When Israel Speaks

Updates Below.

If this is true it's inexcusable, atrocious and sick.

It's often claimed that since Israel is a democracy she is therefore, by definition, our friend in the Middle East. Recently the far right in Israel has banned Arab parties from the upcoming elections, thereby denying Arab/Israeli citizens the vote. Democracy? I don't think so. Hamas was elected in Gaza too, as was Maliki in Iraq. Tyrants are routinely "elected" in rigged voting.

True democracy requires more than elections.

Update-1: The report is called "inaccurate", but not false. The rest of this piece cites a direct quote from Olmert and observations from inside the UN that Arab leaders were clearly upset by what Rice told them, after talking to Bush, and that Rice boogied out, fled the scene, without comment.

When a disgraced Israeli leader outs his disgraced benefactor, the US president, it has to be a new low in international relations for the US.

It's sick.

Update-2: Talk about sick. Shumer makes me sick. He's the same guy who stifled the attempt to impose ordinary income tax on profits made by hedge fund managers, his cronies and contributors in New York. He's done good things for Dem candidates so I can live with this particular mutual back scratching. He's certainly not in a class by himself on that one. But this piece about shouting up a party in support of Israel's treatment of Gazans is pure tribalism, characteristic of the Middle East for at least four thousand years.

Update-3: This update is a link to Patrick Lang's contribution, found on his blog Sic Semper Tyrannis. For me this confirms that the conversation existed between Olmert and Bush. Pat Lang includes his opinion about what could be called Israel's arrogance. What must be going through Condi Rice's mind? Here guy, W, whom she supported under great duress for years, pulled the rug out from under her with no warning. Pat Lang's use of the term, the tail wagging the dog, is certainly appropriate. In effect Olmert, not Bush, instructed her to abstain from voting on a resolution she authored and sponsored. Seems Olmert knew what was in the language and Bush admitted he did not.

It's difficult not to conclude that Bush resigned some months ago without telling anyone.

Thank heaven we're only a week away from kicking Bush all the way back to Texas. Obama comes into his presidency with the country in such a deep hole in so many ways that he only needs to be decent, confident but not arrogant, law abiding and willing to use his strong intellect to succeed, if the measure of success is as compared to Bush. Personally, I believe he will far exceed that most modest of measures. Bush has set the bar so low that almost anyone of decency could exceed it.


Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeper