Bush's Trophy Chick, and Bush's Arabian Nights
The US Secretary of State and George W Bush's Trophy Chick, Condoleezza Rice, fresh from a flying visit to Iraq to give PM Nouri al-Maliki a paternalistic pat on the head for finally passing a de-Baathification law, went back to Riyadh to have a confab with her Saudi counterpart, Prince Saud al-Faisal.
While having a bit of chat, she said something that struck me as rather, well, stupid.
Don't get me wrong - Condi is, I'm certain, a very well-educated woman and in her chosen profession she would do quite well. If, of course, the Soviet Union ever came into existence again (she's an expert on the USSR, which ceased to exist in 1991).
Here's what she said, paraphrased as the lede in Yahoo News: "Arab nations must do more to reach out to Israel, as a way to do their part to nudge a Mideast peace accord into being."
Read that bit again. I'm sure that quite a few Arab nations would love to 'reach out' to Israel - preferably with a very large bomb. The only nations that have peace treaties with the Jewish state are Jordan and Egypt. Saudi Arabia's stated position is that Israel may not be serious about talks, because of its settlements and treatment of the Palestinians.
Her statements just struck me as stupid. You be the judge.
His Excellency the Deciderer has been making the whirlwind tour of the Middle East, making fatuous and fantastic statements about a MidEast peace treaty before he leaves office in 2009. As usual he excoriated Iran, while his hosts said that Iran's the major player in the area and they have to talk to them even after we leave.
(Speaking of the pseudo Gulf of Tonkin last week, it's come out that the video was a pastiche, the audio didn't come from any of the ships or boats, and the provocative language may have come from a well-known heckler on that radio channel known as the 'Filipino Monkey.' Do we have idiots running the Pentagon, or is it just the Bush White House?)
Bush also practically got down on his knees and begged King Abdullah to prevail upon OPEC to raise production so that oil prices can drop. Abdullah basically told him to get bent, as 'market forces' will determine the production quotas. Hully gee, kinda uncomfortable them 'market forces,' huh George?
He'll make one more stop, in Egypt, before coming back here, and everyone in the Arab world will breathe a sigh of relief that he's back with Cheney, who can keep an eye on him.
While having a bit of chat, she said something that struck me as rather, well, stupid.
Don't get me wrong - Condi is, I'm certain, a very well-educated woman and in her chosen profession she would do quite well. If, of course, the Soviet Union ever came into existence again (she's an expert on the USSR, which ceased to exist in 1991).
Here's what she said, paraphrased as the lede in Yahoo News: "Arab nations must do more to reach out to Israel, as a way to do their part to nudge a Mideast peace accord into being."
Read that bit again. I'm sure that quite a few Arab nations would love to 'reach out' to Israel - preferably with a very large bomb. The only nations that have peace treaties with the Jewish state are Jordan and Egypt. Saudi Arabia's stated position is that Israel may not be serious about talks, because of its settlements and treatment of the Palestinians.
Her statements just struck me as stupid. You be the judge.
***
His Excellency the Deciderer has been making the whirlwind tour of the Middle East, making fatuous and fantastic statements about a MidEast peace treaty before he leaves office in 2009. As usual he excoriated Iran, while his hosts said that Iran's the major player in the area and they have to talk to them even after we leave.
(Speaking of the pseudo Gulf of Tonkin last week, it's come out that the video was a pastiche, the audio didn't come from any of the ships or boats, and the provocative language may have come from a well-known heckler on that radio channel known as the 'Filipino Monkey.' Do we have idiots running the Pentagon, or is it just the Bush White House?)
Bush also practically got down on his knees and begged King Abdullah to prevail upon OPEC to raise production so that oil prices can drop. Abdullah basically told him to get bent, as 'market forces' will determine the production quotas. Hully gee, kinda uncomfortable them 'market forces,' huh George?
He'll make one more stop, in Egypt, before coming back here, and everyone in the Arab world will breathe a sigh of relief that he's back with Cheney, who can keep an eye on him.
posted by Walt at 4:31 PM
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