re: Hostages

[hntnhole]

Today we see a third group of Hostages released from Palestine (or, more precisely, from Palestine to Egypt to safe-zones elsewhere).  

Anyone who believes that the Israeli Government did this all on it's own is simply unaware of the facts.  It is due entirely by pressure from President Biden, working with the Qatari's, to accomplish the addressing of this humanitarian issue.  

Anyone who believes this humanitarian exchange of hostages is something the Israeli Government dreamed up, all on it's own, is simply not cogent or worse.  

It is solely our President, Joe Biden, whose sense of compassion for the thousands upon thousands of Palestinian civilians under the most serious conditions, without food, potable water, medical care, the barest of necessities to maintain life, that - along with the Qatari's assistance - is solely responsible.  

Imagine if Mr. Trumpanzee* were President when this series of tragedies began to unfold.  That insipid fool may have simply cut Israel loose, with even worse consequences.  Or, allowed the US to be dragged into a general war in the Middle East.  Mr. Trump was, is, and will continue to be solely concerned with his own filth catching up with him, and winding up in the clink.  

This series of events is a perfect example of President Biden's patience, exerting continuing pressure on the myopic Prime Minister of Israel to allow some measure of humanitarian relief for the thousands and thousands of civilians in the area.  

If there is one single act by our President, demonstrating beyond question his competency, his thoughtful-yet-insistent patience when dealing with a foreign head of state with far less humanity, markedly less intellect, then I wonder what it will take to shine a light into the darkness of those who believe Mr. Biden is somehow enfeebled.  It may be true that Mr. Biden isn't as spry as he used to be; what octogenarian is?  It may be that his speaking voice is softer than some would like.  The indisputable fact is though, he is eminently capable to lead the Free World through crises, demonstrate clearly the compassion the world is feeling for the downtrodden, and steer the ship-of-state through difficult, churning waters.  

Let's put aside our domestic divisions, and give the man the credit he's due.  

*credit: Mr. Bootman

[BootmanLA]

And I will add: Even if we recognize (as we must) that much of the lifting here was done by key administration officials, like the Secretary of State, that doesn't negate Biden's role in any way.

For starters, knowing how The Former Guy got fed up with his own officials that he kept swapping them out for more and more MAGA-esque replacements, we can be sure that if there's ever a second Trump regime, there won't be any thoughtful, reasonable conservatives in his administration quietly distracting him and blocking the most horrible impulses that people like Stephen Miller and Hobo Bannon push on him - he'll have patsy yes-men who will indulge his every whim. As bad as things are in Israel and Gaza right now, Trump would be pouring gasoline on the fire.

And second: having qualified, expert help in your administration is exactly how the system is supposed to work, with the direction set from the top and implementation entrusted, for the most part, to the Cabinet and their deputies. Biden has chosen well for his leadership team and as bad as things are in parts of the world (and indeed, in parts of this country) I sleep better knowing the buck stops with him and not the AllAboutMe guy.

[ErosWired]

19 hours ago, hntnhole said:

This series of events is a perfect example of President Biden's patience, exerting continuing pressure on the myopic Prime Minister of Israel to allow some measure of humanitarian relief for the thousands and thousands of civilians in the area.  

I’m afraid I can’t subscribe to your glowing accolade of Mr. Biden as the engine personally behind all this. The effort, intricately nuanced diplomacy, complex balance and excruciating timing of approach, and ceaseless analysis of movements and rhetoric from all parties is far beyond the ability of an individual, let alone the President, who, even if he had the acumen, simply doesn’t have the time. If he wants to accept personal credit for this, then he has to also accept personal blame for a hike in inflation or a dive in the stock market, because he has about as much personal accountability for any such great movement in world affairs.

Nor could President Biden’s influence (such as it may be) with Netanyahu alone have resulted in the release of hostages - it takes two to samba, and Biden has no dance card with Hamas. From their point of view, he’s not a neutral party to negotiations. If you want to credit someone with breaking the impasse, look to the Qataris. If Biden’s patient, compassionate persuasion was worth anything with Israel, we would have seen some restraint from the Israelis; instead, have a look at a map showing what’s currently left of the civilian infrastructure in North Gaza. Compared to what I see, any effort of Biden’s that may have had some effect in bringing about what the Israelis have made quite clear is merely a pause in their razing of Gaza is pretty weak sauce.

Don’t get me wrong - what Hamas did was heinous. They care nothing for the fate of their own people, and their organization must end. I understand and grieve for what Israel has lost - but their pain does not grant them a license to act in kind, destroy the lives of tens of thousands of innocents, or commit war crimes. And as to President Biden - I don’t believe any of the nonsense about him being corrupt or mentally unfit for office, but given any non-right-wing alternative, I would not vote for him again.

[hntnhole]

11 hours ago, BootmanLA said:

Hobo Bannon

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA ..... delicious (not him, obviously) visuals leap to my imagination.  Well done.  

11 hours ago, BootmanLA said:

having qualified, expert help in your administration is exactly how the system is supposed to work, with the direction set from the top and implementation entrusted, for the most part, to the Cabinet and their deputies. Biden has chosen well for his leadership team

 

My friend ErosWired:

No one with an ounce of sense would assume that the President personally dealt with every single detail of the situation in the Middle East, and I know you're not proposing that notion.

 The Qatari's are hardly a World Power, let alone a regional one.  What they are is, a Nation that the US can do business with, and the only actor in the area available.  If you read my post as saying that the President did every single thing by himself, then I'm sorry I wasn't more clear.  

Think of it as any corporate (or military, for that matter) structure.  The guy in command issues orders, policy goals, and his subordinates either carry them out or they're out. That's how any large construct - Government, private sector, industry, you name it - works.  Only the "top guys" actually speak with each other, then each formulates/adjusts/readjusts the policy of the entity they control. 

Some folks only like blaring, loud-mouthed boorish leaders, and that's ok.  Some folks like polite, mannerly, gentlemen that accomplish their goals quietly at the top of their government/institution/whatever, and that's ok too.  One of the actors in this current crises has already said he intends to occupy the destroyed areas "indefinitely".  The other actor has re-re-indorsed the long, long awaited "Two State Solution".  I wonder which situation will eventually come to pass, the one being nothing more than carrying on the hate, bloodshed - the other being some measure of Justice.  Neither "from the river to the sea" nor perpetual occupation / oppression of a People is acceptable.  

Chances are we won't know the finer points of who acted how for some years, when the crises is long over, the principals dead and gone, and the historians begin to sift through the facts.  I'm betting, as the years go by, future generations of Americans will look back on the Biden Administrations as something they can aspire to replicate. 

Peace 

 

 

 

[ErosWired]

2 hours ago, hntnhole said:

Think of it as any corporate (or military, for that matter) structure.  The guy in command issues orders, policy goals, and his subordinates either carry them out or they're out. That's how any large construct - Government, private sector, industry, you name it - works.  Only the "top guys" actually speak with each other, then each formulates/adjusts/readjusts the policy of the entity they control. 

As a former federal civil servant in the Executive Branch for 30 years, I do have somewhat more than a passing familiarity with the process. Ultimately, the President (we went through a few of them during my time) was my boss.

No, the Qataris aren’t a major power. Neither is Switzerland. Sometimes you need a party without a dog in the fight to grease the wheels of diplomacy. You also need someone who Hamas will trust enough to talk to, and listen to…and it ain’t the White House.

Quote

One of the actors in this current crises has already said he intends to occupy the destroyed areas "indefinitely". 

Other words for this are ‘annex’ and ‘conquer’. See also: Crimea.

Quote

Some folks only like blaring, loud-mouthed boorish leaders, and that's ok.

No, it isn’t. It isn’t okay for people to support an authoritarian demagogue just because his bellicose braying manipulates them emotionally, and following without thinking is both dangerous and irresponsible. All thought, ideas, and expression are not equal in value. Sometimes ideas are so odious there’s no room to pretend otherwise. Trump’s equivalency at Charlottesville - arguably among the greatest failures of leadership in his presidency - illustrates this with clarity. A choice between Trump and Biden is not a selection between two equally good (or equally bad) options that one might legitimately select. Indeed, more often than not in our elections we find ourselves staring at a ballot forced to make a choice for the lesser of two evils.

[TaKinGDeePanal]

On 11/28/2023 at 4:36 AM, hntnhole said:

The Qatari's are hardly a World Power, let alone a regional one.  What they are is, a Nation that the US can do business with, and the only actor in the area available.

 

On 11/28/2023 at 7:33 AM, ErosWired said:

No, the Qataris aren’t a major power. Neither is Switzerland. Sometimes you need a party without a dog in the fight to grease the wheels of diplomacy.

The Qataris wield more than power. They wield influence - and Al Jazeera is the only reputable reasonably independent international broadcaster in the Middle East - which is why their reporters are being picked off one by one by the IDF (who have always refused to accept responsibility for any of their deaths): [think before following links] https://www.influencewatch.org/organization/al-jazeera/

[hntnhole]

13 hours ago, TaKinGDeePanal said:

and Al Jazeera is the only reputable reasonably independent international broadcaster in the Middle East -

Agreed.  More, some so-called cable "service-providers" in the US have refused to carry Al Jazeera anymore, unless specifically subscribed to.  It surprises me not one iota that the Israeli Government, via the IDF, is trying to silence that important network.