Bush pledges support to Palestinians on the same day that Tom Delay says this:
I'm sure there are some in the administration who are smarter than me, but I can't imagine in the very near future that a Palestinian state could ever happen. . . . I can't imagine this president supporting a state of terrorists, a sovereign state of terrorists. You'd have to change almost an entire generation's culture.
I'm curious to see how this plays out during election season. I'm deeply cynical about the much-discussed "road map," but at least it leads (in theory) toward a Palestinian state. Even suggesting statehood puts the Bush administration at odds with certain portions of the right, of which Delay has became a public mouthpiece. From the same Post story:
As an evangelical Christian, he 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 denies it's a political issue for him, which is, of course, absolute horseshit. It's a massive political problem for Congressional Republicans and Democrats alike — the former feel pressure from far-right evangelicals, the latter from pro-Israel Jewish-Americans. I assume that the majority (if not all) of our elected officials in Congress recognize the need for a Palestinian State, but they're in a really tough spot. I can't imagine having to run a House race every other year.
Sojourners recently offered a great feature on the Christian Zionist movement. It's well worth a read.
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