As I said after the Palestinian elections that elevated a terrorist group to governance, Israel can't live with Hamas in charge next door. Their mission is to wipe us off the map. We set out to isolate Hamas diplomatically, and drew up plans to destroy them militarily, but we had to wait for the right moment to strike. And then, those stupid militants handed us, on a silver platter, the excuse to act by taking our IDF soldier hostage.
Of course, it would be a great political feat to get our soldier back unharmed, and without having to give away anything to get him. But just in case, we've got our own bargaining chips in the Hamas officials we rounded up and detained. If the IDF soldier turns up dead, our involuntary guests may suffer a harsh fate -- along with the Palestinian P.M. At least it's useful to imply that this could happen.
Sure, our aggressive policy is a gamble. But the Palestinians are so weak and confused, we can get away with whatever we decide to do -- and the Americans won't put any real pressure on us. Why should they? They gave Sharon and then our government the green light to control this part of the region however we see fit.
When the Palestinian street sees that the thugs they elected to power can't really protect them, that we can enter and destroy areas of Gaza whenever we feel like it, they'll start backing another horse, one we can do business with, like Abbas and his crew. So we'll pile on the humiliation, each day demonstrating how powerless Palestinians are under Hamas leadership, and eventually the Palestinian people will bend in our direction.
And if it doesn't work out that way, we eliminate Hamas as an effective force by wiping out virtually the entire leadership. Sure, the anger in the street would lead to more popular resentment and resistance against us -- but what else is new? We will have gained a year or so of relative peace while they regroup. And the Palestinian people will get the message and, no matter how grudgingly, will bow to our will.
So let us move forward as a united Cabinet and country in the service of that policy. Everybody got that?
---------------
A NOTE FROM JUSTICE ALITO>
(FedExed Handwritten Note from Samuel Alito to Alberto Gonzales, intercept by NSA.)
Note from Justice Alito to Alberto Gonzales,
Burn After Receipt
Dear Alberto: I hope it's clear from the vote on the Hamdan case that we need more friendly faces on the Supreme Court. Scalia, Thomas, Roberts & I can't always move the issues the way we want with the liberal bloc in place and Kennedy in the middle, doing a pretty good imitation of Sandra Day O'Connor. Conservative, my ass!
We're doing the best we can -- Roberts had to recuse himself on Hamdan, but even so the vote would have been 5-4. Perhaps Justice Kennedy will decide he'd like to leave the court early, if you get my drift, so your boss can appoint a jurist more amenable to issues we all hold dear. Good luck in November.
All best wishes, Sam
-----------
A LETTER FROM GEORGE W. BUSH
(An NSA email intercept from Bush to Rumsfeld.)
Of course, it would be a great political feat to get our soldier back unharmed, and without having to give away anything to get him. But just in case, we've got our own bargaining chips in the Hamas officials we rounded up and detained. If the IDF soldier turns up dead, our involuntary guests may suffer a harsh fate -- along with the Palestinian P.M. At least it's useful to imply that this could happen.
Sure, our aggressive policy is a gamble. But the Palestinians are so weak and confused, we can get away with whatever we decide to do -- and the Americans won't put any real pressure on us. Why should they? They gave Sharon and then our government the green light to control this part of the region however we see fit.
When the Palestinian street sees that the thugs they elected to power can't really protect them, that we can enter and destroy areas of Gaza whenever we feel like it, they'll start backing another horse, one we can do business with, like Abbas and his crew. So we'll pile on the humiliation, each day demonstrating how powerless Palestinians are under Hamas leadership, and eventually the Palestinian people will bend in our direction.
And if it doesn't work out that way, we eliminate Hamas as an effective force by wiping out virtually the entire leadership. Sure, the anger in the street would lead to more popular resentment and resistance against us -- but what else is new? We will have gained a year or so of relative peace while they regroup. And the Palestinian people will get the message and, no matter how grudgingly, will bow to our will.
So let us move forward as a united Cabinet and country in the service of that policy. Everybody got that?
---------------
A NOTE FROM JUSTICE ALITO>
(FedExed Handwritten Note from Samuel Alito to Alberto Gonzales, intercept by NSA.)
Note from Justice Alito to Alberto Gonzales,
Burn After Receipt
Dear Alberto: I hope it's clear from the vote on the Hamdan case that we need more friendly faces on the Supreme Court. Scalia, Thomas, Roberts & I can't always move the issues the way we want with the liberal bloc in place and Kennedy in the middle, doing a pretty good imitation of Sandra Day O'Connor. Conservative, my ass!
We're doing the best we can -- Roberts had to recuse himself on Hamdan, but even so the vote would have been 5-4. Perhaps Justice Kennedy will decide he'd like to leave the court early, if you get my drift, so your boss can appoint a jurist more amenable to issues we all hold dear. Good luck in November.
All best wishes, Sam
-----------
A LETTER FROM GEORGE W. BUSH
(An NSA email intercept from Bush to Rumsfeld.)
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