From Alternate Universe #265

Or was it Alternate Universe #264 - you'll have to decide. John Yidste (mercifully filling in for Scott Simon) was talking to Aaron David Miller about the situation in Israel/Palestine, when Miller makes this statement:

"I think the main point here John is that the story of the Arab Israeli negotiations right now is not an American story. There are some hopeful signs, but neither of them involve right now a primary role right now for the United States. First you've got historic negotiations underway for the last year between Abbas and Olmert - an empowered Israeli Prime Minister and an empowered Palestinian President - on the four core issues that drive the conflict."

Whatever your opinion about the conflict in Israel/Palestine, where in God's name does the descriptor "historic" apply to the goings on between Israel and the truncated government of Abbas? And "empowered" to describe these two pathetic leaders Olmert and Abbas; that was a new one for me. I actually thought I misheard it from the radio, and went to NPR's website to relisten.

Ok, so Miller (by far not the worst of the servants of US/Israeli policy) can say whatever nonsense he wants; after all he in this LA Times opinion piece he calls Jimmy Carter's last book "a bad book" and Walt and Mearscheimer's work "another bad book." But where is the journalist during this little interview with Miller. Hello, Yidste, anybody there. There was nothing, no reaction, nada. As if often the case at NPR, the lights are on, but nobody's home.

The Perfectly Calibrated Renee Montagne

Who but a death worshiping Bushista would ask the following question during an interview about Jimmy Carter's negotiations with Hamas:

"Could though, at this point in time, the Bush administration argue that former President Carter may have upset THE carefully calibrated approaches to Hamas that are being made?"

That was Renee Montagne's query for her guest, Robert Malley, director of the International Crisis Group's Middle East and North Africa program and member of the new group JStreet. Consider how easily she could have asked, "Might the Bush administration claim that Carter's trip undermines its policy?" But, my God, to call it "THE [Montagne's emphasis, not mine] carefully calibrated approaches."

Oh, but maybe I'm overreacting. Perhaps she's referring to the "carefully calibrated" diet restrictions US, Israel, and Europe are imposing on Gaza, or those measured and careful surgical strikes that the US/Israel is using to try to bring peace to Gaza (I mean, who takes Amnesty International seriously anyway?). Really, with all this careful calibration, what's the worst that could happen to those stubborn Gazans?

To his credit Malley answers, "Unfortunately there's not much to upset, because there's not much good happening so I'm not sure what it could be undermining..." In other words, "I'm not sure what the hell you're talking about..."