As the Israel-led rampage in the Middle East worsens by the
day, the giddy complicity of the Bush administration, its elite allies, and
Arab functionaries becomes more evident. The
neocons really think they can bomb and mass-murder their road map into a
reality, and seem to be rushing to finish the job (before they lose some of
their political power in the fall).
There is clearly no urgency
to stop the killing. Witness the brain-diseased Bush yapping and joking about a pork dinner
as the Middle East blew up. Witness Bush, just days later, his mouth full of
buttered bread, exchanging
expletive-laced non-sequitors with Tony Blair.
A widening escalation to take out Iran and Syria appears to be the end game, a
deliberate plan, perhaps shared across Washington. For those who remain in deep
denial, leading congressional Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and
even allegedly antiwar Russ Feingold, have issued statements uniformly and stridently
pro-Israel, full of the same disinformation and bilious rhetoric as that coming
out of Tel Aviv. Such is the power of AIPAC.
What form will this new and
bloody �road map� take if Arab regimes beholden to, or cowed by, the US and
Israel, or complicit with them, do nothing? These are the "moneyed
Muslims" that Noam Chomsky waxes about. (Some would call them other names,
among them "traitors".) More importantly, with an open Pandora�s Box,
and the fingers of criminals at the nuclear buttons, what will go wrong?
The
analysis being provided by Electronic
Intifada, the blow-by-blow front line dispatches of Dahr Jamail, and the blistering
analysis of Angry Arab News Service
have continued to point the way to nightmarish truths.
As the Angry
Arab News Service notes:
�At moments like this, the reality of the regimes is exposed.
At a moment like this, you realize that ultimately there are no qualitative
differences between Middle East regimes. I mean, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are
not different from Syria and Iran. They all care about one thing, and one thing
only: their own survival. What have Iran and Syria done to the Lebanese in this
crisis? What have they done to the Palestinians? I mean aside from vapid
speeches and silly Friday sermons? Sermons don't serve to protect civilians
from Israel terrorism.�
�This is an ideological measuring device. Watch their
words. Those who speak about Israeli aggression in Lebanon or Palestine and use
terms like �disproportionate,� �cycle of violence,� �restraint,�
�overreaction,� �excessive,� or those who call to �resume the peace process�
are merely providing political cover and legitimacy for Israeli terrorism in
Lebanon.�
�Notice that Hariri Inc. politicians are very careful about
their rhetoric during those times. They strictly refrain from criticizing the
US. And as Walid Jumblat has consistently made it clear: they disagree with
Israel on the magnitude of aggression, and not on the aggression itself. Just
as Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982 with the collaboration of Lebanese Forces;
Israel has the tacit support of House of Saud's clients in Lebanon (and the
Nation magazine, let us not forget) during this aggression.�
A
final note for Americans who frequently require Hollywood movie analogies to
understand this outbreak of terror: you are watching a Martin Scorsese gangster
murder orgy, with Israel playing the violent sidekick Joe Pesci role. Only this
Joe Pesci is wielding WMD.