"Tim J." wrote in message
...
riverman typed:
snip
Did anyone else notice that W's rhetoric changed drastically after
Sharon's visit to the US back in his first year of this first term?
What the hell did Sharon ('the Man of Peace') tell the young George??

Hmmm. . . did anything else happen in the first year of the first term
that might have influenced the changes? Nah - that would be too easy and
wouldn't lead to the obvious conclusion you've reached.


Well, there was a definate shift about our attitude toward the middle east
during that time, and this was well before September. Whatever the reason,
be it pressure from Sharon or forces from outside (this was well before
September), we suddenly abandoned the Mitchell Plan and started using
political strategies very much like what goes on in Israel. It seemed very
evident at the time, and lots of my Israeli friends laughed and said "Yep,
Ariel had a little 'talk' with him and taught him a few things about the
world." Even now, when I get the runaround at an airport, see news reports
from the war that come out just in time to deflect attention from
yesterday's news, or read about 'soldiers vs insurgents', I wonder at the
similarity in tactics.


It's difficult to speak to the Israeli situation if you've never lived
there and can only read reports, as is the situation with me. The problem
with establishing a stand based on just what is read would be faulty, to
say the least. It seems that for every report stating fault in one
direction, there is an equal and opposite reaction. What is your (or
anyone else who dabbles) recommendation to resolve the conflict there?
--

I don't know, its complex, but I know what's being done now isn't working.
But I'm also getting pretty amazed that there doesn't seem to be any thing
called 'reality' that people agree on any more. Everything gets
compromised....the press, the people, morals, truth, reality. How then,
could something as complex as the Palestinian situation, or the war in
Iraq/Afghanistan be resolved? Not by reason or truth, that seems for damn
sure.

I dunno. Its the end of a sort of American Innocence, and its not a change
for good.

--riverman