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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Rice: Mideast peace by year-end no longer possible |
| 2008-11-06 |
| Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday all but conceded that an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal by a year-end deadline is no longer possible. What was your fist clue, Condi? But she also said upon arriving here that it is important to maintain momentum and support for the negotiations so that new governments in both Israel and the United States have "a firm foundation" to continue to the talks next year. Because "momentum" in negotiations is how things get done in the real world, as opposed to negotiations mediating details and establishing commitments based on changes and facts in the real world. Right. En route to the Middle East for her eighth trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories since the parties set the deadline for reaching an agreement at last November's summit at Annapolis, Md., Rice said political uncertainty in Israel is the main complication to the goal. Sixty years of bitter treacherous genocidal hostility, duplicity, and barbarism from the Palestinians, who themselves are a collection of competing gangs and terrorist outfits, posing as a divided ramshackle clownfest of Third World political theater, is a subsidiary complication, I guess. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is being forced from office by a corruption scandal, and the country is set to hold new elections in February. Rice noted that the situation "is a constraint on the ability of any government to conclude" a deal."I've learned never to predict in this business," she said, "but it is clear we're in a different situation now because Israel is going to elections." Damn Israeli democracy. I recall an Argentine diplomat, after the break-up of a mediation session with the UK over the Falklands issue - before the war - remarking drily to a journalist that it was difficult dealing with democracies, as they were so unstable. But, uh, Condi, the problem here ain't Israeli elections. "It is our expectation that the Annapolis process has laid groundwork which should make possible the establishment of a Palestinian state when the political circumstances permit," Rice added. "I think that whatever happens by the end of the year, you've got a firm foundation for quickly moving this forward to conclusion." Right. Because a "process" in a hotel in Maryland is what makes such things happen. Not actual behavior by real Palestinians. "Firm foundation"? WTF? Did I miss something? The two sides for months have been backing away from the timeline pushed in Annapolis. Which neither side ever took seriously. Duh. Although Rice refused to absolutely rule out the chance of an agreement by year's end, her remarks reflect the first time that a Bush administration official has publicly not held out hope that the deadline could be met. Israeli and Palestinian officials have long said they believe the year-end deadline is unrealistic. Probably starting, quietly to each other, as the deadline was being "agreed to" in Annapolis. Of all the foreign policy reverses, the 180 done on "Mideast peace" by Dubya was the most disappointing and damaging. Now, incredibly, the father of 10 years of taffy-yanking and terrorism, Ross, is headed back to the scene of his earlier crimes of cluelessness. So long as there is no press, there is infinite up-side to incompetence, even the kind that gets lots of people killed. Amazing. |
| Posted by:Verlaine |
| #16 IMB the key benchmark on whether the Islamists, etc. will return to refight the "WAR/BATTLE FOR IRAQ", and by extension JERUSALEM AND WHOLE OF THE ME, and for Muslim "honor", WILL BE IFF IRAN CAN FORMALLY CONDUCT TWO OR MORE SUCCESFUL INDIGENOUS NUCLEAR BOMB TESTS, etc. NLT 2010. Year 2012, while possible as a maxima, would also be "risking/pushing the envelope", espec as per ISRAEL. THE ISLAMIST NUCLEARIZATION STRATEGY IS DEPENDENT ON THE US "STAYING PUT" IN IRAQ- AFGHANISTAN, OR IN THE ALTERN REDUX AND LEAVING TO GO BACK TO AMERICA - THE LONGER THE US ISOLATES OR LIMITS ITSELF, THE MORE THE JIHAD CAN BE SALVAGED, ENDURE, AND BECOM EMPOWERED VIA NUCLEARIZATION = GEOPOL INTIMIDATION OF WORLD NON-ISLAM. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-11-06 22:58 |
| #15 Again, Osama Bin Laden, etal. and Radical Islamism are NOT waging this Jihad for mere PARITY. * ISLAMIST "JIHAD" > MILPOL JIHAD/WAR FOR THE UTTER DOMINATION, CONQUEST, DEFEAT + DESTRUCTION OF THE INFIDEL, i.e. ISRAEL AND WORLD NON-ISLAM. MUSLIM/ISLAMIC MIL HISTORY > indics that despite their setbacks in Iraq + Afghnaistan, etc, THE ISLAMISTS WILL EVENTUALLY RETURN AGAIN TO ATTEMPT TO REGAIN SEEMINGLY LOST OR DAMAGED "HONOR" + CREDIBILITY, except at that time they will prob be NUCLEARIZED. It is not enuff to militarily defeat their Groups andor Armies on the battlefield - they must be defeated POLITICALLY, ECONOMICALLY, CULTURALLY + IDEOLOGICALLY, ETC, AS WELL. THEIR NEAR-TERM AND LONG-TERM STRATEGIC PREMISES AND AGENDUMS MUST BE DEFEATED. The USA-ALLIES MUST BE WILLING TO INVADE AND OCCUPY MUSLIM NATIONS, "NATION BUILD" = ENGAGE IN NATIONAL RECONSTRUCTION, + RESHAPE ISLAMIC HEARTS, MINDS, AND SPIRIT ETC. UNTO THE MODERN + DEMOCRATIC WORLD. This is why I'd argued that, as per the 9-11 event, the Islamist Threat is such that Americans may have to conquer the World whether they want to or not, like it or not, LEST THE ISLAMISTS SUCCEED OVER TIME IN PER SE DESTABILIZING AND DESTROYING AMERICA = WESTERN CIVILIZATION. "PARITY" IS FOR POLITICIANS, NOT GOD-BASED JIHADISTS! |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-11-06 22:45 |
| #14 Obama will impress the hell out of me if he tells the Paleos to pull up their baggy pants start behaving like rational human beings before he gives them a damned thing. Alas, I suspect that won't happen. Won't happen. We'll be lucky if he doesn't pull his own pants down, cover his raison with a crooked CUBS cap and moon walk off the plane to high-five them on the tarmac. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-11-06 20:26 |
| #13 Obama will impress the hell out of me if he tells the Paleos to pull up their baggy pants start behaving like rational human beings before he gives them a damned thing. Won't happen. Look at his foreign policy advisors. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2008-11-06 19:25 |
| #12 i would suspect the sun will go nova before Obama tells the paleos to act responsibly. shoot, i don't think the idea of responsibility is in his cognitive set. |
| Posted by: Abu do you love 2008-11-06 17:15 |
| #11 Condi is out of there January 20th. The Dems hate her. Obama will impress the hell out of me if he tells the Paleos to |
| Posted by: Steve White 2008-11-06 14:46 |
| #10 "Since she looks very good in her black boots." That's how I read it. :) |
| Posted by: bill clinton 2008-11-06 14:40 |
| #9 We have helped to enable this sorry situation because we have not held the Paleostinians accountable for their actions. They have learned well from our well meaning, but stupid actions. We have forced concessions on Israel while not holding the PA to their agreements. We give money to thieves, terrorists, and thugs with no accountability. And we expect a better outcome? So who is really the stupid party here? The Bush Administration has fallen into the same trap as previous administrations: they went for the brass ring of change powered by hope, and not powered by the facts on the ground. So what's Pres Elect B.O. gonna do? Throw Israel under the bus? Dump more money down the rathole? Take Hamas to lunch? So many stupid decisions, so little time. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2008-11-06 14:38 |
| #8 The only (almost, there is olso Palin) good thing about these USA elections is that I won't have to listen/see miz Rice anymore. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2008-11-06 14:36 |
| #7 Yeah, she is black. But I'd give you an argument on whether or not she's "very good". She didn't impress me much. And I had high hopes. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-11-06 14:31 |
| #6 Slightly off subject, I'll bet she keeps her job, Since she's not only very good, but black to boot. Really? I hadn't noticed. Thank-you for pointing that out to me. Is she "articulate" too? |
| Posted by: Milton Fandango 2008-11-06 14:28 |
| #5 The entire Arab world is committed to destroying Israel. Until THAT changes, there can be no peace in the Muddled East. The more I see of the Arab neighbors of Israel, the more they remind me of the welfare recipients here in the United States. It's never "what can I do to get me out of this mess?", but always "what can I get someone else to give me to get me out of this mess?". Also, no matter how much you DO do for them, they always insist it isn't enough, and they want more. The proper identifying label for such "people" is "parasites", and most of the time parasites are considered "vermin". |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2008-11-06 13:01 |
| #4 Slightly off subject, I'll bet she keeps her job, Since she's not only very good, but black to boot. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2008-11-06 12:51 |
| #3 Edited: The fact is that it was never and for one reason: one of the parties has no incentive to make peace because it makes war for free. The more the Palestinians spend on Kassams and the more we, westerners, foot the bill. Officially for butter not for guns but money is fungible. The day we no longer pay andthe Palestinians will have to choose between war and eating then and only then there will be a tiny perspective of peace. |
| Posted by: JFM 2008-11-06 12:25 |
| #2 The fact is that it was never and for one treason: one of the parties has no incentive to make peace because it makes war for free. The more the Palestians spend on Kassmas and the more we, westerners, foot the bill. Officially for butter not for guns but money is fungible. The day the Palestinains will have to choose between war and etaing then and only then there willbe a tiny perspective of peace. |
| Posted by: JFM 2008-11-06 12:19 |
| #1 Damn! And we had such high hopes... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-11-06 12:11 |