Senate candidate Andy Martin says President Bush is on right track to Middle East peace

NEWS FROM:
ANDY MARTIN
“He works for
the People of Illinois”
Republican for U. S. Senator
Suite 4406
30 E. Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611-4723
(312) 440-4124

ATTENTION: DAYBOOK/ASSIGNMENT EDITORS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 11, 2008

ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEWS CONFERENCE: January 12, 2008

U. S. SENATE CANDIDATE ANDY MARTIN SALUTES PRESIDENT BUSH FOR MOVING FORWARD ON MIDDLE EAST PEACE

“THE ANDY MARTIN PEACE PLAN OF 2000 IS CLOSE TO BECOMING REALITY,” MARTIN SAYS


(CHICAGO)(January 11, 2008) Republican U. S. Senate candidate Andy Martin will hold a Chicago news conference Saturday, January 12th at 1:00 P.M. to announce that he congratulates President Bush on his renewed Middle East peace efforts and looks forward to supporting the president in his endeavors to bring Israelis and Palestinians together.

“President Bush has changed,” Martin will state. “He has learned from his mistakes in the Middle East. I can only say I am thrilled by the president’s progress in seeking to impose a settlement on the Israelis and Palestinians this year.

“Eight (8) years ago, I proposed the Andy Martin Peace Plan for the Middle East. My family’s roots go back over 100 years in that part of the world. I know the area well. It has been a part of my life. And step-by-step the State Department and President have come to accept the broad outlines of my peace plan. I am ecstatic. I saw the solution in 2000. Now president Bush shares my vision.

“I spent New Year’s Eve with my Jewish friends who are like ‘family.’ Truth be told many of them were downbeat about the prospects for peace. I was not. I believed that peace is inevitable. But even I am stunned at President Bush’s new reality.

“He has stated flatly that the ‘occupation’ must end. Yes, occupation. He has told the Israelis in the most polite terms that the settlement activity just end. End. He has told the Palestinian people that many will receive compensation; I have always felt that if we offered a reasonable program of compensation we could whittle down the ‘return’ issues to manageable proportions. And President Bush saw an Israeli roadblock. That must have been a sobering experience. President Bush has exploded the myth that Palestine is going to be a ‘nation’ of Bantustans. He used the words ‘sovereign and independent.’ I will hold him to his word. Palestine’s water resources will be returned to Palestinian control.

“Personally, I believe that the Gaza Strip will not be an impediment to peace. Gaza is part of Palestine, and it will be incorporated in the borders of the new state. But wise heads will recognize that leaving Gaza to the new Palestinian state will provide a practical solution while still allowing an overall peace plan to be signed by 2009. The borders of Gaza are not in dispute. Gaza’s chaotic conditions have largely been created by Israelis and the U. S. boycott. Once we acquire an interest in a peaceful Gaza, we can and will take steps to make that happen. Rockets and bombs and killings are no solution for two civilized peoples.

“I am glad the president made this trip. He got a dose of reaction and intransigence on both sides. The very essence of my plan was that until the United States saw and treated both parties as equals, peace could never be achieved. Bush has gradually begun to accept that principle, and to implement it. By treating both sides as equals we create the conditions for mutual acceptance.

“I stand ready to help the president in any way possible. The American Jewish community overwhelmingly supports the peace process. The same is true for American Arab community. We must mobilize public opinion; the partisans of peace can and will succeed now that the president has taken up the cause. Peace will not be easy, and violence on both sides will not disappear overnight. Occupation and repression have established constituencies. But we will prevail because we must prevail. I am delighted to stand with the president in his crucial mission.

“What a tonic on the eve of the Illinois primary. Thank you, Mr. President.

“Now if he would only listen to me on Iraq,” Martin will conclude. “I want to help him bring or troops home.”

NEWS CONFERENCE DETAILS:

WHO: U. S. Senate candidate Andy Martin

WHERE: Southeast corner of Wabash and Huron Streets,
Chicago, (St. James Cathedral)

WHEN: Saturday, January 12, 2008 1:00 P.M.

WHAT: ANDY MARTIN salutes President Bush for moving
forward on Middle East peace

MEDIA
CONTACT: (312) 440-4124

WEBSITE: AndyforUSSenator.com

E-MAIL: AndyforUSSenator@aol.com

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Chicago-based Internet journalist, broadcaster and media critic Andy Martin is the Executive Editor and publisher of ContrarianCommentary.com. © Copyright by Andy Martin 2008. Martin covers regional, national and world events with forty years of experience. He has almost forty years of experience in the Middle East, and is America’s most respected independent foreign policy and intelligence analyst. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law. Columns also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com; contrariancommentary.wordpress.com. Comments? E-mail: AndyMart20@aol.com. Media contact: (866) 706-2639. Web sites: ContrarianCommentary.com.