[Rictor]

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/829441.html

The United States demanded that Israel desist from even exploratory contacts with Syria, of the sort that would test whether Damascus is serious in its declared intentions to hold peace talks with Israel.

Looks like not even close allies can escape the US' control-freak nature. Forgive my naivete, but I was under the impression that the main reason the US was after Syria is because Syria doesn't like Israel. So if Israel is willing to talk, doesn't this pretty much scrap the US' sole reason for being hostile toward Syria? Telling a sovereign nation what to do about its own affairs is just typical fare for the new Rome, but telling it to one of your closest allies is arrogance on a grand scale.

I look forward to the next self-righteous announcement about how the US is building peace and stability in the Middle East. AFAIK, this is the second time in recent years where they have intentionally blocked a possible solution to long-held grudges, the first being when they ignored Iran's peace overtures in 2003.

[vyper]

I'm not sure who's in charge of the overall middle east strategy in the Bush administration - but he should really be fired. One battle at a time lads, one battle at a time.

[Sarafan]

This is all because the US is jealous of Israel, if Syria had asked it instead of them it would have never done this.