Politics Makes Strange Bedfellows
For those of you who do not subscribe to
the Cleveland Plain Dealer and for those
subscribers who may have missed it, this past
week a crucial question was raised. Thomas
Friedman, syndicated columnist for the New York
Times, offered a little foreign policy quiz.
Readers were asked to choose:
of
two Middle East countries which one is
America's ally and which is not? He asked
that we pick between Country A and Country
B.
Country A helped the U.S. defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan and replace it with a pro-U.S. elected alliance of moderate Muslims. Country A's women vote, hold office, are the majority of it's university students and are fully integrated into the work force.
On 9-11-01 residents of Country A were
among the very few in the Muslim world to hold
spontaneous pro-U.S. demonstrations. Recently
this country's very radical president
discovered that when nationwide elections were
held for local councils, his preferred
candidates got wiped out by more moderate
conservatives. Country A has never sent any
suicide bombers to Iraq and has long protected
its Christians and Jews. Islam,
as practiced by Country A, respects women and
is open to reinterpretation in consideration of
modernity.
Country B gave us 14 of the 19 hijackers on 9-11-01. Country B does not allow its' women to drive, vote, or run for office. It is illegal in this country to build a church, synagogue, or Hindu temple. Also this country helped finance the Taliban, and their private charities help sustain al-Quaida. Mosques and charities in this country raise funds to support the insurgency in Iraq. While Country B's leaders are pro-U.S., the brand of Islam supported by this country is the most hostile to modernity and other faiths throughout the world.
At least according to the Bush administration and members of Congress (both Democrat and Republican who do not have the backbone to oppose them) Country B is our natural ally; Saudi Arabia no less.
Country A turns out as that "evil" nation whom Mr. Bush will not talk to unless they first do what he and Israel tell them to under the veiled admonition of eventual "strong measures", [bombing invasion]. Mr. Friedman identifies this nation as Iran. Does this not bring back horrific memories of almost four years ago and another Arab nation - beginning with "I" - that according to W., Condi, and Colin had assisted in 9-11-01 and were planning mushroom clouds over America? Mercy, Mercy!!
As the old saying goes, "Politics makes strange bedfellows". If only that would be the extent of it until it progresses to "Flawed leadership makes tragic bedfellows".
Buz Cormany
Medina County