The WaPo does it’s best to insult the Bush Administration and Condi Rice with their article a few days ago in which they bring up Condi’s latest travel itenerie:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice leaves for the Middle East today for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, as key players question whether she is doing enough diplomatic legwork or outlining specific goals for the conference announced by President Bush in July.
"I think for the first time here, in quite some time, I really do feel that there is an opportunity," Assistant Secretary of State C. David Welch told reporters yesterday. "With a little hard work — and that may take quite a bit of time — we can get it in a way that looks a little bit better, more dramatic, to you all."
And who do they get to insult the two? Dennis Ross and Bruce Reidel. Two of the worst of the worst when it came to negotiating a peace in the Middle East. They bowed down to Arafat, believing him to be the savior of peace when in fact he was nothing but a two bit terrorist. But these two now want to insult Condi and Bush:
The way you shuttle is that you shuttle," said Dennis Ross, who was an envoy under both George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton and author of "Statecraft: And How to Restore America’s Standing in the World." "It’s not too late [for Rice] to pour herself into it, but it’s almost too late." Rice is staying in the region for one night.
Rice is not paying enough attention to what is happening on the ground, Ross said, with the breakup of the Palestinians into two rival parts and a failing economy that has left 40 percent of the population unemployed. The Palestinians have only enough money to pay government salaries through November, he said. "If nothing is changing on the ground, then both sides will not find this effort to be credible," he said.
Your shuttling did wonders, Mr. Ross, when you were with Mr. Feelgood there were lots of handshaking and words, but no peace. It was all a fraud that you, sir, fell for.
But the Bush administration has limited leverage, experts note. "Bush is the lamest-duck president in our lifetimes and now completely preoccupied with dragging out a war in the Middle East, which is extremely unpopular with Arabs across the board," said Bruce Riedel, who was a negotiator in the 2000 Camp David effort. "He has not in almost seven years in the White House used his political capital to advance the Arab-Israeli peace process. Instead, he has been notably absent."
Wrong again Bruce. You advanced a process of illusion, something that existed only in the minds of those seeking accolades and cheers instead of real peace. Camp David and Oslo only helped in producing more terrorism while Bush’s strategy has helped Israel to secure their country against terrorist acts.
Sure, there is no media event with some nobel peace prize seekers raising their arms in victory, but that was all a fraud. Hamas and Hezbollah only want one thing, the destruction of Israel. Until the Palestinians desire a REAL peace then putting on dog and pony shows will not produce anything.
But to Dennis Ross and Bruce Reidel the dog and pony show is all that matters.
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Pakistan was created out of India’s land as a land for peace deal and that deal didn’t work for India. I can’t see why it would work anywhere that involves the hostile side getting the land. Those people generally want even more land hence why it’s not done more often.