Israel To Bush: Get Lost, We're Talking To Syria

Last week George Bush made waves in the American Presidential political scene all the way from the Knesset in Jerusalem. In an allusion to Barack Obama and Democrats in general that do not share his bloodlust for war, he said talking to countries that sponsor terrorism is a form of appeasement just as Neville Chamberlain had done with Hitler seventy years ago. Well Israeli Parliament members got to hear his message in person and this week they responded.

From The Huffington Post:

According to 29-year CIA veteran and former NSC official Bruce Riedel, Wednesday's announcement of joint peace negotiations between Israel and Syria revealed President Bush's diminished standing in Middle East affairs.

"Think of the irony," Riedel said. "George Bush goes to Jerusalem last week. He gives an impassioned speech about never dealing with nasty regimes [that sponsor terror]. He basically says 'don't make agreements that appease [them].' And less than a week later, the Israeli government announces it is engaged in peace negotiations with the Assad dictatorship in Syria. We're talking about a rather distasteful regime that likely had a hand in the murder of [former Lebanese Prime Minister] Rafik Hariri. I guess [Israeli Prime Minister] Ehud Olmert didn't think the speech was meant for him."

Assad, although not as harsh as his father, is still a dictator and still sponsors terror. He's a cruel bastard and Syria deserves a lot better. Yet, Israel chose to talk with his government because a majority of Israelis desire peace. Israel does not want to be in a perpetual state of war, it has been the mainstay for more than 60 years, even before they were a state. Bush loves war because it doesn't touch him, but Israel knows the pain and suffering up close and they want to find solutions, not exacerbate the problems (settlements excluded). These talks with Syria might not solve everything, but its still a step in the right direction.

Afghanistan, Syria, Whats The Difference?

I am always amazed at those polls that come out showing a majority of Americans cannot identify country X on a map. I understand that most people do not know exactly where Turkmenistan or Cameroon but important nations that are in the news everyday shouldn't be hard to locate. Is it the fault of the schools, parents that aren't map savvy or perhaps its the media?

From Bob Harris:

... in Syria.

Afghanistan would be three countries to the east, about where the right column is on this page probably is for you. Just past Iraq and Iran.

I guess there's a point where U.S. foreign policy is a near-total failure in so many countries, aggravating extremism in the name of fighting it, that even the media starts to lose track.

This is probably some graphics person's error. But it certainly doesn't make Anderson or the network look all that great -- especially when they're repeating the segment with neither a correction nor disclaimer.

Of course this has to be a minor infraction of the graphics department. I would assume that the CNN staff that deal with international news know a thing or two about geography. Yet this goof seems to mirror the national level of ignorance about places outside the United States or even one's hometown. It is great to see so many people that are against the war in Iraq now, but it would be nice if they knew where it was.

Pelosi To Bush: You Are Not A King

Way to go Nancy! The Speaker of the House appeared on the Today Show this morning and reminded the interviewer Campbell Brown that we do in fact live in a democracy. Many people are still criticizing Pelosi about her trip to Syria despite leaving out some inconvenient facts. Apparently Congressional leaders do go on fact-finding trips (and have done so for over 200 years) and when she went to Syria she was accompanied by Republicans as well as Democrats, something left out by her critics.

From the interview:

NP: The president is not king, the president is the president of the United States. America is a democracy. We have to make decisions based on our judgment. Thus far, the president's judgment hasn't been good, in terms of say for example the war on Iraq. So with all due respect to the president and the role he has, we want respect for the role we have. And members of Congress have gone on fact finding trips since our country began. We're not going to stop because the president wants to avoid the facts and doesn't want to engage in dialogue. We had a bipartisan trip, interesting that the administration chose to ignore the trips of the Republicans who had been there in the week that we were there.

CB: But the Republicans don't have your megaphone. They're not speaker of the House. You speak, the world listens.

NP: That's right, and that's because I have power, and that's why I have — in other words — the president wants to have it both ways. She shouldn't go because what difference does it make? She shouldn't go because she makes a big difference. They have to make a decision. But the fact is that we will never stop finding the facts to honor our responsibility to provide for the common defense to fight terrorism and to deliver the president's message.

The President may want to be dictator but we do still have a constitution that affords powers to the Congress to do their due diligence for the American people. Since George Bush shuns any type of oversight on his misguided 'leadership' we are going to have to keep him in check any way that we see fit. Having a dialogue with other countries is a good thing, even if they aren't so nice. Syria is definitely not a model nation by any means but that doesn't mean we are going to ignore them.

Holbrooke Exposes The Attack On Pelosi For What It Is

David Gregory tries to continue the Republican spin on Nancy Pelosi's trip to Syria when interviewing Richard Holbrooke. Only Holbrooke countered the spin and told the audience what the partisan attack was all about.

Clueless Kyl

Speaking on This Week on ABC yesterday, Senator Kyl forgets what exactly is in the Iraq Study Group. Thankfully Senator Levin was there to remind him at the end of this clip:

The WaPo's Editorial Page Is Screwed Up

And their columists know it. Check out what Eugene Robinson had to say about Fred Hiatt and company over Nancy Pelosi going to Syria.