Saturday, November 13, 2004
Not that I'm cynical or anything...
Reuters this evening reports Bush's stated conditions for what has variously been described as his bold "vision" of a Palestinian "state", "homeland", and so on. The Palestinians
"may decide to elect a real strong personality, but we'll hold their feet to the fire to make sure that democracy prevails".
Translation: Israel and the US intend to continue smashing Palestinians in the face until a properly submissive replacement for Arafat emerges. At which point a few squalid reservations will be christened a "state" and the court historians will recall Bush's bravery and generoristy in awed tones, just as they are surely doing right now.
Blair's apparently awesome ignorance and total submission to the Bush Administration put in strong showings at the press conference and accompanying interviews. Does he really think that the right not to live under foreign military occupation is conditional on satisfying the EU accession criteria? Best not to wonder too hard--he certainly doesn't.
