NY Times: Bush's Faith & Middle East

There's plenty to question in the reporting for today's piece In The Heart of Islamic World, Bush Puts Forth His Faith. Two of reporter Steven Lee Myer's characterizations made me gag immediately:

Bush's "push for an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord" and "his unswerving support for Israel." This is a joke.

Bush's push for an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord has been weak at best. He's gone through the motions but has refused to apply an real pressure on Israel for concessions lest he antagonize his administration's many pro-Israeli hawks. He cannot execute his poor execuse for a foreign policy without their "unswerving support." When examined through the prism of his immediate predecessors, the Bush Presidency has been notable largely for his public ambivalence towards Israel. Again, George W. Bush cannot appear to be overly cozy with Israel lest he alienate his Muslim oil business and GWOT partners.

I didn't graduate from Harvard Business school. I did once work in a field where my "clients" offices were spread nationwide. My company was in fierce competition with much larger ones with whom I had to occasionally cooperate. While I had the resources to bring clients to me, it was less disruptive to them and showed more respect for them when I visited their place of business. The same must hold true on the geopolitical stage.

Bush has visited Iraq a handful of times to for purely personal political purposes i.e. to bolster his flawed policy and plummeting approval ratings. If Bush's support for Israel is so "steadfast," he would not have waited until his presidency's very last year for his very first visit. It proves his contempt and complete lack of respect for Israel except as a Biblical symbol and as an emblem of American might in an area of the world where there are few.

In the twilight of his Presidency, having been disgraced and discredited and declared wrong at every turn, Bush has finally become aware that his legacy may not possibly match his delusions. The American people owe it to themselves and the world to elect the least delusional candidate this November.

AF