Washington Watch Articles From 2006
Tom Friedman, Condoleezza Rice, Virgil Goode –The Polluting Of Our National Discourse
An article by Tom Friedman, a quote from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and a letter by a Virginia Congressman hit in one day last week reminding me how tolerant our national discourse has become of bigotry toward Arabs and Muslims and how condescending policy-makers and analysts have become in their dealings with the Middle East region.
Oh! Little Town of Bethlehem…Where Art Thou?
This time of year, hundreds of millions of Christians in the West turn their attention to Bethlehem. But what they think about is not the living, breathing and suffering Palestinian city that is real, but a Bethlehem that exists in their imagination.
Revealing the Obvious
Here’s the obvious: the two principal factors accounting for this animosity are US policy toward Iraq and Palestine. In four of the five Arab countries covered in our 2006 survey (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco and Jordan) respondents pointed to US policies in those two areas as the major reasons for their negative attitudes toward the US. Only Lebanon was different. There, of course, US policy toward this summer’s war on Lebanon was the main source of animosity.
Bush and the ISG
Most press accounts have focused on the fact that the ISG report terms U.S. efforts in Iraq as failing and describes the current situation as “dire.” But a more significant indictment comes through in the report’s 79 recommendations. The long list of solid proposals of what the U.S. needs to do are in such stark contrast to what the Administration is actually doing, that it only reveals a damning gap in performance.
NEO-CONS OR JUST PLAIN “CONS”
In a series of articles and interviews, architects of the neo-conservative movement have been trying desperately to absolve themselves of responsibility for the mess they helped to create in the Middle East. Like confidence men (“cons”) everywhere, having sold the “snake oil” and been caught, they are now feigning sadness and innocence, pointing the finger of blame elsewhere.
LESSONS LEARNED
With the Middle East in turmoil, the State Department convened a two day meeting for Arab American leadership earlier this week.
“WAITING FOR GODOT BAKER-HAMILTON”
Democrats are in, Rumsfeld is out, and those who care about the Middle East are awaiting the release of the report by the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group (ISG).
IRAQ: FRONT AND CENTER
Polls show that when asked to name the most important issue determining their vote, “Iraq” is far and away number one. And by an ever increasing margin, voters’ are dissatisfied with the President’s handling of the war.
HOW ARAB AMERICANS WILL VOTE IN 2006
Throughout the 1990s Arab Americans, like most first and second generation immigrant communities split their votes between the parties, with Democrats edging out Republicans by a few points. In 2000, while Arab American party preference remain Democratic, Bush edged out Gore among Arab American voters (44%-38%) largely due to the fact that almost one in eight Arab Americans voted for Ralph Nader.
ELECTIONS TO WATCH
Not the least of my concerns, of course, will be the macro-outcome, as in which party will control the House of Representatives and/or the Senate. Let me be clear from the outset—I am a Democrat, proud of the political philosophy of my party, though not always pleased with the positions taken by and performance of some of its leaders and standard bearers.
ELECTIONS 2006: THE DEADLY SILENCE
In not a single House or Senate race being contested this year will the candidates engage in a serious debate about the failed US policy in the Middle East. There are a number of races where the Iraq war is an issue, but in these instances the debate has more to do with how we got into the war, the mistakes we’ve made and how we should leave. There are, to be sure, supporters of the President’s vision (or fantasy) of the Iraq war; i.e., that we are producing a democracy that will transform the region. But in no case is there a serious discussion about Iraq, itself, or the consequences of our broader Middle East policy.
SIX WEEKS TO GO
To win control, Democrats will have to take 15 house seats and/or six senate seats from the Republicans. A difficult but not impossible task, given that many of this years’ most competitive races feature vulnerable Republicans. Thirty of the nation’s most competitive Congressional races feature 27 vulnerable Republicans
THEOLOGIAN GETS CRASH COURSE IN REALITY
After a number of failed attempts to calm outrage created by his unwise remarks about Islam, Pope Benedict XVI has now invited ambassadors from Muslim countries to the Vatican for discussions. Such a meeting is needed, since it has become painfully clear that the thrice tried “I’m sorry you were offended” approach was not putting the controversy to rest.
USING OR ABUSING RELIGION
I don’t know why Pope Benedict XVI sought to quote what could only be described as an anti-Muslim diatribe to open his speech on the unacceptability of using religion to justify violence.It would have been more appropriate for him to choose a quote closer to home. After all the 14th Century source he cited was no angel, and the period in which he ruled, sandwiched, as it was, between the bloody Crusades and the equally bloody Inquisition could have provided Benedict with enough material to make his point—without resorting to a sweeping mischaracterization of Islam.
FIVE YEARS LATER: I’M STILL ANGRY
9/11 is still with us. In so many ways, it continues to shape our lives: from how we travel to how we have come to define the role of our country in the world.
OUR AMERICAN STORY
My father’s last remaining sibling, Wadih, passed away this summer at the age of 98. It was, for my family, a transformative event. Ammi Wadih was the youngest of the 5 brothers and two sisters who had come to America to begin a new life in the early part of the 20th century.
IF WE WERE SMART
The violence and chaos, the shattered dreams, and the anger that has come to characterize much of the Middle East should, one might think, cause our leaders to pause and reassess the failure of their current policies.
OVER, FOR NOW
The war on Lebanon is over, but only in a manner of speaking. It was an unnecessary war that left in its wake death, destruction and unresolved issues all around.
APOLOGISTS FOR IMMORALITY
This was brought home to me this week in three separate debates, one in print, two on television. What I clearly saw at work in these exchanges was how Israel’s apologists use verbal overkill paralleling Israel’s use of overwhelming military force. They will admit no wrong