Were Bush and Blair the Targets?

After the arrest of 24 men and women in the plot to blow up 10 airliners on flights from the British Isles to the United States, we may be fortunate that the terror they envisioned was so apocalyptic. With so many implicated, even more being pursued in Britain and Pakistan, the odds of a leak … Continue reading “Were Bush and Blair the Targets?”

Condi’s ‘New Middle East’

“Things are as they are, and their consequences will be what they will be. Why then should we seek to be deceived?” Columnist Stewart Alsop, dead now these 30 years, once closed a column with this quote from the philosopher Bishop Berkeley. His column, I believe, was about Vietnam. As we approach the fifth anniversary … Continue reading “Condi’s ‘New Middle East’”

On Talking With Terrorists

With the second Intifada and rise to power of Ariel Sharon, Israel abandoned Oslo and land-for-peace. We will never again negotiate with Arafat, said Sharon, because Israel does not negotiate with terrorists. Two Israeli prime ministers, Rabin and Peres, had shared a Nobel Prize with Arafat. A third, “Bibi” Netanyahu, had handed over Hebron to … Continue reading “On Talking With Terrorists”

The Moral Culpability for Qana

“Everyone in southern Lebanon is a terrorist and is connected to Hezbollah,” roared Israeli Justice Minister Haim Ramon on July 27. “Every village from which a Katyusha is fired must be destroyed,” bellowed an Israeli general in a quote bannered by the nation’s largest newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth. The Israeli paper then summarized what the justice … Continue reading “The Moral Culpability for Qana”

Syria Emerges Front and Center

“War wins nothing, cures nothing, ends nothing … in war there are no winners, but all are losers.” So said Neville Chamberlain on the eve of the war he had sought desperately to avoid, but which his own blunders would bring about. Chamberlain was mistaken. War ended Nazi Germany, though the cost was high: the … Continue reading “Syria Emerges Front and Center”

No, This Is Not ‘Our War’

My country has been “torn to shreds,” said Fouad Siniora, the prime minister of Lebanon, as the death toll among his people passed 300 civilian dead, 1,000 wounded, with half a million homeless. Israel must pay for the “barbaric destruction,” said Siniora. To the contrary, says columnist Lawrence Kudlow, “Israel is doing the Lord’s work.” … Continue reading “No, This Is Not ‘Our War’”

Where Are Bush’s Critics Now?

When Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert unleashed his navy and air force on Lebanon, accusing that tiny nation of an “act of war,” the last pillar of Bush’s Middle East policy collapsed. First came capitulation on the Bush Doctrine, as Pyongyang and Tehran defied Bush’s dictum: The world’s worst regimes will not be allowed to … Continue reading “Where Are Bush’s Critics Now?”

Russia Is Not a Lost Cause

Asked by the Today show’s Matt Lauer about the recent caning Vice President Cheney gave him and Russia, President Vladimir Putin gave this cocky and cutting reply: “I think these kinds of comments from your vice president amount to the same thing as an unfortunate shot while hunting.” In Rostock, Germany, Bush declined to defend … Continue reading “Russia Is Not a Lost Cause”

The End of the Cowboy Era

The era of “Cowboy Diplomacy” is over, writes Time magazine. The Bush Doctrine – “The world’s worst regimes will not be allowed to acquire the world’s worst weapons” – is being defied by Iran’s Ahmadinejad and North Korea’s Kim Jong-Il, with impunity. The White House seems to have lost interest in its democracy crusade, after … Continue reading “The End of the Cowboy Era”

Kim’s Rockets Clear the Air

That free fireworks display Kim Jong-Il put on for our benefit on July Fourth may prove to have been the best day George Bush has had since Zarqawi went to his eternal reward. For years, Bush has been trying to persuade world opinion that Kim is a psycho who cannot be trusted with nuclear weapons. … Continue reading “Kim’s Rockets Clear the Air”