Piece in the Middle East

This is a wonderful piece by Maureen Dowd about Bush’s Middle East trip. It says a lot about where we are diplomatically, how we are perceived in the Arab World, and what a deal-with-the-devil the combustion engine has forced us into.

Faith, Freedom and Bling in the Middle East

P.S. I'm really proud of the title I came up with for this post.

P.P.S. This is the hotel in Abu Dhabi that is mentioned in the article, the Emirates Palace Hotel. It is the most expensive one ever built. This is just a photo of the central section (the whole hotel is over half a mile long) -

Here's a shot of the royal entrance. Note the South Asian in the forefront who likely gets paid about $5/day -