U.S. TROOPS HEADED FOR PALESTINE? In a story about President Bush's new plan for a Palestinian state, Bill Plante on the CBS Evening News said the president had proposed new leadership for the Palestinians, a new constitution, new financial and legal institutions, and a new security service. Plante called it a "top-to-bottom overhaul" of the Palestinian authority. Critics might call it "nation-building," something that President Bush used to be against. During the second of three presidential debates, Bush had criticized the Clinton administration's use of troops in "nation-building" missions. He referred to Haiti and Somalia, where Clinton tried to use U.S. troops to help restore order and the missions failed. In Palestine, Bush has not committed to using U.S. troops - at least not yet. . "I don't think our troops ought to be used for what's called nation-building," said Bush during the campaign. "We're not into nation-building," he said last September. The U.S. has also engaged in nation-building in Afghanistan, where we are building a government to provide education, health, and welfare. When White House spokesman Ari Fleischer was asked about this, he claimed that Bush had never opposed nation-building. "The president has always been for those," Fleischer said, adding, "Do you have any evidence to the contrary?" The evidence came during the campaign. In his speech on the Middle East, Bush was bold, calling for new Palestinian leaders and a practicing democracy. He said true reform will require "entirely new political and economic institutions, based on democracy, market economics and action against terrorism." He said, "The United States, along with the European Union and Arab states, will work with Palestinian leaders to create a new constitutional framework, and a working democracy for the Palestinian people. And the United States, along with others in the international community will help the Palestinians organize and monitor fair, multi-party local elections by the end of the year, with national elections to follow." Yet some in the media said the president didn't go far enough. The New York Times called his speech a plan without a map. The Washington Post called it an uncertain road map with too many "blank spaces." The Post noted that, "His recipe for reform -- an end to corruption, multiparty local elections, an independent judiciary -- is admirable, if you discount the oddness of Mr. Bush asking other Arab nations who need the same medicine to help oversee the cure." Indeed, the CBS Evening News reported that a Saudi political adviser had supported the president's proposal for Palestine without noting that Saudi Arabia is without the same kind of democratic institutions. The Palestinians say they held elections in 1996 to choose the president of the Palestinian National Authority, Yasir Arafat, and their representatives in the Palestinian Legislative Council. Voter turnout was estimated at over 70 percent. New elections may result in a leader more radical and more committed to terrorism. Then, Bush may decide to commit U.S. troops to this nation-building scheme.              Printer-friendly version Click here to be added to our mailing list.