Foggy Bottom Blues

Obama's national security team marched out to much acclaim. Were we in a rational and aware world, Obama and his minions would provoke national insecurity. Jewish Zionists and their gentile supporters should feel the most disquiet. Her Hillaryness literally embraced and kissed Suha Arafat after she said Jews were gassing the Palestinians in a genocide attempt. The future Secretary of State never separated herself from her husband's pushing Israel to give the Palestinians 90% plus of the disputed territory including parts of Jerusalem when then Prime Minister Ehud Barak met Arafat. Incoming National Security Advisor General James Jones seemed to advocate almost exclusively for the Palestinians when he served as President Bush's Middle East envoy. The new administration will offer much carrot to the Arabs and very little stick. I fear Israel will be served up on a plate with the debate being only on how much of the baby to divide. Israel's leadership must stand up to whatever Obama throws at it, from the graduated loss of material military support, US funding, even if this extends to American Jews being denied Aliyah, the loss of American tourist entry, and the revocation of fund transfer to Israel. Even if faced with apartheid-type sanctions and international pariah status, Israel must retain her character as a Jewish state with Jerusalem as her undivided capital and continued Jewish habitation in Hebron along with facilitated access by Jews to their holy sites. On the current diplomatic front, Codeleezza Rice is being sent urgently to restrain India. I am sure the Indians will recognize the nuance that although the ISI founded the Laskar-e-Toiba, the Pakistani government did not immediately dispatch this group of Mumbai murderers. And the Indians will welcome this State Department subtlety that while Pakistanis want to harry India over Kashmir, they would never endorse wanton butchery like this weekend's bloodbath. And if India buys this premise and holds back, it will not throw fuel on the fire of terrorism from restive Muslims, Maoist separatists who now have an even higher bar to shoot for, and even Sikhs who recall the draconian measures India took against the Golden Temple at Amristar plotters and who will certainly be fully placated if Muslims are absolved just because one of their own sits as Prime Minister. Yes, sending the failed former National Security Advisor Rice as an emissary should work splendidly just as her effort to divine and deter 9/11 succeeded, her brilliant leadership swept in swift victory in Iraq, her knowledge of Russia where she holds her PHD foresaw and forestalled the malevolent force of Putinism right down to the aggression against Georgia. Oh, mighty India, the world's largest democracy and a rising economic power must embrace Rice's Christian platitudes about turning the other cheek. Oh, wait, Condi the powers in India don't understand that template. Shiva does not turn nor should India turn the other cheek.