The White House That Is.......
[url]http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/710977/posts[/url]
Who says there are no miracles today? President George W. Bush's long-awaited speech on the Middle
East, in which he upset the applecart of cherished assumptions on which Middle East diplomacy has been
based for more than a decade, certainly qualifies. At least if you believe the pundits, not one of whom came
close to predicting what the president would say.

If a speech can be judged by those it ticks off, then Bush's was a smasheroo. Foreign Minister Shimon Peres was reportedly so
revolted that he could not bear to listen to the end. No doubt he was indignant at the snub administered to his erstwhile
"peace partner" and co-Nobel Laureate. In calling for a new Palestinian leadership, Bush did not even deign to mention
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat by name.

Yes it was quite a break from the past.

Even if it doesn't work, it was the right thing to do. We just couldn't go on with the same cycle of non results that we have had for the last 20 plus years. Change was needed badly.