letter from Nader to Bush

[Dan Scanlan <coolhanduke@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Monday, July 17. 2006
Letter from Ralph Nader to President George W. Bush

July 17, 2006

Dear President Bush:

You have been a weak president, despite your strutting and barking,  
when it comes to doing the right things for the American people  
within the Constitution and its rule of law. This trait is now in  
bold relief over the Israeli government’s escalating war crimes  
pulverizing the defenseless people and country of Lebanon.



With systematic efficiency, the Israeli government has already  
destroyed innocent homes and basic public facilities—ports, airports,  
highways, bridges, power stations—which are critical to delivery of  
food, medicines, health care, ambulances, water and other essentials  
for a civilian population. This bombardment, by U.S. made bombers,  
military vehicles, ships and missiles with American taxpayer  
subsidies, places an inescapable responsibility upon your shoulders  
which does not mix with your usual vacuous messianic rigidity.

As the leading player in official Washington’s puppet show, it is  
time for you to assert the interests of the American people and those  
of the broad Israeli and Palestinian peace movements, by standing up  
to the puppeteers. For without this conflict, Hezbollah would not be  
in today’s news.

The time has come for you to return to Texas for a private meeting  
with your father, his former national security advisor, Brent  
Scowcroft and his former Secretary of State, James Baker. You need to  
say to them ‘I can’t trust my advisors anymore; there have been so  
many tragic blunders. What do you advise me to do about the  
destruction of a friendly nation by the world’s fifth most powerful  
military?’

Here is what I think they should say to you:

1. Take personal command of an immediate rescue effort for the tens  
of thousands of Americans trapped in Lebanon by Israel’s calculated  
blocking of air, land and sea escape routes. You’ve said the safety  
of Americans is your top priority. Prove it by using the U.S. Air  
Force and the U.S. Navy facilities to immediately evacuate all our  
people desperate to escape the terrorization of Lebanon.

2. You have been so docile and permissive to Israeli demands that any  
modest deviation from this posture will make your next move credible.  
Announce that you are sending two prominent negotiators—perhaps James  
Baker (Republican) and former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell  
(Democrat) to Israel and Lebanon to arrange for a cease fire between  
the combatants.

Announced at a televised White House news conference with your two  
envoys, you can punctuate your seriousness by raising the questions  
of violations of the Arms Export Control Act and the Foreign  
Assistance Act. Using U.S. supplied weapon systems to commit civilian  
atrocities on homes and fleeing vehicles with children and to inflict  
collective punishment on mass civilian populations are not using  
these weapons for legitimate self-defense and internal policing, as  
our federal law requires. Israeli planes have even fire-bombed wheat  
silos and gasoline stations in Lebanon. More mayhem is on the way.

3. Stop acting like an impulsive, out-of-control West Texas Sheriff  
and start reading, thinking and listening for a change. When Israel,  
Britain and France violated international treaties against aggression  
in 1956, and invaded the Suez Canal, President Dwight Eisenhower used  
his influence to make them withdraw from Egypt.

In 1982, following a year without any PLO skirmishes over the  
Lebanese-Israeli border, Israeli armed forces invaded Lebanon anyway.  
They created a path of destruction all the way to Beirut and  
militarily occupied south Lebanon for 18 years before they withdrew,  
except for retaining Shebaa Farms. In 1982, the New York Times  
reported “indiscriminate bombing” of Beirut by Israeli planes. At  
least 20,000 Lebanese civilians lost their lives in that invasion and  
many more were injured. From that conflict Hezbollah was born,  
composed of many people whose relatives were casualties in that  
illegal invasion.

History, George, does not start two weeks or two months ago. You must  
read about past U.S. Presidents who, at least, sent high-level  
emissaries to quell similar border fighting. It worked and prisoners  
were often exchanged.

You are doing and saying nothing about what the rest of the world  
believes is a hugely disproportionate attack against innocent adults  
and children in violation of the Geneva Conventions, the UN Charter  
and other treaties and federal statutes. You’ve sworn to uphold these  
laws. Do so. Because of the Israeli government’s overwhelming  
military power, the imbalance of terror against civilians and their  
property has always been to its advantage. As has its occupation of  
Palestine and confiscation of land and water sources.

4. You can’t take sides and be an honest broker. Just about all our  
knowledgeable retired military, diplomatic and intelligence officials  
believe resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the key to  
deflating other agitations in the region. Freedom and justice for the  
Palestinian state and security and stability for the Israeli state  
must both be achieved.

You have turned your back on the courageous and prominent Israeli  
peace movement which normally reflects the positions of half of the  
Israeli population. You’ve never met with any of its leaders – even  
those in the Knesset or former officials in the military,  
intelligence and Justice Ministries. Hundreds of reserve combat  
officers and soldiers of the IDF have refused, in their words, “to  
fight beyond the 1967 borders to dominate, expel, starve and  
humiliate an entire population.” They pledged only to fight for  
Israel’s legitimate defense. (www.seruv.org.il/defaulteng.asp)

5. Once in a while, ask your aides for a sample of Israeli opinion  
that rejects the notion that there can be a military solution to this  
conflict, despite the military imbalance. For example, reports and  
editorials in Haaretz, arguably the most respected newspaper in  
Israel, would educate your judgment. In a recent editorial, Haaretz  
argued that the present Israeli government has “lost its reason”  
through the brutal incarceration, devastation and deprivation of  
innocent people in Gaza.

In another Haaretz commentary dated July 16th, Gideon Levy writes:

In Gaza, a soldier is abducted from the army of a state that  
frequently abducts civilians from their homes and locks them up for  
years without a trial – but only we’re allowed to do that. And only  
we’re allowed to bomb civilian population centers.

6. One final bit of advice could come from Papa Bush’s circle. If the  
Israeli army decides to invade Lebanon with troops, your support of  
the aggression can possibly unleash a domino of warring actions and  
reactions over there. As is it, Americans are increasingly fed up  
with the Iraq quagmire.

Moreover, we know they don’t like many of your domestic policies  
favoring the wealthy, the post-Katrina debacle, exporting jobs, and  
among our conservative base, your enormous deficits. So our  
Republican Party’s control of government is at stake in November.  
Don’t you have your hands full with Iraq whose invasion we all urged  
you to avoid in 2003?