From the Wall Street Journal, a blunt assessment of the absurdity of the Annapolis Conference for Jew-Haters, Terrorists and Their Appeasers, with a special, and more than appropriate swipe at the rank hypocrisy of Condi Rice. Her actions, and this summit, only give aid and comfort to the beasts of the world.
Remember Nancy Pelosi’s spring break in Damascus? Condoleezza Rice apparently does not. When the House Speaker paid Syrian strongman Bashar Assad a call back in April, President Bush denounced her for sending “mixed signals” that “lead the Assad government to believe they are part of the mainstream of the international community, when in fact they are a state sponsor of terror.” Today, said sponsor of terror will take its place at the table Ms. Rice has set for the Middle Eastern conference at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.
Only at Foggy Bottom would Syria’s last-minute decision to go to Annapolis be considered a diplomatic triumph. The meeting is supposed to inaugurate the resumption of high-level negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, with a view toward finalizing a deal on Palestinian statehood before the administration leaves office. On a deeper plane of geopolitical subtlety, it is supposed to bring Israel and the Arab world together in tacit alliance against Iran…
Put simply, there is nothing the U.S. can offer Mr. Assad that would seriously tempt him to alter his behavior in ways that could meaningfully advance U.S. interests or the cause of Mideast peace. Yet the fact that Ms. Rice’s Syria policy is now a facsimile of Speaker Pelosi’s confirms Mr. Assad’s long-held view that he has nothing serious to fear from this administration.
So look out for more aggressive Syrian misbehavior in Lebanon, including the continued arming of Hezbollah; the paralysis of its political process; the assassination of anti-Syrian parliamentarians and journalists; the insertion of Sunni terrorist cells in Palestinian refugee camps, and the outright seizure of Lebanon’s eastern hinterlands. Look out, too, for continued cooperation with North Korea on WMD projects: Despite Israel’s September attack on an apparent nuclear facility, the AP reports that North Korean technicians are back in Syria, teaching their Arab pupils how to load chemical warheads on ballistic missiles. And don’t hold your breath expecting Syria’s good behavior on its Iraqi frontier to last much longer.
In the meantime, our friends the Saudis want to make sure they don’t have to touch any Jews at this thing.
Why does every American President insist on beating his head against this particular brick wall? There will never be peace in the Middle East. At best it will remain an armed stand-off.
I just hope America always stands with Israel. If the Democrats complete their takeover of our government next year, that could change.
Obviously, Islamo-fascists still believe in “cooties”. And yet, Bush and Rice invite them over and treat them with respect. What a farce.
Hey Tammy–listening to the show. Starting off with that Bush audio clip just delayed my lunch for an hour.
I’m afraid America is going to pay a price for the Bush/Baker anti-semitic plans they’ve tried to push on Israel at least since Bush I. The mere suggestion of giving up the West Bank or the Golan Heights is in itself evil because it is implying that Israel does not have the right to defend itself.
Please don’t paint all Christians as being like Bush. Far and away, the great majority by are very pro-Israel. It’s about the Liberal Left, and yes, like Bush, some Christians belong to that group. Sadly more and more seem to be heading toward that kind of psychotic state.
Frankly, Clueless Condi Rice is one of the worst Sec. of State’s ever and I am counting the days until the Bush Administration (hopefully to be replaced by the Giuliani Administration) as well as the Olmert regime is gone. Bush has in effect disavowed his own doctrine. The only straw I am grasping at is that the Paleos will make such outrageous demands on Olmert that even that incompetent non entity will have to walk away.
I would recommend that Conservatives not worry about any results from the Annapolis summit. This is clearly just another George W. Bush photo-op that will, as always, result in nothing.
Neither the President, nor his Secretary of State, will develop any level of competence in the next week that they have failed to display in the past seven years.
Relax, and enjoy the White House spin. At least he is not going to launch any new invasions while the summit is on, so we can be thankful for little favors.
Israel receives the equiviliant of about 4000 dollars for each man woman and child in its population. Bush will not force them to do anything that is in the national interest of these United States