Messages Fall On Deaf White House Ears

When Bush and his sycophantic followers criticize others for even thinking about talking to "the bad guys", let's be clear on what they are giving up.

From Israeli daily Haaretz (via The Belgravia Dispatch):

According to information Israel received, the Syrians are concerned that the United States will carry out an attack against Iran's nuclear installations in the summer, and in parallel Israel would strike Syria and Lebanon.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who visited IDF forces in the North last week, heard an intelligence assessment and was informed of the dangers of a Syrian "miscalculation."

Following his visit to the forces in the field, a decision was made to publicly address the concerns of a possible deterioration with the Syrians, and to send a message that Israel has no intention of attacking Syria, nor is there any coordinated plan with the U.S. for a joint attack against Iran.

The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, is scheduled to meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus today, and will deliver a message of calm from Israel.

"We hope the message will be understood," political sources in Israel said yesterday. "The question is whether Assad is looking for an excuse ... so that he can carry out an attack against Israel in the summer, or whether this is a mistaken assessment."

And then again today from The Belfast Telegraph:

The Syrian Government has revealed that it is mediating between Britain and Iran over the 15 military personnel arrested in the Persian Gulf almost two weeks ago.
The mediation has been disclosed by the country's Foreign Minister during an interview with a Kuwaiti newspaper.

As Dubya said yesterday "It's one thing to send a message. It's another thing to have the person receiving the message actually do something." I think Bush and the US right are the ones who need to get the message here. Greg writes "How many more months left of this bungling amateurism and fake machismo do we have left? 22, is it? Sigh."