Kesher Talk

Reactions to Bush's speech Part II: Here are today's editorials regarding Bush's speech. These are only editorials, I've omitted any opinion columns. Why? Dunno, just felt like it:

Supportive Editorials:
Indianapolis Star: “If Palestinians are serious about wanting a state, the Bush plan offers the best hope for now.”
Kansas City Star: “[Arafat] seems to enjoy playing the martyr, complaining to anyone who will listen about the Israeli tanks parked outside his door.”
Miami Herald: “But from [Arafat], Washington, Jerusalem and the world have gotten only deceit, lies and support of terrorism. Better to be rid of him and move on.”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “It is also generally considered dangerous to insist on the replacement of one leader when one doesn't know who will follow.”
Rocky Mountain News: “Bush's plan, while laudable and certainly worth trying, may prove a futile gesture.”


Skeptical Editorials:
Atlanta Journal Constitution: “The Bush vision is laudable. But the steps to achieving it -- which will require dramatic and simultaneous changes on both sides -- are not at all clear.”
Baltimore Sun: “He has delivered a quid pro quo that conflicts with the basic tenets of democracy.”
Chicago Tribune: “…it clears up the ambiguity in the U.S. position; it reiterates that no political progress can take place until the level of violence is reduced…”
Christian Science Monitor: “The plan has to be [complex] to hide the fact that it lacks a simple deadline for a clear goal: creation of a Palestinian state.”
Hartford Courant: “Mr. Bush's proposal is so one-sided that cynics are saying it was ghostwritten by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who has consistently opposed peace agreements with Arab governments and has often said he will not negotiate with Mr. Arafat.”
Houston Chronicle: “Ironically, the Bush proposal, insofar as it is seen to challenge Palestinian pride and autonomy, might have given Arafat exactly the popularity boost he needs among his people at exactly the time he needs it.”
New Orleans Times-Picayune: “A strategy outlined Monday by President Bush represents an honest effort to find a way out of the current stalemate. Whether the plan will succeed is an open question.”
Sacramento Bee: “…his speech treated Palestinians as if they were children. Reject terror, hold elections, pick new leaders, make a market economy and then the United States will support a "provisional" Palestinian state. Be good and you will be rewarded.”
St. Louis Times: “But Mr. Bush does not have a realistic plan for achieving that vision, and his demand for an end to Yasser Arafat's leadership is presumptuous and likely to backfire.”

posted by Rami @ 6/26/2002 11:52:07 PM