DeLay Peace

DeLay is on his way to the Middle East to do what he can to prevent Palestinian statehood–even if the plan is acceptable to the hawkish prime minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon. Why? Apparently God wants him to:

As an evangelical Christian, he [DeLay] is the most prominent member in Washington of the Christian Zionist movement, a formidable bloc of conservative Republicans whose support for Israel is based on biblical interpretations, sometimes putting them to the right of Israeli government. His persistent skepticism about Mr. Bush’s peace initiative indicates that the president may yet have to wrestle with his right flank in pursuing a plan that ultimately calls for a Palestinian state.

DeLay also may have tipped his hand on the real motivation for war in Iraq, parroting the Neo-Con line (though in fairness, the neocons put more emphasis on the shining example of democracy and less on intimidation):

“In the Arab world before 9/11, they thought the United States was a paper tiger,” said Mr. DeLay, who will also make a brief visit to military commanders in Baghdad next week. “We had a president at the time whose retaliation at terrorism was throwing a few bombs in the desert. They laughed at that. And now they see this is real stuff and real power. And they respect power. If the experiment going on in Iraq comes off, it will have a huge, huge impact in the Arab world, showing people who want freedom and self-government and education that they can have it.”

I guess if that doesn’t work, then the next step is slaying the first-born?^* I’ve been to DeLay’s district, Sugarland; it’s a nice suburb with nice people on the outskirts of Houston. But seriously, Sugarlanders: what the hell is wrong with you?

AB

*Passover: “Passover thus refers to when the Angel passed over the homes of the Jews during the 10th plague [Slaying of the First Born] so that their first-born children were not killed like those of the Egyptians. After the 10th plague, Ramses II released the Jews again.”