DOES THE STATE DEPARTMENT KNOW ABOUT THIS? Not everything in the New York Times is bad. Today's edition had an interview with Secretary Powell regarding the Middle East - i.e., the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - where the Secretary comitted a "gaffe," famously defined by Michael Kinsley as when "a politician tells the truth."
"What that usually means is, `Go and force the Israelis to do something.' That's what many people think when they say, `Get more engaged,' or: `You're standing on the sidelines. You haven't made Israel blink in the face of this violence.' "