Julian Borger in Washington, Wednesday June 26, 2002, The Guardian
``..The president's rose garden address on Monday not only marked a clear break with the past in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it also reflected a decisive shift in the constellation of forces within the administration itself, which have blown US policy back and forth for the past 18 months...''
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My immediate reaction was that Bush's statements were so ludicious that they couldn't be taken at face value. I think we are looking at the pretext to absolve the US from any need to moderate Israel or back a Palestinian state. The US bar is raise so high that it is impossible to meet, therefore the US has no responsibility for the situation or its inevitable deterioration.
With that policy ploy in play against the Palestinians, the Bush administration can get back to drumming up support for its war on Iraq. Yasser, Saddam, Osama all the same, get it?
Chuck Grimes