[tw]

Originally posted by Tobiasly
I'm not interested in the particulars of how the torture misinformation came to light, and I'm not trying to accuse you. I'm simply noting that when you intentionally leave out half of a story, you lose credibility.

A point appreciated and acknowledged. However in the case of "only 2 nations out of 57 ", that was a abbreviation to a previous post where I had noted what those 57 nations were AND listed the two Islamic nations as Bosnia and Malaysia. IOW I saw no reason to repeat what those 57 nations were because they had been defined previously - and (some will not believe this as they read on) was trying to keep my posts short.

There have been many inciteful explaination of how Sharon is playing George Jr. and how George Jr really does not understand this entire event. George Jr did not even know until a recent trip that Israel has a nine mile wide waist - he is that ignorant of the world. Sharon has a perfect president to 'play like a fiddle'.

This last weeks The Economist had at least seven inciteful articles on events and background. On last night's (9 Apr) Charlie Rose, the columist noted, as so many others have, that George Jr did not consider this Israeli / Palestinian event as significant. It was Clinton's mistake. It was a distraction from what he considers important - the elimination of Saddam or the invasion of Iraq. The NY Times provides background in
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/09/in...st/09ASSE.html :

[Mr Bush & Mr Sharon are] intent on reversing the policies of their predecessors in the Middle East.
Mr. Bush believed that Mr. Clinton had created a mess in the Middle East by investing too much of his prestige and time, and so became determined to stay clear of the region. Mr. Sharon viewed the whole Oslo process, in which Washington was a central player, as a mistake, and he came to office on a pledge to crush the Palestinian uprising and to punish Mr. Arafat.
When Mr. Sharon and President Bush intersected, it was not always cordial. At a joint news conference in Washington last June, the two men openly disagreed in their description of the situation in the Middle East. After Sept. 11, when Mr. Sharon felt that the United States was cozying up to the Arabs to garner support against Al Qaeda, the prime minister famously used a word associated with the prelude to World War II, saying, "Do not try to appease the Arabs at our expense."
What changed the equation was President Bush's subsequent disillusionment with Mr. Arafat, and his decision to give Mr. Sharon a green light in his battle against the Palestinian. In Israel, beset with suicide bombings, Mr. Bush was hailed as a true comrade in arms.
But in reality, the relationship was always somewhat charged. The Bush administration seemed irritated at Mr. Sharon's repeated equation of Washington's antiterrorism campaign with his war with the Palestinians, comparing Mr. Arafat with Osama bin Laden and the Palestine Liberation Organization with Al Qaeda.
Also, it was not long before President Bush realized that his high standing in Israel did not translate into automatic leverage over Mr. Sharon.

That realization finally occured last week. What is Bush thinking now that Sharon has repeatedly thumbed his nose at George Jr - as he did to Ronald Reagan and George Sr? George Jr clearly gave Sharon a green light. Now even the press is noting how aggressively Israel is trying to hide facts - what the real intent is in the occupied territories. An ABC Network News reports explicitly, journalists are intentionally being targeted by Israeli troops - targeted with live ammunition. The BBC reports that Israelis may be intentionally removing water, sewers, sidewalks, and homes - claiming they must make way for heavy armor. That is what numerous West Bank residents are saying on the phone. Reality is that Israel is removing Palestinian infastructure from the West Bank - to drive Palestinians from the occupied territory. After all, is a TV station a terrorist organization? Of course not. Reported would be Zionism in its most racist flavor. But then history has proven Sharon is racist. No reason to understand what 'immediately' means? There is too much critical infastructure to shatter.

To have Powell wander around the Mediterranean for a week as world leaders keep asking him "What are you doing here? Why are you not in Israel?" - what is that nonsense? But then what is a wind dummy? Powell describes Christy Whitman as a wind dummy as used by helicopters, thrown out to see which way the wind blows. Powell must constantly watch his back in an administration that is deeply divided and dominated by the right wing extremists. Moderates live a very precarious existence in this administration - as demonstrated previously during what should have been a low key event during the China Spy Plane incident - an event that had some administration advisors demanding war. They might have gotten it if Powell had not stepped in.

Don't fool yourself. Some major players in this adminstration are both extremist hawks AND very closely allied with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Top of that list is a name all are cautioned to watch - Paul Wolfowitz.

Sharon is only proving he is as described long ago when he was renamed Prime Minister dichead. Not many people like Arafat either - not even many Arab leaders. Peres(?) once said that he did not like the man but it was who he had to negotiate with. However no player in this Middle East drama is as dangerous as Sharon. Sharon is the reason for all problems. Sharon is why Israel was declared a racist nation. Sharon created Intafada 2 as part of his current program. Everything else, including Saddam, is irrelevant to US interests - Everything.

As that columist on Charlie Rose noted, with so much incite and background, this is the worst time ever in the history of Israeli Arab relations. Most Americans don't appreciate how 24 Hour Arab news has so many Arabs sympathetic to anti-American terrorist groups. America's image in the Arab belt has never fallen so far so fast. Does your news sources report that?

So distressed was this man that, instead, he scheduled a trip to Argentina - to visit a crisis that might be resolved and to stay away from the futility called Middle East.

Sharon is playing his game plan exactly as he was doing before he was Prime Minister. This violence was exactly what Sharon planned then and wants today. It is why he can outrightly thumb his nose at the President who sends him $3billion every year - most of it in military aid.

Israel had less than half the combined defense budgets of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Syria combined in 1967. Thanks in part to that $3billion, Israel now spends 30% more than the combined defense of those nations. And yet Sharon can still thumb his nose at the only country in the world that does not condemn Israel? Of course. He is Sharon as he has always been. A liar, a mass murder, insubordinate, and with no respect for any international laws, treaties, etc that would get in his way of land theft. All those deaths - collateral damage to Sharon. That is his history.