Presidential Veto

It is said that aWol has never used his veto power in five years as pResident. Not true--he hasn't used it to veto bills from Congress (mostly because of his pre-emptive strikes involving bribes and threats), but he has used it to overturn elections in other countries. The Bushies vetoed Haiti's election by kidnapping the elected president in 2004, insisting that the Haitians try again to "choose" a government more to Washington's liking. And now it appears that they'll do whatever it takes to overturn the will of the Palestinian people, despite last year's fine rhetoric.

I am heartened by today's strong turnout in the Palestinian elections. Palestinians throughout the West Bank and Gaza took a key step toward building a democratic future by choosing a new president in elections that observers describe as largely free and fair. This is a historic day for the Palestinian people and for the people of the Middle East.

America and all free nations strongly support the efforts of the Palestinian people to create lasting democratic institutions. These efforts -- including today's presidential elections and the parliamentary elections that will follow in several months -- are essential for the establishment of a sovereign, independent, viable, democratic, and peaceful Palestinian state that can live alongside a safe and secure Israel. These elections are further proof that when given a choice, all peoples seek to live in liberty and to choose their own government.

The United States stands ready to help the Palestinian people realize their aspirations.

-- President Bush's Statement on Palestinian Elections, January 9, 2005.

The United States and Israel are discussing ways to destabilize the Palestinian government so that newly elected Hamas officials will fail and elections will be called again, according to Israeli officials and Western diplomats.

The intention is to starve the Palestinian Authority of money and international connections to the point where, some months from now, its president, Mahmoud Abbas, is compelled to call a new election. The hope is that Palestinians will be so unhappy with life under Hamas that they will return to office a reformed and chastened Fatah movement.

-- NY Times, today.