Those who know me personally know that I am mostly a Bush supporter. I have given him kudos on the War on Terror, tax cuts, and other matters, but I have been critical of Bush on a number of issues as well: McCain-Feingold, Medicare reform, immigration, and the blatant double standard with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Earlier this month, President Bush released his decision on the status of the Palestinian Authority (PLO). Basically it works this way, every six months or so, the President evaluates the conduct of the PLO and determines whether to sanction or not based on terrorist activity. Sanctions include downgrading the Status of the PLO office in the US, designating groups representing the PLO or PA as terrorist organizations, reducing or eliminating assistance, all of that soft sort of discipline. It’s all cotton-candy diplomacy and part of the so-called “Road Map to Peace.”

Anyway, earlier this month, Bush released his opinion and after apparently a great deal of deliberation, soul searching, hand ringing, and brow beating decided to downgrade the Status of the PLO office in the United States, which basically limits the PLO’s representation in the United States- a proverbial slap with a wet noodle; then waived the sanction as a matter of national security. Apparently Bush has been issuing the same decision since before December of 2003. [President's Evaluation]

Since December 2003, Israel has suffered seven major attacks, 59 people have been murdered, and over 380 have been wounded. [Palestinian Attacks] Now, I am not a diplomat or a politician, but I would consider that a significant amount of terrorist activity. Why does the President have a double standard in regards to the PLO? He refuses to endorse serious sanctions for obvious terrorist activities; and he refuses to support the Israelis in carrying out his own agenda under the Bush Doctrine. There is only one way to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict- and it’s not through negotiations.