Washington Watch Articles From 2009
Israeli Paralysis Calls for Arab Action
Some elections serve as clarifying moments in a nation’s history, others resolve little and serve only as a reflection of internal division. The former provide direction, the latter create paralysis.
Lincoln: Metaphor for the Nation
This week we commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, arguably the U.S.’s greatest and most complex President.
Hopeful, But Not Optimistic
George Mitchell has returned from his first foray to the Middle East. He will now study his initial findings, await the results of Israel’s election, and then revisit the region at month’s end.
Healing Gaza’s Wounds
Viewing the aftermath of the assault on Gaza, and listening to some of the commentary coming from Israel, the Arab world and from Israel’s supporters here in the U.S., can be disturbing on many levels.
Appointing Mitchell: Obama’s Signal to Peace
In appointing former Senator George Mitchell as Special Envoy for the Middle East, President Barack Obama made clear his determination to pursue Arab-Israeli peace.
Bush: Maddening and Delusional To the End
This will be my last article about George W. Bush. Actually, I had decided a few months back to never write about him again, and would be honoring that pledge, had he not delivered a perfectly delusional and maddening farewell address to the nation last Thursday night.
How Israel’s Propaganda Machine Works
As in past Mideast conflicts, both the media story line and political commentary here in the U.S. has closely followed Israel’s talking points on the war.
Gaza: The Lessons We Should Have Learned
The horrors that are unfolding in Gaza are but a tragic replay of past confrontations: the same bluster and threats, the same miscalculations by all sides, the same massive and overwhelming use of Israeli force designed to “stop once and for all.