The Middle East Black Hole

Another far off the mark NYT op-ed column has be gnashing my teeth yet again, so I bring it to you, my gentle readers, to make your own decision.

Beating The Mid-East's Black Hole - Roger Cohen
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/opinion/27iht-edcohen.html?hp

"JERUSALEM — The U.S. Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, has come and gone, again, with peace talks still on hold and one Israeli commentator, Yossi Sarid, musing that “the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a black hole that swallows up goodwill ambassadors through the ages.” "

"...I detect three developments. The first is Obama. The second is Fayyad. The third is what Danny Ayalon, the deputy Israeli foreign minister, called “the sugar-coated poison pill” of the Israeli status quo. I’ll take them in order."

"...Fayyad is obsessed with security — an obsession reflected in the now ubiquitous Palestinian Authority police on the West Bank — and with building state institutions and the economy. He’s not interested in Palestinian “victimhood.” Narratives do not a family feed. He wants a future. He believes nonviolence is the way to get there. He’s receiving some help from Netanyahu on the economy (but needs more) and security cooperation is ongoing."

"That meeting concluded with Mitchell saying: “You asked if I think Netanyahu is serious. They ask the same question. You are an expert on Palestinian and Israeli politics. They are the same. But no one in the world knows American politics better than me, and this I will say. There has never been in the White House a president that is so committed on this issue, including Clinton who is a personal friend, and there will never be, at least not in the lifetime of anyone in this room.” "

Those excerpts outline Cohen's main argument.

1. The Palestinian Prime Minister offers hope for peace? YEA RIGHT. I will believe it when I see it, not when yet another two faced Arab leader mouths fake truths in English, then goes around and laughs in arabic about how the Americans believed his BS.

2. What does an American President "so committed on this issue" have to do with Middle East peace?! Obama can't suicide bombers. He can't stop society based hatred. And he certainly can't stop Israel's enemies from planning her destruction over the course of decades.

Yet another note of false hope from the NYT establishment. Nothing is based on truth, nothing is based on reality, and it's all wishes and dreams and magic Obama to the rescue.

I have news for EVERYONE: Obama isn't a magical seed that will grow a beanstalk everyone can climb for peace. No one is. And until we put the onus for peace squarely on the enemies of Israel, not Israel alone, the status quo will remain. It's a good thing Israeli's are tough bastards.

NYT Columnist Actually Makes Sense (About Banks)

Normally, reading the op-ed section of the NYT prompts me to post confrontational response, since most of their columns show just how far they have their heads up their individual/collective asses.

However, I was pleasantly surprised by Krugman's thoughts today:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/16/opinion/16krugman.html?hp

Apparently the NYT still isn't Fox News, no matter how wonky they may seem these days. Here Krugman is talking about how Republican shills for finance corporations (corporate banks) are on the surface seeming to fight for finance reform, but when you listen to what they are saying, they are actually fighting for the banks right to continue using us instead of serving us.

Anyway, thanks for the change of pace Kruggy.