Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall July 29, 2006 08:18 AM

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall July 29, 2006 08:18 AM: "

Talking Points Memo has an exchange between Colin Powell and George Bush that occurred in January, 2001, only 10 days after Bush's inaugration. The passage is found in Ron Suskind's The Price of Loyalty.

Kind of says it all about current foreign policy concerning the Israel - Lebanon mess. And the very last line says it all--remember 10 day AFTER the inaugration in 2001.

"He'd met Sharon briefly, Bush said, when they had flown over Israel in a helicopter on a visit in December 1998. 'Just saw him that one time. We flew over the Palestinian camps,' Bush said sourly. 'Looked real bad down there. I don't see much we can do over there at this point. I think it's time to pull out of that situation.'

And that was it, according to [Paul] O'Neill and several other people in the room. The Arab-Israeli conflict was a mess, and the United States would disengage. The combatants would have to work it out on their own.

[Colin] Powell said such a move might be hasty. He remarked on the violence on the West Bank and Gaza and on its roots. He stressed that a pullback by the United States would unleash Sharon and Israeli army. 'The consequences of that could be dire,' he said, 'especially for the Palestinians.'

Bush shrugged. 'Maybe that's the best way to get some things back in balance.'

Powell seemed startled.

'Sometimes a show of strength by one side can really clarify things,' Bush said.

With that, the rest of the meeting was devoted to Iraq."