April 15, 2004
IT'S ALL ABOUT TONE?:
Bush's tone may hinder Mideast plan (Barbara Slavin, 4/14/04, USA TODAY)
When he endorsed a unilateral Israeli peace plan Wednesday, President Bush didn't approve anything that veteran observers didn't think would eventually be part of an Arab-Israeli peace agreement.But the way in which Bush spoke, with little regard for the painstakingly careful codes of Arab-Israeli diplomacy and with such a strong embrace of Israel, antagonized already jittery U.S. allies in the Arab world. (Related story: Bush endorses Sharon's land plan)
A top aide to Bush said the White House hoped "people will stay focused on the big picture here" and noted that Israel is about to do something it has not done for 20 years by voluntarily leaving land it seized in the 1967 Middle East war. "That is a chance to move the peace process forward," said the official, who has a role in formulating administration policy and spoke on condition of anonymity.
White House officials insisted that nothing Bush told Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon prejudges the outcome of final negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. But many Palestinians and their supporters fear that they will never get to that point. They assume they will be obliged to settle for Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a small portion of the West Bank. Palestinians claim both areas in their entirety.
Bush's comments on the right of Palestinian refugees to return to ancestral homes in what is now Israel were the most contentious. Veterans of the peace process acknowledge that giving all 4 million refugees the "right of return" was a passionate but impractical demand that would eventually be dropped in a final negotiation. But Bush's unequivocal dismissal of the idea infuriated Palestinians and their supporters.
Is it Mickey Kaus who says that the only time anyone in Washington ever speaks the truth is accidentally? George W. Bush has turned this folk wisdom on its head by consistently telling difficult truths. But you can see why it was conventional wisdom from the hysterical reactions and disbelief that result when he does so.
The plain facts are these: the right of return was always a dead letter; the Palestinian borders are going to be whatever Israel and the United States decide they should be; and there are no Palestinians to negotiate with. To argue that saying these things aloud will "hinder" the resolution of the Palestine problem is akin to arguing that telling the emperor he's not wearing clothes will hinder resolving his nudity problem.
Only people who dwell in fantasy need fear the truth.
Posted by Orrin Judd at April 15, 2004 9:23 AMBloody miraculous how all those Palestine-from-sea-to-sea shrieking, Sharon-is-a-Nazi screeching, Bush-is-a-murderer shouting myriads suddenly become so sensitive to tone.
Mr. Meislin;
They've always been sensitive to the tone of others.
The problem with speaking plainly is like discplining children. Saying "no" firmly generates more screaming now but less later, so it seems harder at first.
Alternatively, one can take a poker metaphor. Bush knows when to hold 'em, when to fold 'em, and when to call. As Arafat noted, that means that it's the end of the game.
Being inarticulate makes it difficult to lie convincingly. Should be a consideration for selecting politicians. Cuts down on meeting time too.
Posted by: genecis at April 15, 2004 11:44 AM