Senators urge Bush to seek Mideast peace (OWH)

[Omaha Steve]

Full story (reg req): http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=54&u_sid=2206857

Published Saturday
July 15, 2006

Senators urge Bush to seek Mideast peace

BY JOSEPH MORTON


WORLD-HERALD BUREAU

WASHINGTON - As rockets and bombs flew Friday in the Middle East, Nebraska leaders in Congress said the United States should take the lead in trying to stop the violence.


Sen. Chuck Hagel

Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., said events were threatening to engulf the region in a wider conflict. He cited the instability of Iraq, tensions over Iran's nuclear program and the rise of terrorism.

The United States needs to get directly involved, he said, because it is the only country with the ability to lead a coalition and resolve the crisis.

"The fact is, we've got a mess in the Middle East," Hagel said. "It's in the interest of our country to deal with these things."

Addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is key, he said.

Once the violence has been stopped, Hagel said, President Bush should send a personal representative to the region to make diplomatic efforts for peace.

That representative should be someone with "global stature," such as Colin Powell or James Baker, both former U.S. secretaries of state.

Hagel said such a representative would provide intense day-to-day attention to the Middle East. He said that has been missing in part because of the war in Iraq.

[TAPat]

1. Ummm, Chuck, who's been inflaming this "mess"? nt

[Spazito]

2. Colin Powell or James Baker????? ROFLMAO!

Yet again, we see the delusional world repubs like to live in and promote. Colin Powell, James Baker and anyone the bush cabal would appoint as mediator would have the credibility of a gnat, actually less as a gnat is really a gnat.

[rodeodance]

3. Madaline Allbright would be great.

[Spazito]

9. I would disagree under the circumstances...

Her shrugging off the death of 500,000 Iraqi children due to sanctions reduces her credibility as well, at least to the middle east half that would have to agree with who was chosen. To be honest, there are few Americans of any stripe that would be considered as honest brokers at this time, imo, given the American government's unequivocal support for Israel as espoused by the bush government.

Even Canada, given our Prime Minister's position, would be looked upon with suspicion. If there were to be a genuine attempt at brokering a cease-fire, etc, it would have to come from someone not attached to the west, imo.

Edited to add: One American who may well be accepted by both sides would be former President Jimmy Carter.

[lutefisk]

16. Yes, Jimmy Carter.

The Chimperor is too small a man to do the right thing, though. A small, small man in a great big complicated world. Too bad for the world.

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rodeodance]

4. But Bush ha NOT even called for a cease fire.

.....Once the violence has been stopped, Hagel said, President Bush should send a personal representative to the region to make diplomatic efforts for peace.

[IndianaGreen]

12. Bush said a cease fire was up to the IDF

I guess that even PM Olmert has no say so, in Bush's mind.

All the sheep will see what an idiot Bush is!

[lanlady]

5. Lord help us

Is that the best that a United States Senator can do? Ask for help form Colin or Jim the Fixer?

We are so fucked so very fucked. The authority of this great country has got to be rescued from the catastrophic incompetence of Hagel's own party.

[UpInArms]

6. "Once the violence has been stopped"

that will be never at this rate.

Dimson inflames violence every time he opens his piehole.

[MissWaverly]

7. and we should stop fueling the Iraqi army

we are literally putting fuel in the their tanks, we should back off, I am sick of this neocon
effort to flatten the Middle East, isn't congress in charge of the war making powers.

[BrotherBuzz]

8. Send Karen Hughes! She has cachet, no?

:rofl:

Methinks a Carter Clinton team might be able to get people talking but I don't think Bush* would go for that.

[progressivebydesign]

14. Oh god.. I thought you were serious for a moment! n/t

[BrotherBuzz]

17. LOL, not serious, but I'm concerned,,,,

Karen Hughes appears to be missing in action or got lost in the shuffle. Is she still with the gang? :shrug:

[54anickel]

22. Yeah, but she's been pissing them off lately and supposedly siding with

Dems on some issues. :shrug: Go figure....

http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=15970

snip>

Since the BBG is evenly split by design, tie votes are decided by the secretary of State. In this instance, though, Hughes was appointed to cast the deciding vote -- and in two separate cases, she sided with the Democrats.

snip>

This is not typical Democrat-Republican squabbling. The Democrats on the board sincerely believe in marketing American popular culture to the Muslim world, even though several recent studies suggest that the pervasiveness of American pop culture is the problem. This approach ignores the historical -- and successful -- mission of RFE/RL: to offer the kind of radio broadcasts on history, culture, politics, religion, and economics that local audiences would get if they lived in free societies. But by definition, disseminating such information is despised by despots. And that is precisely the approach Wimbush has long endorsed.

Hughes’ refusal to support Wimbush appears to confirm fears that she shares the worldview of her new institution, which also happens to be home to President Bush’s most ardent critics within the administration. When he laid out his broad vision for freedom across the Middle East, for example, the diplomatic corps scoffed -- and then savaged him in the press, albeit anonymously. And in 2004, many of Sen. John Kerry’s most fervent (secret) campaigners were stationed at Foggy Bottom.

Yet as unpopular as President Bush is with the career Foreign Service, Hughes is becoming something of a rock star to them. Her groupies are giddy that she doesn’t seem to embrace President Bush’s “simplistic” ideas of good and evil. Hughes’ nixing of a staunch advocate of moral clarity will no doubt only boost her already lofty standing at State.

[Solly Mack]

10. Well, you allow a petty little tyrant to do as he pleases -

ruining lives and causing massive destruction, undermining America at every turn... and now you expect this same delusional spoiled rotten developmentally arrested piece of shit to "do something" that helps?

[chookie]

11. Does it take a *Republican* to do this?

Hagel has been one of the very few members of Congress to dare to confront Bush on the negative consequences of his policies.

Is he the only voice in government who is calling for cooler heads to get involved? I read yesterday that Pelosi and Reid, etc supported Israeli actions, without calling for cessation of hostilities. Is Hagel the only one with guts and good sense?

What Hagel is proposing here -- besides being totally fucking OBVIOUS -- is our only hope to pull back from the abyss.

[progressivebydesign]

13. But Bush is busy riding his bike in Germany and having BBQ!

How DARE those elected officials have the NERVE to ask Bush to do anything?? My god.. can't they see he has his hands FULL with all of the partying and clever quipping and bike riding??? Sheesh the nerve of those people!!!

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

15. So where the hell is Condi during all this???

Why look to FORMER Secs of State when they have a CURRENT ONE to do the job? Isn't that what her job is????

[bigdarryl]

19. Condi

Shes shopping for shoes

[pfitz59]

20. Condi is looking mighty haggard.....

in her latest appearances. Bit off more than she can chew?

[onehandle]

21. Peace isn't good for his business pals.

No peace in his time.

[Trajan]

23. Peace ? ..... Republicans ? ..... Peace ? ....

Hell .. this is EXACTLY what the Neocons wanted ..... The Mideast in conflagration is their wet dream ..... They HATE peace .....

The lack of ANY sort of diplomatic efforts; the absolute absence of ANY sort of peace mission, in ANY region, in ANY conflict, is one of the hallmarks of GOP government .....

These fellas are all about hatred and war ..... they are all about killing and maiming and annihilating their 'enemies', who seem to grow in number by the minute ....

There is something truly psychotic going on here .... something deep seated and very ugly in the psyches of Bush supporters that has lead the world to this place in history .....

Peace ? .. what are you ? ... some kind of GODDAMNED JIHADIST COMMUNIST ? .....

Sheeeesh ...... yeah right .....

What a bunch of sick fucks ....