the special relationship

i am reluctant to comment on anything i don't fully understand. however, i am moved by the honesty and clarity of a recent bill moyers commentary on war, death, israel and palestine:

"...this week, the U.S. Army sent letters to the 7,000 family members of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Every letter began, "Dear John Doe."

For too much of the world at large the names of the dead and wounded in Gaza might as well be John Doe too."

glenn greenwald has more on the moyers piece, and further commentary on the current situation in gaza:

"...more than 1/3 of overall Palestinian deaths are children, and a similar percentage of the more than 3,000 wounded are also children.

The Russian invasion of Georgia -- which was vehemently and universally condemned in the U.S. as an excessive and brutal response to Georgia's assault on South Ossetia -- resulted, according to the Georgian government, in total deaths on the Georgia side of 405 (220 of whom were civilians) and total number of civilians wounded between 200-250.

Of course, all of that pales in comparison to the duration, destruction and carnage created by the U.S. as a result of the Iraq War (the most unprovoked of all of these conflicts)."

and in newsweek, aaron david miller lays out the situation (as well as what he feels might be a way ahead for the obama administration) most clearly:

"The issue at hand is to find the right balance in America's ties with Israel. Driven by shared values and based on America's 60-year commitment to Israel's security and well-being, the special relationship is rock solid. But for the past 16 years, the United States has allowed that special bond to become exclusive in ways that undermine America's, and Israel's, national interests."

watch the entire moyers piece below.