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Politics : Middle East Politics -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Thomas M. who wrote (2745)	3/14/2003 10:37:16 PM
From: Brumar89	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6945

Assuming there was a basis in fact behind the story, sounds like advice. Personally, I figure one reason Arafat wouldn't accept an agreement is he figured Palestinians could get a better deal once Bush was in the White House. acj.org Sununu whipped himself into a frenzy, declaring, " Bush is the man that can deal with the issues we care about. I have to tell you, as one whose family still has property in Jerusalem that belongs to us Sununu is of Palestinian descent , I guarantee you there is a difference between George Bush as president and Vice President Gore. I'm worried not only about the right of return, but I want to return with rights to get my property back." A week later the campaign sent Condoleezza Rice, the Texas governor's top foreign policy aide, to Michigan to meet with Arab-American leaders. The day after that, Bush showed up himself. He didn't come to talk about prescription drugs. According to Neil Abunab, an aapac committee member, Bush pledged that "he would be more evenhanded" in the Middle East. " W e have an open channel to basically educate the administration on how to protect America's interests in the Middle East ," says Azzam Elder, an aapac board member who attended the briefings. "In the past the administration has been surrounded by those that are pro-Israeli.... We believe from the meeting that under a Bush administration it will no longer be the case." .... As early as 1982, he argued that resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict "must include the formation of a Palestinian state." After the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, Cheney criticized the Reagan administration for not having been "tougher on Israel." He has also vowed to " argue as persuasively as I know how" for a "more balanced policy" in the Middle East, opposed relocation of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, and voted for the controversial sale of awacs planes to Saudi Arabia in the 1980s. More recently, as an oil executive, Cheney lambasted the influence of "domestic constituencies" on U.S. foreign policy, and, as Bush's running mate, he has championed a softer American stance toward Iran, adding that he would seek to persuade Bush of the position's wisdom. Then there is Scowcroft, who can barely conceal his animus toward Israel, blaming it for "trashing the Oslo accords" and scoring Clinton for the " double standard" he applies to the Jewish state. Scowcroft, Poppy's national security adviser, may not take a job in a W. administration, but he is Team Bush's behind-the-scenes eminence grise. And he speaks daily with Rice, his protege from the Bush White House, who, like W., has no independent record on Middle East issues. According to campaign sources, if Rice, W.'s likely national security adviser, doesn't turn to Scowcroft for counsel on Arab-Israeli issues, she may turn to her colleague and fellow Scowcroft protege Richard Haass. Haass, the closest thing Scowcroft has to a Mini-Me, directed Middle East policy on the Bush National Security Council, where he helped devise the strategy of using loan guarantees to pressure Israel. Though Haass's rhetoric has mellowed in recent years, he has blamed Israel for inciting Palestinian violence and criticized the Clinton administration for not taking a tougher line toward the Jewish state. Haass argues that making the peace process work will require "a willingness to say and do things that will not always be welcome by strong domestic constituencies." Haass isn't an official member of W.'s inner circle, but he has been advising the campaign and has traveled to Austin to brief the candidate. Sources close to the campaign predict a Bush administration would offer Haass a plum spot. "If he gets in," says one, "the game's up."