the settlers being removed. Many Israelis are with you for the very reasons you stated: the cost of protection (in lives and dollars) is just not worth it in Gaza. And the Nazi references, of course, are absolute idiocy.
But let’s not forget that many of them settled there with the support/urging of the government. And unless you’ve experienced such a forced uprooting first hand, it’s hard to judge the emotional response. Still in all, the disengagement seems to be going smoother than even I had expected.
My hope is that the video clips being beamed around the world of crying anguished settlers being forcibly removed by their own government will make the world more aware that Israel is willing to make difficult concessions for a better future. I know, I know, my hope is probably in vain. What JasonP points out about America, is doubly true, if not more, for Israel…too much will never be enough.
Nice blog.I like this.
John
http://www.sify.com/