Hello hello again, readers. I have been AWOL as of late, but I wanted to share an interesting hobby that I have acquired before I return into my wine-induced slumber.

Reading college newspapers, especially the editorials, always provides a chuckle or two. I think it's something about the mix of idealism of change yet the laziness to enact change that just nails the irony bone in the right spot. Of course, there are those creative editorials that attempt to advance typical left-wing talking points; I guess there is something to be said for truly mimicking the national media, just it seems too easy to do on a college campus as those places generally are leftist echo chambers.

That said, I found an editorial today that even took the wind out of my sails. The race between "sad" and "mind-bendingly funny" is pretty close, so I leave it to others to judge.

The jist is that Hamas' rise to power isn't really so bad. So what? We have heard that a thousand times before in stories of Hamas' "pragmatism". No, what makes this great (and something that could only be pulled off in print on a college campus) is the stated position that Hamas and Israel are in fact very similar. The editorial, from the student newspaper of George Washington University, tries to toe a fine line -- both validate Hamas through comparisons with Israel, yet still twist facts to demonstrate Israel's villiany. Logically, that makes little sense, but don't worry. The author is a senior, majoring in Middle East studies, so I sure he just knows a more subtle version of the truth than we do.

I provide some of my point-by-point opinions behind the fold, but I leave you with a taste of what the editorial has in store...

While it refuses to recognize the state of Israel, there is a historical point worth noting: at the initiation of the Oslo process in 1993, Israel had not recognized the Palestinians right to a state. Even informal recognition did not come until Ehud Barak was elected prime minister several years later. A formal public statement acknowledging the right of Palestinians to a state was not made until Ariel Sharon became prime minister. In spite of this lack of recognition, the Palestinians pursued negotiations with the Israelis, hoping that a viable state would come in the final agreement. The precedent exists for engaging in negotiations without recognition at the outset. more...

Posted by: wineaholic at 10:01 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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