Dear Mr. Vice President:

Never in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has a an American Vice President issued a more reckless and outrageous comment that has the dangerous potential to not only escalate the conflict but may in fact further inflame the entire Middle East and Islamic world into a conflict not only with Israel but with our own country.  It is beyond any semblance of political logic or domestic consideration for the powerful Jewish constituency that you as an experienced politician and Vice President of this country would utter such irresponsible words that imply a real "justification" for Israel's calculated assassinations.   While the entire world condemns Israel's illegal, inhumane, and unjustifiable murder of politicians and innocent civilians (two young brothers for God's sake) including our very own State Department, you alone or speaking for President Bush's view would seek a right wing conservative Pro-Zionist media outlet such as FoxNews to pronounce your understanding for Israel's murderous path using our very own tax paid Apache helicopters and F-16's.

It seems it's not enough that President Bush, perhaps under your influence along with Rumsfeld and Rice, is isolating our nation internationally, but now it seems it's American policy to support state sponsored assassinations although it's illegal in this country.  Are we now returning to murder and assassinations as government policy?  Do the Congress and American people understand that helicopter assassinations are now condoned by our government?

When Bush selected you there was a national sigh of relief that he selected an experienced politician, a Washington insider, an oil executive to provide prudent and wise counsel.   Once again the American people are promised one thing "Compassion and Humility" by their leaders and once again we are lied to and taken for granted.   It seems your incredulous comments the day after the State Department's criticism of Israel were meant to assuage the real foreign policy makers in this country who reside in A.I.P.A.C., the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Defense League, and the Zionist Organization of America.  I'm sure they feel more comforted now and will probably send a few million dollars to the GOP in gratitude. Israel has succeeded in making you and Bush defensive about your lucrative oil connections and possible tilt toward the Arab oil producing nations.

As an American citizen who has risked his life to save American marines in Beirut and Yemen I am ashamed of you and this administration for your blatant comfort and cover for Israel to continue its rogue and murderous attack upon a civilian Palestinian population it has continued to brutally occupy for decades in defiance of world opinion and world peace.  How cheap do our politicians come that they sell this country's national interest and the very lives of its military and citizens for Jewish money and votes. Your remarks compounded by almost weekly Congressional resolutions supporting Israel, along with most of our media's, Hollywood's, and Wall Street's sympathies are an ugly stigma to this "democracy" with values supportive of freedom, self-determination, justice, and equality that we internalize as children only to hypocritically abandon for selfish greed and objectives.

I pray that you and President Bush can sleep well with a clear conscience when tomorrow Israel escalates its murderous escapades using your words as "justification".  You, Mr. Vice President, have publicly reprimanded Secretary Colin Powell and have laid the ground work for his eventual departure.   You needed him, his respect and popularity as insurance for an inept President, now that Bush has been elected, Powell is expendable.  I hope he does resign although your immediate resignation would serve this country better.

It seems to us non-Jewish Americans who have been silent for decades racked with Holocaust guilt that our Pro-Israel pendulum has swung too far and needs to return to the moderate logical center.  We non-Jewish Americans are in desperate need of "Affirmative Action" in our government's foreign policy.

May God forgive you for the death and destruction that will visit the Holy Land based on your outrageous comfort to a rogue state whose policies, public relations, and media spin have become the adopted words and policies of this great land.

For decades Israel has risked and entangled our national interest to suit its own and we uncritically succumb out of guilt, fear, intimidation, and greed.  Regrettably, the American Muslim vote greatly aided in Mr. Bush's victory, now it's taken for granted and spat upon.  You refused to meet with American Muslims after the Zionists criticized you and an American Muslim was kicked out of the Executive Building simply because he was to attend a meeting with White House staff.  This won't happen again. God Bless This Country, Mr. Vice President.  It will remain long after you have passed.

Mr. Mohamed Khodr is an American Muslim physician and a native from the Middle East. He has worked in Academic Medicine and Public health with national and international health experience. He is a freelance writer who often writes columns on the Palestinian cause, Islam and on America's Foreign Policy in the Middle East. He lives in the Washington DC area.

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