Froomkin: "This Is Diplomacy?"

[YDogg]

This Is Diplomacy?
Dan Froomkin
Monday, August 7, 2006; 2:22 PM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100879.html

"As President Bush's foreign policy oscillates between 'cowboy diplomacy' and 'post-cowboy diplomacy' and back again, it's worth pointing out that it's not really correct to call it diplomacy if he invariably refuses to talk to people who disagree with him.

"The U.N. resolution Bush was pushing this morning from his vacation home in Texas bears the hallmarks of non-diplomacy: It's a supposed cease-fire resolution that the parties most desperate for a cease fire are condemning as unworkable, unsatisfactory and doomed.

"Perhaps that's because the Bush administration is only engaging in direct talks with one party to the hostilities: Israel. The United States refuses to conduct negotiations with Hezbollah or its sponsors, Syria and Iran."

<snip>

"Responding to specific questions about the resolution and the conflict, Bush tirelessly dipped into his small store of stock answers, repeatedly extolling the universal appeal of liberty and asserting the importance of addressing the 'root cause' of the violence -- terrorists in general, Hezbollah in particular -- as part of 'the great challenge of the 21st century.'"

[cyberpj]

1. He also made the point several times that Hezbolla kidnappings started it.

Although I have seen several reports of Israeli kidnappings being the first. Don't know for sure, I'm just noticing.