[Grovenet] The Slow Bleed . . .

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

It seems like much of the country feels the same. 
 
If you ask the White House I think you'll hear the President say, "We're
fighting because I said so! Ain't that enough? Ah'm the decider!!" 
 
It's not enough. 
 
In the meantime a new Middle East is just starting to emerge from the chaos.
Real efforts are under way right now to prevent Iraq from collapsing into
violent anarchy, to create a power-sharing Palestinian government, revive
and Arab-Israeli peace plan and to break the political deadlock in Lebanon. 
 
But the USA is not involved. We're too busy strutting around pretending the
Iraq war was a good idea or justifying its continuation on the basis of
winning a military victory over someone - but. like the soldier in the
strip,  we don't know who, exactly. (That's how we "support" our troops. )
 
The people authoring the new Middle East are the Middle Easterners
themselves, under the leadership of the Saudis*.
 
The outcome will be a much, much more powerful Middle East, a more stable
Middle East, a Middle East that plays a much larger role in the shaping of
our world at all levels from business to technology, from religious thought
to secular education. I have no doubt it will be a Middle East with nuclear
weapons. 
 
What isn't at all clear is how they will feel about the USA. Right now we're
quite obviously the enemy. 
 
Can we change that? 
 
Do we care? 
 
Right now oil has again hit $66/bbl. No one even lifts an eyebrow. How
quickly we become accustomed to what was unacceptable only a short while
ago. 
 
Ron D'Eau Claire 
 
*Analysis: Mid-East package diplomacy
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6449927.stm
 
Israel 'holds secret Saudi talks'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5377552.stm

-----Original Message-----
From: grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com [mailto:grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com] On
Behalf Of Bob Browning
Sent: Monday, March 26, 2007 10:17 AM
To: Grovenet
Subject: [Grovenet] The Slow Bleed . . .


Here's sort of how I feel:


	
C2007 CartoonArts International/CWS 	

bob "does it ever end??" browning


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