Bear Left!

Fact of the Week

**Fact of the Week**
It was bad enough when White House press secretary Ari Fleischer blamed the Clinton administration for trying too hard for peace in 2000 and thus creating the current mess in the West Bank. On Friday, President Bush did the same thing in an interview with the British network ITV. In his own words, "Well, we've tried summits in the past, as you may remember. There wasn't one all that long ago where a summit was called and nothing happened. And as a result we had a significant intifada in the area." Source: Department of State Transcript, 5 April 2002.

The Minister of Propaganda: Ariel Sharon is deceiving Israelis with his propaganda about terrorism (Dave Larkin, Massachusetts Daily Collegian).
A Speech Laced with Obsessions and Little Else: George Bush, in his speech on Israel, switched the mugger and the victim (Robert Fisk, The Independent).
Musharraf Ready to Use Nuclear Arms: The president of Pakistan has threatened India with nuclear war over Kashmir (Rory McCarthy and John Hooper, The Guardian). Sprechen Sie deutsch? The original quotes are at Der Spiegel.
Thinking Ahead: Palestine faces a worse situation than in 1971 or 1982, but Palestinians must take solace that other underdogs have forced change by finding allies in the West (Edward Said, Al-Ahram via MediaMonitors.net).
Why Bush Finally Stepped in to Try to Stop the Slaughter: For now, Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice have the upper hand in Washington (Ed Vuillamy, The Guardian).
Israel Has Lost Moral Superiority: Barak: A tarnished international image could diminish Israel's political power (Times of India). Sprechen Sie deutsch? The original interview is at Stern.
Calling Precedent Clinton: The Bush administration could have a high-powered, high-profile negotiator for the Middle East (Richard Cohen, Washington Post).
What's Wrong with 401(k)s?: Brokers get rich; the rich get tax breaks; and the little guy gets no pension (James Ridgeway, Village Voice).

"Bear left!"/"Right, Frog!" (Kermit and Fozzie, The Muppet Movie)

Want to reprint a Bear Left! original work? Write us and ask (we don't bite)!