Thursday, January 26, 2006

Hamas wins, everybody loses – There’s no use putting lipstick on this pig: the democratic election of a terrorist group is a huge setback for the Mideast peace process. With the imprimatur of the new government of the Palestinian authority, attacks within Israel will almost certainly rise. Watch for a hard line shift in Israel in response. The only possibly silver lining is that Hamas needs to show what it can do better now that it has control.

5 comments:

Pat Patterson said...

I agree with debateguy, its not as if Fatah was the Palestinian version of the Rotary Club. Plus if things get worse then Hamas cannot blame Fatah anymore. Even the worst tyrants have to provide some level of service to its citizens and even more so when their power rest on the legitimacy of the electoral process. Hamas now has to face the problem of getting the economy going and defending Gazas borders from conventional attack from either Isral or Egypt.

Anonymous said...

Guys,

I hate to tell you, but you've both got it wrong. Hamas was elected because they are straight with what they want...obliteration of Israel. Apparently, after years of indoctrination, roughly 60% of the people support what they stand for. Living in squalor is what they already do. Hamas did not promise to change that, at least until Israel is eliminated. And if things don't get better, it is the fault of Israel, not Hamas!

Anonymous said...

Mike R-

Apparently, after years of indoctrination, roughly 60% of the people support what they stand for.

So, democratic elections in these types of countries are in our interest because???

Bush's whole plan for democracy in the Middle East was naive. A democratic Middle East will likely give us a bunch of countries run by people like Hamas and the fools in Iran. Not exactly a cause we should be sacrificing thousands of our soldiers lives on now is it?

Anonymous said...

Why the fighting? Like the U.S., Palestine has "shifted to the right." This is a great day for compassionate conservatism!

Pat Patterson said...

It think perhaps we all missed another possibility, that Hamas would simply refuse to govern. Seriously, Hamas is stuck between which type of political organization it wants to become. A political party with an armed element, essentially competent technocrats with the people who can run the schools, encourage business and fix the potholes. Or to remain a disciplined military faction much like the Ku Klux Klan, yearning for and fanning the embers of the Lost Cause.