Republican Congressman from Pennsylvania Wants Arial Sharon and Yasir Arafat to Negotiate Peace in the Middle East

Cluelessness in the Republican Party Reaches New Level

Thanks to Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post  and his excellent Forum on politics (excellent may be an understatement) we have this information about a Pennsylvania Congressman’s response to questions about the Arab/Israeli peace process from a constituent.

Men Whom Pa. Congressman Joe Pitts Think
Can Solve the Middle East Conundrum

Apparently, my congressman believes that the solution for peace in the Middle East will be reached by encouraging negotiations between a vegetable and a dead man.

My father recently received a form letter response from Joe Pitts (Pennsylvania’s 16th district). A year ago, after visiting me in Ramallah, my father contacted Pitts’ office, expressing his opposition to House Resolution 268, a one-sided resolution that condemned Palestinians and reaffirmed the US “commitment to a negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”. The incredibly baffling, much-delayed response from Pitts included this gem:

With the global war against terrorism, it is now incumbent on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Yasir Arafat to clamp down on Palestinian extremists that have perpetuated violence and to restart a peace process that has collapsed.

Ok, everybody knows what happened it.  Even this clueless Congressman knows that Mr. Sharon has been totally incapacitated by a massive stroke and that Mr. Arafat has been incapacitated by death. He is just too uncaring to update his automated mail response letters.

his response was dated April 20, 2012. I realize that members of Congress use form letters to communicate quickly with their constituents, but when they are as outdated as this on an issue that is so central to US foreign policy, one might question the intelligence or efficacy of such a politician. I wonder to whom Pitts thought he was giving those standing ovations when Netanyahu spoke to Congress?

and that what we are seeing here is just a robo-response letter from a lazy Representative who is so contemptuous of his constituents that he really doesn’t care what they want or think.  And as for himself, clearly this is a Congressman who just doesn’t bother, which probably places him in the vast majority.