Rivals Criticize Dean For Mideast Comment
Washington Post

By Jim VandeHei
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 9, 2003; Page A02

Howard Dean came under fire yesterday from two rivals for the Democratic nomination for saying the United States should not "take sides" in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Five days after Dean told supporters in New Mexico that "it's not our place to take sides" in the conflict, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.) accused him of advocating a "major break" from the United States' long-standing policy of explicitly siding with Israel in the Middle East.

"If this is a well-thought-out position, it's a mistake, and a major break from a half a century of American foreign policy," Lieberman said in a statement. "If it's not, it's very important for Howard Dean, as a candidate for president, to think before he talks."

Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.) said: "It is either because he lacks the foreign policy experience or simply because he is wrong that governor Dean has proposed a radical shift in United States policy towards the Middle East. If the president were to make a remark such as this it would throw an already volatile region into even more turmoil."

In an interview, Dean sought to clarify his statement but did not back down from his belief that the United State cannot negotiate peace unless it is seen as a neutral party in the region. "Israel has always been a longtime ally with a special relationship with the United States, but if we are going to bargain by being in the middle of the negotiations then we are going to have to take an evenhanded role," he said.

For more than 50 years, the United States has backed Israel as its closest ally in the region, providing the Jewish state with billions of dollars in military and humanitarian aid. Dean does not advocate breaking the U.S.-Israeli alliance, but believes the only way to bring peace to the Middle East is for the president to broker a deal without playing favorites. A top Dean adviser said the former Vermont governor is doing nothing different from what President Bill Clinton did when he reached out to Yasser Arafat and the Palestinians as a path to peace.

Several Democrats predicted Dean would pay a political price for his remarks. Democratic candidates receive a significant amount of money and support from the Jewish community. It would be hard for any Democrat considered unsympathetic toward Israel by Jewish leaders to win the nomination, several party strategists said.

Dean believes his rivals are trying to slow his surge by manufacturing a "divisive issue." He specifically struck back at Lieberman, who is emerging as Dean's harshest critic on the campaign trail. "For Joe to raise this as a divisive issue in the Democratic Party is a major error on his part," he said. "I am deeply disappointed in him."

The Dean-Lieberman spat comes only days after the Connecticut senator warned of an impending "Dean depression" if the country were to follow Dean's trade policies.

All in all, one would have to also believe that the US helped to finance & build the Wall now seperating parts of the West Bank & Gaza strip region from Palestine.

anyway to my point...
Well thats interesting...
In the latest round of bombings, it was the ISRAELI's who struck first, with the bombing of a Hamas leader's house.
So,.. one could then come to a reasonable conclusion that the Palestinian's were retaliating to the Israeli violence.

Wow... dosen't that counter in the face of the Palestinians trying to derail the Peace process.
I believe both sides are just as responsible as each other.
Violence to counter-violence... what a productive idea.. NOT.

So,.. whats America's interest here...
well as long as the violence continues, its good economics for the American defence Industry.

Marxist Pig,

Israel is just now going after the leaders of Hamas, the terrorist organization that has embarked on this campaign of suicide bombers.

It's about time that they got these guys.

The wall is defensive, a good thing because it hinders the terrorist attacks. That the UN opposes the construction of the defensive wall just goes to show how the UN enables Arab terrorism.

Koffee Anans words ring hollow when his actions have been to support PLO terrorism.


Howard Dean is abandoning Israel. His mistake was to openly abandon Israel before the election because now the DNC will not have him as their candidate for election. I expect Kerry to become the DNC's candidate if Hillary does not run.

I am disapointed because Howard Dean is pro-2nd Amendment and has high marks from the NRA. I wish more liberals would be more supportive of our 2nd Amendment rights like Dean.

Firstly,.. if your going to acuse me of having a political alignment (or more lack there of)... get it right ->
Anarchist Pig will do fine.

And.. "Israel is just now going after the leaders of Hamas"..

So in your books... when at War, IF peace negotions are taking place presently, then one should seize upon the oppurtunity - by assinating your enemy's leader's, and hence DERAILING the peace process, to further your position.

So according to Sixgun.. the only real way for Peace in the middle east, is for Israel to continue to attack Palestine...
Ignorant of a concept of "retaliating" attacks from the Palestinian's... after all,

According to Sixgun,.. if your a Palestinian civilian, and happen to be targeted by an Israeli Army attack, "you should just sit there and take it", as apparently retaliation dosen't count, and would be 'counter productive' to any peace effort.

Quick note for you Sixgun...
I've always supported Euthanasia for Zionists...

There is no "peace process" and the PLO have never negotiated in good faith. Hamas and the PLO never, not even for a second, ceased their murder and attacks. The PLO made no concessions, stopped no terror, offered exactly zero.

Those "leaders" were the ones who directly authorized the murder of children.

More gibberish. Even the most casual observation reveals that the PLO are the aggressors, and Israel is the one retaliating. The "cycle" is always: PLO pretends to negotiate; Israel stands down; PLO authors repeated atrocities against civilians; finally, Israel targets terrorists; PLO shills like you distort the truth.

Liber-BAN is a dumbass, im ashamed that he represents my state... he would do better to watch his own mouth when telling Dean to think before he talks, especially since if he had his way the US would be killing Palestinians instead, hes a very very strictly Jewish kind of jew.

I don't think the wall's a bad idea at all. It's just in the wrong place. If they'd put it on the border it might have been useful, but now it's just going to create yet another obstacle to peace.

Its a centuries old conflict that has done no one any good...

Lets just nuke the whole place.

No, seriously, I don't know that peace is ever really going to happen in that place. The conflict is far too old and bloody...

just abandon it, the jews or the palestinians wille ventually wipe the other out and then we can just befirend whoevers left.

I would support this idea... if it was 'fair' to begin with.
As in the US 'abandoning' it, would result in less concern as to whats actually going on - but more money being poured in to support Israel.

So my thoughts.. the most IMPORTANT THNING -
kill EVERY single cent of "Aid" given to Israel, by the US.

I think this one little act, would make quite abit of differnce.

Of course, how would all the Jewish Lobby Groups in Washington handle this.. is the real question, consider how "deep" they are inside Congress.
As an example...
So the government has no problem handing over several Billion dollars to Israel in "aid", but when it comes to the AMERICAN people, it uses an excuse that it needs to drill the Artic Wildlife Refuge, as it can't afford to support its own industries.

so my idea right here... Use Israel's welfare $$$ to pay the steel workers of America... or does it seem that Israel is more important, than the American people?

Of course, then the question should get rissen, as to 'just how deep' is the Israeli Lobby groups are in Washington..

Firstly, Zionism [a racist ideology]
Zionism today, is being mainly pushed by the World Zionist Organization...
So to modern day America, the Zionist agenda, is being pushed by...
furthermore, its interesting to see who on the Board of Directors etc, for the American-Israeli Cooperative Entreprise...
Further... research shows that the Exec. Director, has written quite a few books.. all dealing with the Israel/Palestine Conflict.

One such example is "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict"
Refer Amazon Books -http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0028644107/ref=ase_theamericanisraeA/002-4710479-0208835

Firstly.. I think its highly "interesting" that a devout supporter of Israel, is claiming to write a balanced account of the conflict.
Perhaps we should look at one such review... [taken from Amazon.com]
interestingly enough, we find a complete opposite review available on the same site...

All in all, one would have to conclude that Zionist based agenda's ARE being heavily pushed inside US Congress.. and possibly at the expense of the American people...
Particulary the idea of 'Too many Jews' and not enough land...

So what is "fair", that the Arabs exterminate the Jews?

I tell you what, the Arabs own most of the middle east. It seems fair that the Jews get to keep their little bit of land.

I think its past time that we ended the Arab occupation of Jewish land. The Arab populations in the West Bank can be moved to Jordan. The Arab population in Gaza should go to Eqypt. Now that to me seems fair.

Its been going both ways for centuries, and the only effect we seem to be having is keeping it held at a wavering stalemate. Its a war of attrition, and we're sinking deeper and deeper the longer we stay so involved...Both sides seem rather bent on destroying each other, and we don't seem to be doing much in the way of changing that.

Israels nukes keep them safe from the conventional forces of Arab nations. Thus the current guerilla warfare in the occupied territories (Thats Jewish land being occupied by Arabs mind)

Look at the map, the Jordan river makes a natural border. It seems to me that good fences will make good neighbors.

There are other ways of getting into a country, of course.

Its funny, that alot of Israeli's disagree with you six...
but then, of course they would understand the situation, alot better than yourself...

So tell me Six,.. who's land is it?
Or do you still believe that your Zionist belief is right, and 10,000 Israeli's are DELUSIONAL ?