U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and six other representatives visit Syria.... a trip the White House describes as a bad idea.... but Israel's Acting President Dalia Itzik, who is a member of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's centrist Kadima party, said to her about her visit to Damascus "I believe in your worthy intentions."
A handful of Republican and Democratic lawmakers have already visited Syria and met President Bashar al-Assad in December after the bipartisan Iraq Study Group recommended a stepped-up diplomatic effort involving Syria and Iran to help calm the violence in Iraq. And, three Republican congressmen, Frank Wolf (VA), Joe Pitts (PA) and Robert Aderholt (AL), were in Syria on Sunday where they met with Assad.
Pelosi promised Israel she would raise with Assad the issue of three captive Israeli soldiers, two held by Lebanon's Hezbollah group and one by Palestinian militants. She is also conveying that "Israel is willing to talk if they [Syria] would openly take steps to stop supporting terrorism," Olmer's spokeswoman, Miri Eisin said.
In an hour-long meeting, Olmert and Pelosi's delegation talked "extensively" about a Saudi peace plan, dormant since 2002 and relaunched last week at the Arab League summit by Saudi's King Abdullah. Olmert has welcomed the plan, which calls for the recognition by all Arab states of Israel in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal from territories captured in 1967.
Accompanying Pelosi on her second trip to the Middle East since assuming the speakership in January are Democratic Representatives Keith Ellison (MN), Henry Waxman (CA), Tom Lantos (CA), Louise Slaughter (NY), Nick Rahall (WV) and Republican David Hobson (OH). This trip also includes stops in the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
Olmert has invited Arab leaders to a regional peace conference for an exchange of views about solving the Mideast conflict.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and said the European Union will try to help resolve the conflicts with Israel, stating she believes, "time is of the essence."
Unsubstantiated reports, fueled by Russian intelligence, predict an attack on Iran in early April by U.S. forces.... Operation Bite. These reports are believable mainly because The Decider has proven that he knows only one way to proceed in international affairs, by the use of force.
It's heartening that our lawmakers are aggressively pursuing the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group. As for The Decider.... get out of the way!
Showing posts with label Abdullah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abdullah. Show all posts
Monday, April 02, 2007
Friday, March 30, 2007
Abdullah Takes Aim
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has loosed an arrow at The Decider and his administration's adventures in the Middle East.... "Saudis Publicly Get Tough With U.S."
In a speech Wednesday before a summit of the Arab League, Abdullah targeted the "illegitimate foreign occupation" of Iraq by the U.S. and called for a lifting of the "unjust embargo imposed on the people of Palestine" that has been led by the Bush administration.
And, Saudi officials have labeled Secretary of State Rice's proposed coalition of "moderate" Arab states to counter "extremists" as silly.
Abdullah with this break with the White House is saying out loud, The Decider and Rice the Unready don't know what they are doing.... smashing their way through the international china shop in their pursuit of some power-grabbing agenda.
The American occupation of Iraq has fostered the rise of Iran and upset the traditional Sunni-Shiite balance in the region. The Saudis are worried about Iran.
Abdullah and the Arab League want an end to our occupation of Iraq. The majority Democratic Congress and citizens of the United States want an end to the occupation.
An arrogant Bush will have none of it. To our continuing great cost.
The shaft of the arrow had been feathered with one of the eagle's own plumes We often give our enemies the means of our own destruction.
Aesop (620BC - 560BC)
In a speech Wednesday before a summit of the Arab League, Abdullah targeted the "illegitimate foreign occupation" of Iraq by the U.S. and called for a lifting of the "unjust embargo imposed on the people of Palestine" that has been led by the Bush administration.
And, Saudi officials have labeled Secretary of State Rice's proposed coalition of "moderate" Arab states to counter "extremists" as silly.
Abdullah with this break with the White House is saying out loud, The Decider and Rice the Unready don't know what they are doing.... smashing their way through the international china shop in their pursuit of some power-grabbing agenda.
The American occupation of Iraq has fostered the rise of Iran and upset the traditional Sunni-Shiite balance in the region. The Saudis are worried about Iran.
Abdullah and the Arab League want an end to our occupation of Iraq. The majority Democratic Congress and citizens of the United States want an end to the occupation.
An arrogant Bush will have none of it. To our continuing great cost.
The shaft of the arrow had been feathered with one of the eagle's own plumes We often give our enemies the means of our own destruction.
Aesop (620BC - 560BC)
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Are You My Friend?
As Yogi would say, it feels like "deja vu all over again"..... "Britain Takes Case Against Iran to U.N."
Yes, following the crooked script for disaster in Iraq, the Brits have asked the U.N. Security Council for action. They want them to "deplore" Tehran's seizure and "detention" of 15 Royal Navy sailors and marines, demanding their immediate release.
This declaration of condemnation is being resisted. The dispute is over whether the Brits were operating in Iraqi or Iranian waters.... Russia and others aren't taking the Brits "proof" that they weren't operating in Iranian waters. Iran offers "proof" that they were.
Iran says the whole thing can be resolved if Britain admits it made a "mistake" and crossed into their waters. They also suggest that without such an admission, they might have to take legal action, suggesting they might put the Brit captives on trial.
Meanwhile, the buzz in Russia and much of Europe is that Bush and Blair are primed for confrontation with Iran. Perhaps coincidentally, today our head of national counterintelligence, Joe Brenner, warns that Moscow is intent on gaining insights into "the upper echelon of U. S. decision-making.... back to Cold War levels in their efforts against the United States."
Makes you wonder if Russia isn't on target about the our military buildup on the Iran border since our own counterintelligence is saying Moscow's intelligence is pretty good, a Cold-War level threat.
All of this saber rattling comes at a time when The Decider can count his international supporters on..... well, I was going to say one finger, but Blair is leaving office this July, and his successor may not be so enamored of Bush's enemy-making colonialism. They've been there, done that.
"Wait," you may say. We have other allies, especially the Saudis in the Middle East.
Think again. The Decider wanted to honor his Saudi friends, so he scheduled a mid-April White House gala for King Abdullah. But, Abdullah suddenly cancelled offering an Emily Post "prior commitment" reason.
Just another warning that the politically-weakened Bush's "friends" are distancing themselves. Jim Hoagland's "Bush's Royal Trouble" reports that "Bush and his senior advisers were not convinced" by the vague scheduling excuse, "especially since it followed Saudi decisions to seek common ground with Iran and the radicals of Hezbollah and Hamas instead of confronting them as part of Rice's proposed 'realignment' of the Middle East into moderates and extremes."
Adding insult to injury, Abdullah gave a warm welcome to Iran's President Ahmadinejad in early March. It was just a few months ago that the Saudis were championing the realignment approach.... now the Saudi's national security adviser regularly visits Tehran and Moscow.
Let's face it, Bush and much of his administration are in way over their heads.... dragging the country into incredibly dangerous waters.
Yes, following the crooked script for disaster in Iraq, the Brits have asked the U.N. Security Council for action. They want them to "deplore" Tehran's seizure and "detention" of 15 Royal Navy sailors and marines, demanding their immediate release.
This declaration of condemnation is being resisted. The dispute is over whether the Brits were operating in Iraqi or Iranian waters.... Russia and others aren't taking the Brits "proof" that they weren't operating in Iranian waters. Iran offers "proof" that they were.
Iran says the whole thing can be resolved if Britain admits it made a "mistake" and crossed into their waters. They also suggest that without such an admission, they might have to take legal action, suggesting they might put the Brit captives on trial.
Meanwhile, the buzz in Russia and much of Europe is that Bush and Blair are primed for confrontation with Iran. Perhaps coincidentally, today our head of national counterintelligence, Joe Brenner, warns that Moscow is intent on gaining insights into "the upper echelon of U. S. decision-making.... back to Cold War levels in their efforts against the United States."
Makes you wonder if Russia isn't on target about the our military buildup on the Iran border since our own counterintelligence is saying Moscow's intelligence is pretty good, a Cold-War level threat.
All of this saber rattling comes at a time when The Decider can count his international supporters on..... well, I was going to say one finger, but Blair is leaving office this July, and his successor may not be so enamored of Bush's enemy-making colonialism. They've been there, done that.
"Wait," you may say. We have other allies, especially the Saudis in the Middle East.
Think again. The Decider wanted to honor his Saudi friends, so he scheduled a mid-April White House gala for King Abdullah. But, Abdullah suddenly cancelled offering an Emily Post "prior commitment" reason.
Just another warning that the politically-weakened Bush's "friends" are distancing themselves. Jim Hoagland's "Bush's Royal Trouble" reports that "Bush and his senior advisers were not convinced" by the vague scheduling excuse, "especially since it followed Saudi decisions to seek common ground with Iran and the radicals of Hezbollah and Hamas instead of confronting them as part of Rice's proposed 'realignment' of the Middle East into moderates and extremes."
Adding insult to injury, Abdullah gave a warm welcome to Iran's President Ahmadinejad in early March. It was just a few months ago that the Saudis were championing the realignment approach.... now the Saudi's national security adviser regularly visits Tehran and Moscow.
Let's face it, Bush and much of his administration are in way over their heads.... dragging the country into incredibly dangerous waters.
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