Jeremy wrote:
] But let me not join the summarizers. Invest a
] half-hour in reading this moving exposition of the noble goal
] of American foreign policy.

How about joining the misquoters. I scanned this article, and saw this: "West Bank leaders who are "the main obstacles to peace."" Regardless of what you think of the Palestinian leadership, it is supremely arrogant to call one side of a military conflict the "main obstacles to peace" unless you are really talking about a case where that side has absolutely no legitimate greivances at all. My thought was "he didn't really say THAT did he?" This would certainly reflect a shift in US policy toward the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

Turns out, he didn't. I don't have time to read in detail right now, but the words "west, bank, and obstacles" do not appear anywhere in the transcript. Neither does that supposed direct quote about Egypt. The word Egypt does not appear. WTF? Safire slipping in a bit of his own adgenda and stamping the President's name on it?? I hope I'm missing something here. I'll have to look at it in detail when I get home from work.

RE: The Age of Liberty