Heh. The Bush Admin equates dialogue with appeasement, and they're not the same, at all. And the notion that this attack wasn't aimed towards Obama is absurd.
The sad truth is that there's only one 600lb gorilla in international politics, and that's the US, particularly under the control of the neocons. And we have a nasty little friend in the Israelis.
The only appeasement that's been taking place has been towards the enraged gorilla. It just hasn't been enough to keep him happy, that's all. When bullying abroad doesn't work, it's turned inward, to bullying at home...
As for this whole song and dance about who can't be trusted, I'd suggest that the bushistas fit that mold all too well. when we insisted that the Pals have elections, Hamas won, so we reinforced Fatah, encouraged a partially failed coup attempt, then claimed that Hamas had seized control, when they merely attempted to defend their legal mandate...
A decade of Israeli occupation of southern lebanon basically created Hezbollah, and our demands that they syrians leave only strengthened their hand, as did the Israeli bombings of the whole country... we stabbed the Siniora govt in the back by resupplying the Israelis, insisting that the lebanese "disarm" Hezbollah- they can't, even if they wanted- Hezbollah is thier only defense against the Israelis...
Iran and Syria? They set out to help us in the wake of 9/11, better relations, only to be cock-blocked, vilified by the Bushies...
"Terrarists!", you say? tell it to the pals. The Bushies merely wrung their hands in mock horror as the Israelis interpreted the roadmap to peace as a declaration of open season on Palestinian leadership...
The list goes on, of course, but bluster and fearmongering still sell, at least to some, particularly in defense of the poor downtrodden israelis, who'll jump right up and invoke the "bigot!" "anti-semite" and "holocaust" trump cards to cover their own atrocities...