The Dems Are As Bad – - Almost
There’s not much doubt that on issues related to the Mideast and Israel the Ds are as bad as the Rs. OK – maybe they’re a shade better, but not by much. Clinton had a lot of Neocons too, but they didn’t get us into the Iraq debacle and give Israel unconditional support for a slaughter.
The balance of power in the Mideast may be leveling out some though with our incompetence and the World’s reaction to Israel’s arrogance, brutality and military ED. Hopefully this will dilute our arrogance of perceived power and help restart the 21st Century.
The Democrats’ Lebanon Failure
Stephen Zunes / Aug. 15, 2006;
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/08/15/the_democrats_lebanon_failure.php
Stephen Zunes is Middle East editor for Foreign Policy in Focus. He is a professor of Politics at the University of San Francisco and the author of Tinderbox: U.S. Middle East Policy and the Roots of Terrorism (Common Courage Press, 2003.)
As open warfare grinds to a slow and bloody halt in Lebanon, the Bush administration’s unconditional support for Israeli attacks on Lebanon is emblematic of the profound tragedy of U.S. policy in the region over the past five years.
The administration has relied largely on force rather than diplomacy. It has shown a willingness to violate international legal norms, a callousness regarding massive civilian casualties, a dismissive attitude toward our closest allies whose security interests we share, and blatant double standards on U.N. Security Council resolutions, nonproliferation issues and human rights.
A broad consensus of moderate Arabs, Middle East scholars, independent security analysts, European leaders, and others have recognized that—even putting important moral and legal issues aside—such policies have been a disaster for the national security interests of the United States and other Western nations. These policies have only further radicalized the region and increased support for Hezbollah and other extremists and supporters of terrorism.
The Democratic Party could have seized upon these tragic miscalculations by the Bush administration to enhance its political standing and help steer America’s foreign policy in a more rational and ethical direction. Sadly, the Democrats instead once again overwhelmingly threw their support behind President George W. Bush.
Soon after Israel began its offensive on July 12, House Republican leader John Boehner, along with House International Relations Committee Chairman Henry Hyde, introduced a resolution unconditionally supporting Israel’s military actions and commending President Bush for fully supporting the Israeli assault. Despite reports by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the U.N. High Commissioner from Human Rights that Israel was committing war crimes in attacking civilians, the resolution praised Israel for its “longstanding commitment to minimize civilian loss” and even welcomed “Israel’s continued efforts to prevent civilian casualties.” The resolution also claimed that Israel’s actions were “in accordance with international law,” though they flew in the face of longstanding, universally recognized legal standards regarding the use of force and the treatment of noncombatants in wartime.
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Even more alarmingly, all but 15 of the 201 Democrats in the House of Representatives voted in favor of the resolution.
The Senate endorsed by a voice vote a similar resolution unconditionally supporting Israel’s military offensive. Drafted by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, it was cosponsored by a majority of Democratic senators.
The decision by Democratic members of Congress to take such hard-line positions against international law and human rights stems not from the fear that it would jeopardize their reelection. Public opinion polls show a sizable majority of Americans believe U.S. foreign policy should support these principles and only a minority of Americans, according to a recent New York Times poll, agree that the United States should give unconditional support for Israel in its war on Lebanon and support President Bush’s handling of the situation.
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Read the entire short article at the link – http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/08/15/the_democrats_lebanon_failure.php
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The NYT poll that is linked is also worth a look.
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