Prime Minister warns against hasty U.S. withdrawal from Iraq
By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent
For the first time on Thursday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert addressed in public the possibility that the United States may withdraw its forces from Iraq following the victory of the Democratic Party in the mid-term congressional elections. Olmert warned against a hasty withdrawal that may undermine the balance of power in the Middle East and endanger the moderate regimes in the region.
"From our point of view every withdrwal needs to be carefully planned,"
Olmert said, "in order not to undermine the very delicate balance of moderate countries and emirates in the Middle East. This is the main consideration, and America will be very careful before it makes a step that will endanger the very delicate balance in this region of the world which is important to the stability of much larger regions of the world."
The Prime Minister believes that U.S. policy will not change in a hurry.
"President George Bush is a hundred percent loyal to his principles, and I do not think there will be any dramatic change as long as he is in power," Olmert said."This does not mean that there will be no new thinking about the timing of the American withdrawal from Iraq, but it is too early to say
," the prime minister added.
(snip)
Commenting on the election results in the United States, Olmert, who is due to depart for a visit to Washington on Saturday, said: "I do not wish to go into American politics. I will only say that Bush is the American President, and one should not write him off just yet. The majority in the Senate is small, 50 to 49, and we should remember that the two best years of Clinton in power took place when the poor man lost the majority in Congress." On Monday Olmert will meet with Bush in the White House. Blocking the Iranian threat will top the agenda. Other topics that will be discussed will be efforts to calm the Palestinian front, finding a diplomatic breakthrough, and the enforcement of the cease-fire in Lebanon.
(snip)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/786183.html
Memo to Mr. Olmert: What really galls me is the way you and other "world leaders"--Bush/Cheney included--speak of our service members' lives as though they were some commodity in which YOU alone have an interest. And, frankly, Mr. Olmert, I am totally sick of the "ME ME ME ME ME" attitude which you take. It appears that absolutely nothing in American policy or politics is viewed by you in any way other than, "Is that GOOD or BAD for ME?" America does not exist solely to serve you and your aims... or, at least, that's not what we Americans WANT it to have as its primary purpose.
And please inform your media friend Mr. Murdoch that to some of us, NO American casualty is "minute".