by Teh Nutroots | Useless to the end----that's W. You'd think he'd be satisfied with the very long vacation he has coming up, which will last till he, like Brother Jeb, decides to run for Congress. Meanwhile, Israel rages through Gaza and---whatever you think about the justice of its action---the US sits on the sidelines, with neither the sitting president nor the president-elect apparently willing to make a public statement. (Think Progress)
Respecting Bush's preference for an easy life over DOING THE MOST IMPORTANT JOB ON THE PLANET, Think Progress acidly comments:
ABC News reports:
Even an emerging crisis in the Middle East, one he pledged to resolve just 13 months ago, has not drawn President George W. Bush from his final vacation before leaving office. Despite his personal pledge at Annapolis last year to broker a deal between Israel and the Palestinians before 2009, this weekend Bush sent his spokesmen to comment in his stead. […]
Since departing Washington for Crawford on Friday, President Bush has made no attempt to be seen in public. In fact, he has yet to leave his ranch. (Think Progress)
In the meantime, he's planning to ride his bike and spend time with Laura. How sweet.(Think Progress) Now try to imagine Bill Clinton---did you know that, unlike a number of Republican presidents against whom there were credible accusations of violating international and domestic law, he got impeached for lying about a blowjob?--- saying he was too busy with any of that to DO HIS JOB.
You know, there's a REASON why the president-elect doesn't just take over as soon as he's elected----it's to allow for an orderly transition. In other words, it's assumed that the president will go on DOING HIS JOB right up till the end.
And what of Obama? Well, it isn't technically his job yet, but he's going to have to be ready to take over in a couple of weeks. More to the purpose, many of us think he needs to speak up and soon, since some of his statements during his visit to Israel might well be taken as an endorsement of just such an action.
“If somebody was sending rockets into my house, where my two daughters sleep at night, I’m going to do everything in my power to stop that,” he told reporters in Sderot, a small city on the edge of Gaza that has been hit repeatedly by rocket fire. “And I would expect Israelis to do the same thing.”
And of course it's not just Israel.
The whole world is literally waiting to hear from Obama. Hillary too is going to have her work cut out for her. But the two of them wanted to run things and we hope for at least a signal of where they stand on these issues, particularly---at the moment---on Israel, the scope of whose response to Gaza has incurred condemnation all around the world. (NYT)
Dday says:
The only way we'll ever get balanced and objective Mideast policy is if we also get campaign finance reform. I reckon Cernig gets it about right as to why both the president and the president elect are unwilling to speak out in, say, the manner of the British Prime Minister.
Gordon Brown...almost condemns Israel's premeditated assault on Gaza:
"We are appalled by the continuing violence in Gaza and reiterate our call to Israel and Hamas for an immediate ceasefire to prevent further loss of innocent life," said a spokesman for the British prime minister....
Britain was in close contact with the United Nations "to assess how best this support can reach those who need it," he added.
And he said: "There is no military solution to this situation....We must redouble the international effort to ensure that both Israel and Palestine have the land, rights and security to live in peace." (Newshoggers)
Cernig adds:
I won't be holding my breath waiting for any such thing to happen, though.
Me either.
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I saw the press conference with the United Nations officials from Gaza on C-SPAN last night. The actual numbers they mentioned were 67 WOMEN AND CHILDREN. NOT 60 as you claim. That DOES NOT mean that the rest of the dead (who are males) are all non-civilians.
The UN explained that they are not implying that the men who were killed were ALL 'Hamas militants', they're just saying that they haven't had time to divide the ADULT MALE deaths to civilian and non-civilian categories.
I sure hope you made that error by mistake, not deliberately in an attempt to make light of the death toll.
Posted by: Alex | December 30, 2008 at 12:43 PM
This is horrific. I picture a man, in public, beating one of his neighbor's children.
The cameras come, other neighbors watch, yet no one does anything about it. Not even the man's benefactor who pays so many of the man's bills. It is assumed that the man has the right to beat the child. "What right," other people ask? You have no right to ask the question, 'what right.'"
I am a supporter of Israel who is disgusted by the Israelis' actions. Tzipi Livni scares the living shit out of me.
Posted by: serge | December 30, 2008 at 01:31 PM
This is horrific. I picture a man, in public, beating one of his neighbor's children.
The cameras come, other neighbors watch, yet no one does anything about it. Not even the man's benefactor who pays so many of the man's bills. It is assumed that the man has the right to beat the child. "What right," other people ask? You have no right to ask the question, 'what right.'"
I am a supporter of Israel who is disgusted by the Israelis' actions. Tzipi Livni scares the living shit out of me.
Posted by: serge | December 30, 2008 at 01:33 PM
FROM TEH NUTROOTS:
I don't understand you Alex. I am certainly not "making light" of the civilian deaths. I am shocked and angry. I got the figure of 60 from The New York Times.
I agree with you, Serge.
Posted by: Buck Naked Politics | December 30, 2008 at 02:58 PM