"The
nation which indulges towards another a habitual hatred,
or an habitual fondness, is in some degree a slave. It is
a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of
which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and
its interest."
--
George Washington
From
the "Axis of Evil" to President Bush's description
of Kim Jong Ill as a "pygmy" to Donald
Rumsfeld's dismissal of "old Europe," bellicose
bullying and habitual hatred have become standard diplomatic
fare. When Richard Perle, of the Pentagon's Defense Advisory
Board, suggests that Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
should step down and says France is no longer an ally, it's
easy to see why the world is developing a habitual hatred
towards us. On the other hand, examples of habitual fondness
include our $15 billion friendship with Turkey and a relationship
with Israel that's caused Robert Fiskian reactions in mainstream
America. When Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported that Undersecretary
of State John Bolton promised Ariel Sharon the U.S would
"deal with threats" from Syria and Iran, Chris
Matthews protested. "Sharon, the right wing prime minister
of Israel has now issued a list of other countries we're
supposed to attack and liberate," he said. "Iran,
then Libya and Syria after that. Doesn't it take a certain
kind of guts to tell the Americans who we're supposed to
attack next? That takes a lot of nerve."Why isn't this
administration leveling with the American people about its
pre-election, pre-packaged war plan to re-map the Middle
East?
