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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
What the hell is this about?
2004-04-16
US Secretary of State Colin Powell has written to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad asking for Damascus's help to bring peace to Iraq. The letter from Powell — and a separate congratulatory letter from President Bush — were delivered by U.S. Ambassador Margaret Scobey during a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa. Powell's message "explains the dangers of the developments in Iraq" and urges Syria "to give any possible help that could contribute to easing the situation there in a way that serves the country's unity and preserves its security and stability," SANA said. The agency did not say what Bush's message contained.
Perhaps a suggestion that we won't be pleased if Syria doesn't cooperate?
In a televised address Tuesday, Bush said Iraq's neighbors "have responsibilities to make their region more stable." He said he was sending Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage to "discuss with these nations our common interest in a free and independent Iraq, and how they can help achieve this goal." Syria, a staunch opponent of the U.S.-led war on Iraq, is the only country of seven on the U.S. list of states accused of sponsoring terrorism to have full diplomatic relations with the United States.
Posted by:Long Hair Republican

#15  What's that line about how diplomacy is saying "nice doggie!" while reaching for a rock?

Diplomacy is the art of saying "Nice doggie" whilst you find a rock.

— Attributed to Tallyrand
Posted by: Zenster   2004-04-16 9:04:34 PM  

#14  Armitage worked fairly closely with Perle in the Reagan administration but I'm not aware of associations with any think tank.
Posted by: rkb   2004-04-16 8:01:41 PM  

#13  I'll look back at the stuff, but he signed some of them. He definitely was part of the same think tank.
Posted by: Super Hose   2004-04-16 5:02:19 PM  

#12  Boltons definitely a neo con. Never heard that about Armitage. Sure hes not just more of a tough guy realist, along the Jim Baker mold?
Posted by: Liberalhawk   2004-04-16 4:50:25 PM  

#11  Armitage is a dangerous dude. He can still apparently bench press 400 pounds.

Posted by: H.D. Miller   2004-04-16 3:25:49 PM  

#10  Armitage has the look and the voice for work in the funeral parlor industry. Some accuse him of being moderate, but on all those neocon point papers that Chainey and Wolfowitz sent to the Clinton Administration, you'll notice that he and Bolton signed more than a few.
Posted by: Super Hose   2004-04-16 2:46:21 PM  

#9  a separate congratulatory letter from President Bush

Dear Baby Assad:

CONGRATULATIONS. You have just been selected by the NSC board to be our GRAND PRIZE WINNER. You have just replaced Iraq in the Axis of evil trio.

Daffy Khadaffy disqualified himself. But you know the story. He wants to live.

Please let us know when we can assist you with clean disposal of Saddam's Sarin Gas.

Regards
W.
Posted by: Anonymous4052   2004-04-16 1:48:35 PM  

#8  There's another famous line about diplomacy -- it's being able to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that he looks forward to the journey.
Posted by: Tibor   2004-04-16 1:46:17 PM  

#7  How about a footnote casually mentioning that leaky borders work both ways. There's this Kurdish minority in Syria, and a lot of leftover guns and ammo in Iraq....
Posted by: Nero   2004-04-16 1:38:43 PM  

#6  What's that line about how diplomacy is saying "nice doggie!" while reaching for a rock?

Dear Baby Assad: Happy Birthday. Don't make us come over there. Love, Uncle Sam.

The Richard Armitage part sounds interesting. I really don't know his history, but he strikes me as a 'fixer', if you know what I mean.
Posted by: SteveS   2004-04-16 12:19:16 PM  

#5  Seafarious: I'm still laughing at that one! I especially like that Rummy gets the salmon colored ones!

I agree with the point here, this is Colin "good cop" Powell and Richard "I'm delivering a scary message" Armitage working together.
Posted by: Steve White   2004-04-16 12:17:17 PM  

#4  Anytime you hear the name Richard Armitage, be very concerned. He is the diplomatic equivalent of James Bond, as in "licensed to kill". For example, when a possibly nuclear power wants to go to war, he is the guy sent to scare the bejeezus out of them. He would be the guy who delivers the threat of thermonuclear annihilation
in person.

He is an extremely scary dude. It's not often you see a high government official whose biography keeps changing.
Posted by: Anonymous   2004-04-16 11:58:03 AM  

#3  this will be seen as weakness and prompt baby assad to push even more
Posted by: Dan   2004-04-16 10:34:37 AM  

#2  Steve, that's the light yellow post-it note. There are also salmon and green post-its from associate editors Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz attached...
Posted by: Seafarious   2004-04-16 8:59:38 AM  

#1  serves the country's unity and preserves its security and stability

Perhaps with a PostIt note attached explaining that the country in question could easily be Syria instead of Iraq?
Posted by: Steve   2004-04-16 8:41:36 AM  

00:00