Bush: Cheney to Press for Mideast Peace

WASHINGTON — President Bush, dispatching Vice President Dick Cheney to the Middle East, said the goal is to get Israelis and Palestinians to hold firm to the promises they've made toward peace.

Bush said Monday in the Oval Office that Cheney would "reassure people that the United States is committed to a vision of peace in the Middle East."

As Cheney tries to help hold together fragile negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, Bush says he's still optimistic that a peace deal can happen before he leaves office.

Cheney departs Sunday for a trip to Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank and Turkey. Oil is also on his agenda, as the White House _ coping with high energy prices that have socked American consumers _ continues to push for greater oil production in the Mideast.

The vice president's visit comes on the heels of a brief troubleshooting mission to the Mideast by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She was able to pressure the moderate Palestinian leadership to resume peace talks with Israel, which broke off after a deadly Israeli military incursion into Gaza.

"I'm optimistic that we'll be able to achieve a vision that shows a way forward, and I'm optimistic leaders will step forward and do the hard things necessary so people don't have to live in deprivation and fear," Bush said, addressing reporters after a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

In his final year in office, Bush has turned a Mideast peace deal into a signature foreign policy goal. But violence in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel has hampered the peace talks between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Cheney will meet with both men.

Palestinians have also condemned Israeli plans to build more housing in disputed east Jerusalem _ an area the Palestinians hope to make the capital of a future independent state.

Bush made clear he expects Cheney to prod the leaders to stick to their obligations under the U.S.-backed road map, which calls on the Palestinians to disarm militants and for Israel to halt settlement construction. "Those obligations are clear," Bush said.

The United States blames recent violence on Hamas, which took over the Gaza Strip last July and is deemed by the U.S. to be a terrorist organization.

Without naming Hamas, Bush said: "There's one force in the Middle East _ and some suspect that they're funded from outside governments and outside movements, all aiming to destabilize democracy, all aiming to prevent the vision where people can live side-by-side in peace, all wanting to destroy Israel."

Bush said the key question is whether enough will exists to reject those extremist forces.

"Our mission is exactly along those lines, and I'm optimistic," Bush said.

On Monday, Olmert instructed his army to halt airstrikes and raids into the Gaza Strip in response to a serious drop in rocket fire from the territory, allowing Egypt to proceed in its role as a mediator. Israeli defense officials and the Hamas rulers of Gaza said there was no formal truce in place.

Comments

[wcfar]

Hey, if nothing else works send a REAL peacemaker. A consensus kind of guy. Someone who looks for the points of compromise and has all parties' interests at heart.

[PepperzMom]

Just some more "bush*it" in the china shop...

[Nicolaus]

It is more serious than that, I think.

I think the Vice President is rushing to the aid of Israel who is in serious crisis. Weak and divided government and an altered balance of power heralded by the Lebanon War of July 2006.

[dzoner]

Aside from his recently announced trip to the Middle East, I haven't heard much about Cheney lately. His office is STILL a black hole. But I'm guessing his no. 1 priority right now is doing his damnedest to get a republican elected to the presidency. Only that will guarantee no serious legal repercussions from the last eight years of felonious activities. And McCain has no chance of getting elected if the economy is tanking come november. Just isn't happening.

His real reason for the mideast trip is almost certainly to try to get the mideast OPEC nations to go balls to the wall to put the most oil on the market in the next eight months they physically can. Which was the purpose of Bush's last trip to the middle east. And we know how that turned out. Though it was interesting to see how groveling seemed to come so naturally to Bush when confronted with his superiors disdain.

Lord knows what Cheney will threaten, perhaps that he will turn the entire mideast into an inferno and do his damnedest to take down the various Royals if they don't play ball. He sure as hell has consistently gotten results in the past every time he personally make a trip somewhere to 'discuss' matters. He CONVINCED them somehow or other to see things his way. And he sure as hell will be in dead earnest in keeping his and his cohorts fat out of the fire.

Two probable flies in that ointment. First, the mideast nations involved may not HAVE appreciable untapped production capacity. Second, they certainly have feelers throughout the US government and military and may not believe Cheney can make good on any threats he may make.

If oil continues on it's present course, and the President of OPEC just predicted oil will stay above $100 bbl. for 'at least the next year', the economy is toast No way around that. The mideast OPEC natons are making so much money they can afford to cut production to keep the price above $100 bbl. even if the US economy crashes and the world goes into a recession. Even in a recession essential jobs, food, shelter and heating, transportation and so on must be provided and there are several hundred million more people in the 'middle' class range than there was just ten years ago. The need for oil isn't going down THAT much no matter what.

Cheney's absolute nightmare scenario is exactly what Obama is creating. An extremely intelligent and talented politician with a sincere progressive vision and nothing substantive to be blackmailed with creating a massive grass roots movement capable of 'for reals' sweeping the halls of Washington clean. AND who, in the natural course of restoring the constitution and rule of law sets up an utterly independent, non-paritsan and professional (think Patrick Fitzgerald) commission with an unlimited mandate to pursue possible Bush administraton illegal activities with full and complete access to any and ALL pertinent records. This 'off to the side' (and therefore not consdered a distraction to Obama's administration by the electorate) and slowly but surely grinding it's way to meted out justice.

Keep in mind, by the tme the next president takes office the economy will be somewhere between a severe and deepening recession and an all out meltdown. Bush's approval record will almost certainly be below 15% and the majority of the population will be actively HATING his guts and howling for his blood.

THAT is what Cheney AND his cohorts are looking at. (Bush too, but he may not be capable of appreciating the gravity of the situation). It strains credulity they would walk away from the massive police state implementation machine they have brougt into quasi- and fully legal existence. Or leave it in the hands of the opposition.

I believe there is no way Cheney has not been a busy little bee working out varous scenarios to keep that from happening, up to and including a false flag incident that will precipitate a declaration of a 'national emergency' and an attempt to create a full on operational police state.

What I DON'T think is that he and his will go gentle into that good prison cell.

[rixhex56]

Anyone who has not seen this yet must check it out, if you're interested in how the Bush adminstration has meddled in Palestinian/Israeli relations and how hypocritical this "stance" by Bush, Cheney, Rice, et al really is.

THE GAZA BOMBSHELL

After failing to anticipate Hamas’s victory over Fatah in the 2006 Palestinian election, the White House cooked up yet another scandalously covert and self-defeating Middle East debacle: part Iran-contra, part Bay of Pigs. With confidential documents, corroborated by outraged former and current U.S. officials, David Rose reveals how President Bush, Condoleezza Rice, and Deputy National-Security Adviser Elliott Abrams backed an armed force under Fatah strongman Muhammad Dahlan, touching off a bloody civil war in Gaza and leaving Hamas stronger than ever.

BY DAVID ROSE APRIL 2008
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/04/gaza200804

[rixhex56]

There is something just so inherently wrong with this whole picture: Cheney for peace? NOT! C'mon, that's absurd at this point.

-----"Bush says he's still optimistic that a peace deal can happen before he leaves office."

Only if he bribes them into peace. How long will that last?

-----"Bush said: 'There's one force in the Middle East _ and some suspect that they're funded from outside governments and outside movements, all aiming to destabilize democracy [...]'".

-----"The United States blames recent violence on Hamas, which took over the Gaza Strip last July and is deemed by the U.S. to be a terrorist organizati­on."

In a sadly cynical way, this is laughable coming from Bush; pathetic, at best. Bush promotes "democracy" only when the candidate he wants to win, wins. In this case, Hamas was duly elected by voters, but Bush had not counted on that, so he has conspired against the democratically elected Hamas. The end of Bush's term cannot possibly come even soon enough!

[NewFrontier]

Oh goodie! Cheney is going to lobby for peace. Riiiight. Then maybe he'll get the Nobel Peace Prize next year and get to appear on Lawrence Welk reruns dancing with Pamala Anderson under the champaign bubbles.

[Cubancoffee]

Cheney to press for Middle East peace? What is this, the Onion?

[JonDev]

Misdirection, Cheney is going to get the Saudi's to pump more oil in the summer to help McCain. The 'Big Dick' is going to scare them with a democrat doomsday scenario to make the case. Don't know if it will help McCain but we could use a price break, if the Saudi's bite. He'll also get the Kuwaiti's, Saudi''s , Dubai, et al, to continue to prop up the US ecomony to prevent a deeper recession in an election year.

Don''t think it will wokr out as they plan as nothing they do or say seems to be true or works...

[jules815]

The first thing I thought was "what's in it for them?" (And I don't mean Peace in the Middle East.)

[Idiocracy]

These idiots are delusional beyond all...

Amazing..

[DavidAF]

What? You mean, Cheney pushing for more property for the U.S. to own in the middle East.

[GWBushIsANitwit]

The miserable chickenhawk is just checking out the housing market in Dubai, since his next employer is relocating there.

[guntotinganglion]

"Without naming Hamas, Bush said: "There's one force in the Middle East _ and some suspect that they're funded from outside governments and outside movements, all aiming to destabilize democracy, all aiming to prevent the vision where people can live side-by-side in peace, all wanting to destroy Israel.""

Okay. Hamas, is undermining democracy by winning the an election DEMOCRATIC­ALLY...as in, the majority of Palestinians voted Hamas into power. Ok...how is that "destabilizing democracy"? Oh...that'­s right, they voted for the wrong side...tha­t's the undemocratic part! They didn't vote for who Bushemada wanted, and he IS democracy, therefore, they were being undemocrat­ic...eurek­a...I've got it!!!

He needs to take off that ten gallon hat and get one properly sized at a pint.

[bola47]

another mission by darth vader for the evil emporer.