The bonds of the Book, the ties of the soul (updated)

Today Bush wandered around Israel, taking in such sights as the ancient Fortress of Chicken Masala.



Later, he spoke to the Israeli Knesset.

He said that the US-Israeli alliance is “unbreakable... It is grounded in the shared spirit of our people, the bonds of the Book, the ties of the soul.” That book? “Oy!: The Ultimate Book of Jewish Jokes.”

We’re also united in a fight against “terror and extremism,” “terror and evil,” “terrorists and radicals.”

He did that thing where opposition to Zionism is called anti-Semitism: “So we condemn anti-Semitism in all forms -- whether by those who openly question Israel’s right to exist, or by others who quietly excuse them.”

He said that the idea of negotiating with the aforementioned terrorists and radicals is a “foolish delusion,” “the false comfort of appeasement.” Nazis were mentioned, but aren’t they always?


He looked forward to what the Middle East will be like in another 60 years. For a start, he pointed out, Israel will be 120 years old. Hey, I just checked the math, and Chimpy got it right? (By the way, that guy in West Virginia the BBC showed yesterday, with the sign that said Obama looks like a monkey, can I denounce him as a racist and still call Bush Chimpy?)

In 60 years there will also be a democratic, terror-rejecting Palestinian state, and “From Cairo to Riyadh to Baghdad and Beirut, people will live in free and independent societies, where a desire for peace is reinforced by ties of diplomacy and tourism and trade. Iran and Syria will be peaceful nations, with today’s oppression a distant memory and where people are free to speak their minds and develop their God-given talents. Al Qaeda and Hezbollah and Hamas will be defeated, as Muslims across the region recognize the emptiness of the terrorists’ vision and the injustice of their cause.” So check back in 2068 for that.

(Update: a line I should have included: Bush said the establishment of the state of Israel “was the redemption of an ancient promise given to Abraham and Moses and David -- a homeland for the chosen people Eretz Yisrael.” I trust he’ll be explaining to Abbas that the Palestinian people are shit out of luck because they are the unchosen people and God doesn’t love them like he loves the Jews.)