From: Ad 

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=19680

One wonders how much longer the US can carry on like this.

"The statistical data from many reputable pollsters is consistent. One
recent American survey of the Arab world (University of Maryland with Zogby
International) shows that 78 percent of Arabs have a somewhat or very
unfavorable view of the United States, while 72 percent of Arabs polled see
the United States as the biggest state threat to them. A global survey of
40 Islamic communities by the American Gallup organization shows that
Muslims admire American technology, freedom and democracy, but want more
“respect” from Americans. Not surprisingly, the poll found that 57 percent
of Americans, when asked what they admired most about Muslim societies,
said “nothing” or “I don’t know.”"


"Last year the inimitable Karen Hughes, US Undersecretary of State for
Public Diplomacy, gave a talk that could have won a prize for na‹vet‚,
arrogance, poor preaching, and insult all rolled into one. This year, the
task of further lowering Arab-Islamic esteem of the US government fell to
Ambassador David Satterfield, the senior adviser and coordinator for Iraq
in the US Department of State.

The gist of his remarks was that the US public and government have limited
patience in Iraq, and it is up to Iraqis now to take change of their future
by acting in a national rather than a sectarian fashion. He noted correctly
that Iraq now represents a potential strategic threat to the entire region
in the form of sectarian conflict, while saying that the United States
could act mainly as a “catalyst” from now on as Iraqis took charge of their
destiny. He also said that the challenge to Iraq and others comes from
those terrorists and insurgents “who try to achieve their goals through the
use of violence” -- as if the United States primarily used Tootsie Rolls
and iPods, not weapons, in its occupation of Iraq. "

More of the std US agit-prop about everyone else using weapons/violence in
aid of political goals being "threatenting" vs the US
merely.....ummm...

I mean;

“who try to achieve their goals through the use of violence”

is just plain funny. violence or the threat of violence.....e.g. moving
more "ships capable of serious violence" into the area as a
"message" to achieve a goal....isn't....nor is invading &
occupying a country with lots of heavily armed men of violence & their
machines of violence.....

Does anyone in the US establishment (from dips to pols to mil) actually (a)
believe this crap & (b) actually believe that others do anything other
than slap their sides laughing ?

Adam

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