Before we get so weak from the nervous vapors to think, perhaps we should take just a moment to ponder a recent quote from one of the political leaders some people don't think we should appease:
Israel is a “stinking corpse” on its way to “annihilation,” Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said last Thursday as Israel celebrated Independence Day. “Those who think they can revive the stinking corpse of the usurping and fake Israeli regime by throwing a birthday party are seriously mistaken,” proclaimed the president of Iran, a nation that is a member in good standing of the United Nations and an active trading partner of countries like Germany and Russia. “Today the reason for the Zionist regime’s existence is questioned, and this regime is on its way to annihilation.”
(William Kristol, New York Times, May 12, 2008)
This is a great example of why the Democrats have no chance of winning the votes of people who put either the literal or metaphorical defense of America high on their list of important qualities for any Presidential candidate. They will wring their hands endlessly over a statement by the least popular politician of our lifetimes (would you rather have GWB working for you or against you?) but where are their voices of outrage over Ahmadinejad? You know who he is -- right? The leader of a country with 65 million people -- all heterosexuals. He'll be much easier to deal with once he has the bomb.
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Because it was inappropriate to inject politics into the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of Israel (note to self: they are four years younger than I am) and it is reprehensible to criticize a candidate to be president of the United States on foreign soil. Perhaps the other side should unknot their own panties.
Cara Fenway, I’ll admit some of the subtleties of the political game are lost on me, but I think the 60th anniversary party for Israel is an appropriate time to speak out against appeasement, a philosophy that defines a very large number of politicians both foreign and domestic. W didn’t mention Obama; the only people who did are those who want to make a big political deal out of this.
But that’s not my question. My question is: Why aren’t these people speaking out with the same sense of outrage against Ahmadinejad and his ilk when he calls for annihilating Israel? Isn’t that worse than back-handed name-calling?
Obama needed to come out of the corner swinging as his critics think he is too passive to be president. This is his opportunity to attack without going after Hillary.
As to Ahmadinejad; his momentum is based on confrontation. He is best dealt with by indirect means undermining him. Confrontational policy had brought us to where we are now. Had oil prices gone down rather than up, he would have fallen from grace at home for not delivering what his voters expected.
wasn't Truman the least popular when he left the presendency? Obama says he will have direct talks with Iran's leaders but not Hamas...and nobody calls him on that one.
Shall we pause a moment to reflect on the judgement of our current President and where his policies have brought us? We have an adopted a dysfunctional child with a mean temper through military means. The price of oil is driving our wages to the toilet but underwriting our enemies and the solution to our addiction to oil isn't even on the drawing board. The American flag now stands for the use of torture.
Yes, torture is okay but talk is treason.
I really don't understand how "talking" to the leaders of certain countries constitutes appeasement. What comes out of those talk, if anything, can rightly be criticized but simply engaging in conversation is what advanced civilizations are supposed to do. As Churchill said, "jaw-jaw is infinately better than war-war".
Bush won't even let McCain play a winning hand. By saying what he said where he said it, he forces McCain to support the statement and thereby epoxy's himself to the most unpopular president ever. Way to go George. Keep up the good work. Jesus, what a boob this guy is.
I have to repeat that my question is not whether it's right to talk -- I'm asking where was the voice of the left when Ahmadinejad was calling for the extermination of Israel?
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