Author Archives: Soccerdad

About Soccerdad

I'm a government bureaucrat with delusions of literacy.

Diehl me out

Jackson Diehl’s End the Spat with Israel, is a very important op-ed. It’s also interesting that both Diehl and David Ignatius are showing skepticism of the administration’s tactics regarding Israel. That’s not to say Diehl’s column is perfect – it … Continue reading

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About those “settlements”

In an op-ed that is fully supportive of the administration, What a Freeze Can’t Do, David Ignatius lets a little inconvenient truth slip out. That doesn’t mean any breakthroughs are imminent, however. The more the administration pressures Israel, the more … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, Israeli Double Standard Time, Politics | Tagged | 2 Comments

Imminent? Maybe. Costly? For sure.

Elder of Ziyon noted on Wednesday that Israel’s release of Aziz Dweik – a Hamas politician – stirred rumors that a deal for the release of Gilad Shalit is in the works. But then he noted that a Hamas politician … Continue reading

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Netanyahu’s “new” demand

Howard Schneider reports in the Washington Post on Netanyahu’s Peace Stipulation (h/t Backspin) I suppose what’s disturbing about the article is its portrayal of Netanyahu’s demand as “new.” The documents accepted by Israeli leaders during breakthrough peace talks with the … Continue reading

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United States to return ambassador to Damascus

The New York Times and Washington Post are both reporting that the Obama administration intends to send reestablish diplomatic ties with Syria at the ambassadorial level. Here’s the Washington Post giving the administration’s line: The acting assistant secretary of state … Continue reading

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Expansive settlements

I remember at the end of a movie (was it the Pelican Brief?) , the hero talks about how he will never know if his car will explode when he turns the key to his ignition. The threat to him … Continue reading

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A Democratic rift?

Meryl noted that Majority Leader, Sen. Harry Reid has expressed doubts about President Obama’s policies in the Middle East. The United States needs to back off Israel a little and put some pressure the Palestinians instead, US Senator and Senate … Continue reading

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Condemnation by settlement

Now that the Obama administration has apparently chosen to disregard the Bush administration’s commitments to Israel about so-called “settlements, ” Rick Richman reminds us (after recalling a number of forgotten points about UN resolution 242): The more important point, however, … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, Israel Derangement Syndrome | Tagged | 1 Comment

What next in Iran?

I looked up through the smoke and saw a poster of the stern visage of Khomeini above the words, “Islam is the religion of freedom.” When he’s not acting as an apologist for the Iranian regime, Roger Cohen has a … Continue reading

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No hoseannas for Hosni

President for life of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak claims to know how to Achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace. Of course it would be easier to take if he didn’t claim the mantle of “reform.” But President Mubarak at once claims to be committed … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, Juvenile Scorn | Tagged | 2 Comments

Ross dressing

Back on June 9, Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post reported that Dennis Ross, then the administration’s point man on Iran, was too pro-Israel. After pointing out that a couple of other administration officials had been involved with high profile … Continue reading

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It’s not in Israel’s hands

Meryl writes The unnoticed intransigence vs. the supposed intransigence, which analyzes a recent AP report about the Middle East. Meryl observes: If you read only the mainstream media reports on Israel, you come away thinking that it is the Israelis … Continue reading

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The disposables

Earlier this month Elder of Ziyon noted the story of a Palestinian woman who had been accused of informing Israel about the Palestinian Authority. The real shocker was that the woman turned to Israel after reportedly having been forced into … Continue reading

Posted in Israel Derangement Syndrome, palestinian politics | Tagged | 2 Comments

Speak softly and carry no stick

In Obama’s message to Iran, David Ignatius writes: The stormy Iranian elections are one more sign of how the world has been shaken up in the age of Barack Obama. The ruling mullahs are nervous about a threat to the … Continue reading

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Where antisemitism is accepted

While I don’t agree with his whole essay, Richard Cohen makes an important point: To far more people than we would like to admit, the mystery of James W. von Brunn, the alleged shooter at the Holocaust Memorial Museum, is … Continue reading

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