Re: Brooks in the NYT today:
With the middle east SUDDENLY filling up with "nice Arabs" and "brave Muslims," Sharon and the Likudnics could be loosing their "monopoly" on victimhood!
By defending and justifing Dubya's occupation in Iraq, Brooks implies a criticism of Sharon's occupation of West Bank. ( Alas, it's hard to serve two constituencies!)
After all, both Iraq and Palestine are capable of democracy if allowed a chance by their occupiers.
Both Palestinians and Iraqis are plauged by the "evil ones," who "cut children's heads off" etc. etc. to use the Brooksian hyperbole to which he resorts so often now.
BUT BE CAREFUL HERE, BROOKS;
If we start finding large numbers of "NICE ARABS" and "Reasonable Muslims" the entire basis of the Israeli ultra-rights policy in the middle east could be under suspicion.
And it will be much harder to brush off those "bombing malfunctions" where a houseful of women and children are killed. And it will be hard say: "Shoot 'em all, let Allah sort 'em out."
BROOKS IS GUILTY OF "HUMANIZING THE ENEMY!"
AND WHILE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE MIGHT BE READY FOR THIS---AND ESPECIALLY REPUBLICANS---ISRAEL STILL HAS THE WEST BANK TO ANNEX.
THE LIKUDNICS IN ISRAEL AND AT THE PENTAGON MAY NOT BE READY FOR----BROOKIES' "NICE ARABS."
NOT JUST YET.
