Quote:I hardly look the other way. I recognize that a lot of Middle Eastern nations have, shall we say, questionable records on civil and human rights, and I'm not saying that we should go out and try to become bestest best buddies with Iran, because we're still at least a couple of generations away from even knowing if their culture will swing far enough in our direction to make that sort of thing even a pipe dream.

 

What I don't do is ignore the fact that Israel has committed its fair share of violence against the rest of the Middle East, both provoked and unprovoked, and their hiding behind the shield of the US has allowed them to get away with it. I refuse to pretend, as so many in the US insist upon doing, that one strong ally (bordering on a puppet at times) is worth more than having at least normalized, neutral relations with the rest of the Arab world.