For those of you who haven't figured it out yet, this article from Ha'aretz in Israel may help...

(Well, I told you I'm an optimist.)

"The expectation that as soon as Bush gets rid of Saddam Hussein he'll show the same determination to advance a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians - as his people are constantly whispering to Bush's Arab friends - has as much chance of fulfillment as the hope that Sharon will withdraw from the territories after getting rid of Arafat. As Lantos says, in the best case, which means the war ends with a "new order" in Iraq, there's a long line of terrorists after Saddam. In the worst case, meaning the war destabilizes Iraq, and perhaps the entire region, the U.S. will be bogged down for the coming years in a Vietnam-like morass."

~

Diligent readers will note that some of the harshest criticism of Bush and Sharon comes from within Israel itself.

Let's see if anyone here will try to throw a white sheet over the head of Akiva Eldar.

sp