Begging Bowl

19 May 2008



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Bush Returns from Mid-East Empty-Handed

Lame duck presidents like to travel abroad. While they are irrelevant in the US, they still get the red carpet treatment in foreign capitals. So, it was no surprise that Mr. Bush spent the last 5 days in the Middle East. Nor was it a surprise that he achieved nothing while he was there. Everyone knows that real progress will have to wait for his successor.

On the intractable Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Mr. Bush said, “We must stand with the Palestinian people, who have suffered for decades and earned the right to a homeland of their own. A peace agreement is in the Palestinians' interest, it is in Israel's interest, it is in Arab states' interest, and it is in the world's interest. And I firmly believe that with leadership and courage, we can reach that peace agreement this year.” No one takes that seriously.

On building a democratic Mid-East, he was positively neo-conservative, “Expanding freedom is vital to turning temporary wealth into lasting prosperity. Free societies stimulate competition in the marketplace. Free societies give people access to the information they need to make informed and responsible decisions. And free societies give citizens the rule of law, which exposes corruption and builds confidence in the future.” He added, “Too often in the Middle East, politics has consisted of one leader in power and the opposition in jail. I call on all nations in this region to release their prisoners of conscience, open up their political debate and trust their people to chart their future.” Clearly, the man doesn’t understand the last 1,500 years of Islamic history. They approach the issues differently.

On the role of women, he stated, “Building powerful economies also requires expanding the role of women in society. This is a matter of morality and of basic math. No nation that cuts off half its population from opportunities will be as productive or prosperous as it could be.” Kuwait held elections while he was in the region, and while women can run for office there, none was elected.

And on the high price of oil, he got a sympathetic ear from the Saudis and nothing more. As Mr. Bush got on the plane to come home, Reuters reported, “Chakib Khelil, president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, said oil markets were well supplied and blamed high prices on speculation, a weak dollar and geopolitical problems. As for OPEC, indications shows that there is no shortage.”

© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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