Letters to the Editor

Letters posted here are associated with the following article:
How do you like your democracy now, Mr. Bush?
Hamas' stunning victory underlines the contradictions and hypocrisies in Bush's Mideast policies.
By Juan Cole [2006-01-27]
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  • Gaza power vacuum caused by Israel??

    Cole has some good points and some bad points. Here's one of his bad points:

    "The Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, which should have been a big step forward for peace, was marred by the refusal of the Israelis to cooperate with the Palestinians in ensuring that it did not produce a power vacuum and further insecurity."

    It looked to me like it was the Palestinian leaders who didn't cooperate with the Israelis in preparing for an orderly transition, and it was the Palestinian leaders, not Israelis, who bear the responsibility for not preventing the looting of the greenhouses and other valuable capital assets Israel left behind with the intent of helping the Palestinians advance their economy.

    -- eyesay
    [Read eyesay's other letters]
    Wednesday, February 1, 2006 02:43 AM

  • Palestinians swung to the far right?

    Juan Cole wrote: "Frustrated, the Palestinian public predictably swung to the far right. Their embrace of Hamas does not indicate that most Palestinians are dedicated to destroying Israel; polls show that most support a two-state solution and are weary of the endless violence."

    Let us hope that Cole is right that most Palestinians want a two-state solution and are weary of violence. But the left-right map doesn't apply in any obvious way. Is it "liberal" or "conservative" of Palestinians to reject violence and seek peace with Israel? Even if Hamas is more "conservative" that Fatah, which is murky anyway, is it "conservative" to vote for Hamas if the reason is that Hamas eschews corruption, not because Hamas rejects Israel's right to exist?

    Really, Mr. Cole, I think your argument would be cleaner if you didn't attempt to map the recent Palestinian election on a liberal-conservative axis, especially since you report immediately thereafter that the voters reject the most important plank of the party they voted for.

    And really, Salon, don't you edit before you publish? A competent editor would have asked Cole to clean up this point.

    -- eyesay
    [Read eyesay's other letters]
    Wednesday, February 1, 2006 02:59 AM

  • Salon: Don't rip off e.e. cumming's to headline morons like this guy

    Buffalo Bill's

    defunct

    who used to

    ride a watersmooth-silver

    stallion

    and break onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat

    Jesus

    he was a handsome man

    and what i want to know is

    how do you like your blueeyed boy

    Mister Death

    -- A Single Man Speaks
    [Read A Single Man Speaks's other letters]
    Thursday, February 2, 2006 01:45 PM

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