Quote:
Originally posted by Undertoad
Well, the UN envoy was just on CNN, I didn't catch his name, ...
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I assume you are not referring to Kofi Anon, Secretary General of the UN. Last week's call for an international peace force to separate Israelis and Palestinians is a first from the UN. The Europeans were demanding same - about when - end of last year?
Colin Powell's trip was such a disaster that the President of Egypt suddenly and quite bluntly cancels scheduled talks with Powell without any reason as Powell arrived. It is how a country declares an envoy as irrelevant. Powell was made to look like a buffon on this trip. Powell's resignation is a possiblity - not likely - but clearly possible in the near future.
A former member of the National Security Council (now a VA professor - name forgotten) noted (on a PBS radio news show?) that White House 'zig-zagging' helped undermine Powell. First the White House put full support behind Powell, then started undermining Powell's position after Powell left Washington and while he was wandering the Med. I swear, White House opinion changes constantly depending on who last met with the President. It really makes one wonder who is making decisions in that White House. As tough talking as Condalezza Rice sounds, I don't think she pulls any strings.
You can appreciate how furious Arafat was after his last meeting with Powell. Arafat was told that he was the problem - he was the first step to creating a ceasefire. Ironically BBC analysts put up that same list except listing total Israeli withdraw from all Palestinian areas as step one. BBC says without full Israeli withdraw, then no other steps for peace are possible.
ABC News also stated bluntly, by example. They iterated how the Israelis broke into the PA Education ministry demanding that Ministry employees, used as human shields, demonstrate there were no armed Palestinians in the building. Then, as ABC News stated it, "next they went after the computers". ABC stated it that bluntly. Israeli soldiers destroyed all Education ministry computers because computers "were being used for terrorist activities". Then Israelis broke into the safe and stole all canceled checks and $8,500 of petty cash. ABC News demonstrated that Israeli objectives are to destroy all Palestinian infastructure. That is consistent with destruction of sewers, water mains, and electric lines. That is consistent with the raid to destroy the Palestinian Census bureau (that was provided by the EU). That is consistent with the destruction of local PA TV broadcast studio and transmitter equipment. Israel's invasion was another step in ethnic cleansing. Does Powell understand that? He can't be that naive as to not see any of this.
No matter what kind of spin we have from the White House:
1) George Jr ordered an Israeli withdraw, was humiliated internationally by Sharon, and is now trying to make it appear as if Sharon did not mock George Jr.
2) The Powell mission was a total waste of time, in part, because the White House is in denial of Sharon's objectives - the total annexation of the occupied territories - and because the Executive Branch is deeply divided between Powell moderates and Ashcroft, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz extremists.
3) OPEC will not use oil as a weapon this time unless the number of OPEC nations can cut off more oil than Saudi and Kuwait capacity can make up for. At least that is the word from Saudia Arabia now. Saudis and Kuwaitis can make up for up to four other OPEC nations. But if more join a boycott, then a 1973/1979/1992 type oil crisis is inevitable.
4) Any talk of a unilateral attack on Iraq - the Bush doctrine of eliminating three 'axises of evil' - is no longer coming from the White House. Maybe the White House has finally heard what the entire world has has been saying for months. Maybe they just did not believe that Cheney was told this by everyone? Denial by right wing George Jr extremists?
I just cannot believe the White House does not hear what every Arab and European nation and the UN Secretary General is saying. BTW, many and maybe most Americans also have not been hearing those words.