Separate trips by President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the Middle East were meant to demonstrate the administration’s diplomatic prowess but backfired when the Americans met with Arab leaders who were panicked, distraught and vocal.
Los Angeles Times:
... Instead of flaunting stronger ties and steadfast American influence, the president’s journey found friends both old and new near a state of panic. Mideast leaders expressed soaring concern over upheavals across the region that the United States helped ignite through its invasion of Iraq and push for democracy—and fear that the Bush administration may make things worse.
President Bush’s summit in Jordan with the Iraqi prime minister proved an awkward encounter that deepened doubts about the relationship. Vice President Cheney’s stop in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, yielded a blunt warning from the kingdom’s leaders. And Secretary of State Rice’s swing through the West Bank and Israel, intended to build Arab support by showing a new U.S. push for peace, found little to work with.
In all, visits designed to show the American team in charge ended instead in diplomatic embarrassment and disappointment, with U.S. leaders rebuked and lectured by Arab counterparts. The trips demonstrated that U.S. allies in the region were struggling to understand what to make of the difficult relationship, and to figure whether, with a new Democratic majority taking over Congress, Bush even had control over his nation’s Mideast policy.
Arabs are “trying to figure out what the Americans are going to do, and trying develop their own plans,” said Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), one of his party’s point men on Iraq. “They’re trying to figure out their Plan B.”
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By Quy Tran, December 4, 2006 at 6:41 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
This picture shown 3 new stooges. Can we add Britney Spear’s pix ?
Report thisBy Gerry Bonenfant, December 4, 2006 at 2:04 pm #
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Plan A : Keep the war going and shove money to the corperations . That will support the economy : Without war we have no manufacturing base . The money supply has been expanded and if the war stops the economy will colapse . Let the Dem inherit the fall after Bushies leave office .
Bush always wanted to be a war president . That way no need to worry about the economy . The dunce was elected by big money to supply the corporations . The war is a failure to the world but a sucess to the corperation (Relative point of view )
What Bin Laden wanted Bush accomplished .
Report thisBy Margaret Currey, December 4, 2006 at 1:22 pm #
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Impeach, Impeach, Impeach.
Margaret from Vancouver, Washington
Report thisBy Psychological Entrapment, December 4, 2006 at 10:55 am #
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Iraq and the Danger of Psychological Entrapment
By Shankar Vedantam
Monday, December 4, 2006; Page A02
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2 006/12/03/AR2006120300932.html
pack your bags .....time to leave!
Report thisBy Mark Kienan, December 3, 2006 at 10:41 pm #
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First of all the three war criminals in the accompanying picture: Bush, Cheney, and Rice should be sitting in jail cells in the Haig. Despite their power and money they are low life skanks whose hands are soaked in blood. Murderers!
Secondly, you better believe the Saudis, Abdulla, Siniora, Mubarek not to mention the Israelis are worried about the intifada in Iraq and Lebanon. The US and their minions in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, and Egypt are facing a shiite driven tsunami.
This is a bad time for empire, kings, occupiers, military dictators and puppet regimes.
Report thisBy GW=MCHammered, December 3, 2006 at 10:27 pm #
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There is only one plan now. Republican Conservatives (if any prevail) should step up and demand these three step down. We don’t have two years to get this right and more importantly, our soldiers and Middle Easterners shouldn’t have to suffer this any further. They and we have all paid the price of terrorism. It’s time for us ALL to band together and make terrorists pay!
Report thisBy R. A. Earl, December 3, 2006 at 5:21 pm #
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“Arabs are trying to figure out what the Americans are going to do, and trying develop their own plans, said Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), one of his partys point men on Iraq. Theyre trying to figure out their Plan B. “
That may be so. But do keep in mind, dear readers, that the AMERICANS ARE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THEIR OWN PLAN “A”!
I’m going to assume that by now the Arabs, and others, have learned NEVER, EVER TO TRUST AMERICANS TO BE TRUE TO THEIR WORD (except, of course, when it’s to their own benefit to do so). Anyone, or any country that forgets or ignores that caveat, even for a moment, better get ready for a royal screwing!
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