Categorical Aperitif

Now bilateral—awesome news to wake up to this morning.

Certainly the peace process was not going to be furthered by Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL), from whom I recently received a "response to your recent comments." See if you can find the phrase that his staff has got a macro for:

Thank you for letting me know of your concerns regarding the recent outbreak of violence in the Middle East. I appreciate hearing from you.

I strongly condemn Hamas’ unprovoked acts of terrorism that can potentially exacerbate the already high tensions in the region. Since Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, more than 6000 rockets launched by Hamas have rained down on innocent Israeli civilians. These actions do not serve the interest of the Palestinian people as they seek to take control of their own destiny. Hamas’ unprovoked acts of terrorism are unacceptable and Israel has the right to defend itself against them.

At the same time, the US is deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation of innocent civilians in Gaza, and our nation remains the largest donor of humanitarian relief to them. That assistance includes water, various medical supplies for Gaza’s hospitals, and food stuffs. Additionally, U.S. leaders have consistently urged Israelis to avoid civilian casualties, a difficult task in the face of Hamas’ practice of hiding behind civilians to carry out their terrorist attacks. I am pleased that Israel has facilitated the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza throughout the conflict. I am concerned about reports that Hamas is redirecting some of this aid to care for their own militants.

As always, I appreciate hearing from you. As our nation prepares for the transition to a new administration, I remain hopeful that the current conflict will continue to be closely monitored and that a lasting cease-fire agreement will be reached. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any additional comments or questions. For more information about issues and activities important to Florida, please sign up for my weekly newsletter at http://martinez.senate.gov.

Sincerely,

Mel Martinez
United States Senator

Emphases added; shamelessly pro-Israeli bias in original. No condemnation of the longstanding Israeli blockade on Gaza, no condemnation of Israel's use of white phosphorus in populated areas, no mention of Israel's attacks on UN facilities—between this and Bush's lapdoggishly obedient response to Olmert's phone call, it's enough to make you wonder who Republicans actually work for, I swear. Thankfully, Senator Martinez will be stepping down after this term, and good riddance.

For a palate (and brain) cleanser, listen to or read Dennis Kucinich. More like this, please.