Similar Words, Opposite Meanings

Galileo, commenting on this morning's post on Bush's foreign aid program for our wartime enemy, North Korea, said this, among other things:

Watch for similar behavior by the U.S. in dealing with Iran's nuclear program, with a similar outcome....

In Israel, which will immediately be under the gun if Iran develops the ability to launch nuclear missiles, Likud MK Yuval Steinitz commented thus:

I think this [agreement] will have a worldwide impact, especially on Iran....

Indeed, it will, but the sad irony is that while both men agree that the deal will affect Iran and both men would claim to be concerned about Israel's continued existence, only the former understands just what effect the deal will have on Iran. As he puts it, the outcome will be, "the successful development of a nuclear bomb."

And how does Steinitz evaluate a deal whereby North Korea -- whose track record in honoring agreements is widely known to be poor -- will get enormous amounts of foreign aid before anyone will even broach the subject of it disarming? He praises it as a blueprint for dealing with Iran!

We can be slightly, slightly more optimistic now about the chances to pressure Iran and get it to dismantle, or at least postpone its projects. We can be slightly more optimistic today than yesterday.

No wonder Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is so confident Israel will soon be "wiped off the map"!

Even if Israel no longer has (or never had) the military ability to single-handedly cause a serious setback to Iran's nuclear ambitions, no politician there can afford to help America carry out this charade. Part of the reason President Bush and the State Department have such wide support for their efforts with North Korea lies in the mixture of Pragmatism and altruism that is the guiding (i.e., blinding) philosophy of so many on the right and in the political center.

But another part is that too many who should know better are not making it clear that they know this to be a terrible idea -- by publicly withdrawing their support (or reiterating their disdain) for President Bush for not leading a proper war against Islamofascism and those who would aid it.

Is Steinitz really this foolish or is he holding his tongue to avoid offending an "ally"? If the latter is true, he would be better advised to shame his ally into acting like one. Regardless, I pity Israel.

-- CAV