Think Like an "Activist"

The thought process of Middle Easterners, while at times maddening and arbitrary, is a reality. One cannot expect to understand it, but merely recognize and acknowledge it when it rears its head. Case in point in a recent meeting between an Egyptian diplomat and the most wanted man west of bin Laden, Hassan Nasrallah.

Darrar confronts the crisis in Lebanon by calling those responsible to account. Notice what happens:

During the meeting, [Hizbullah Secretary General Hassan] Nasrallah said to [Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon Hussein] Darrar, "We have the courage to say that mistakes were made by all the sides, and not just by one side."

Nasrallah grudgingly, excuse me, "courageously" admits what everyone knows: that any faults made must only be viewed in context of everyone else's countless mistakes. His are but drops in the vast bucket of mistakes made.

"Yes, we have made mistakes and have deceived,..."

That's as much of an admission as you're ever going to get. Now the "but"...

"...but what is important is that at every juncture we supported Arab and Lebanese initiatives."

Lying and deceiving is patently wrong unless you have a really good reason and cause to promote (and notice the unchallenged assumption that the "Arab and Lebanese initiatives" are automatically righteous). If your cause is worthy you should be excused and, actually, congratulated for whatever you do.

"We weren't the reason for the obstacles."

How can those with such purity of soul cause any obstacle? If anything bad happened as a result, it wasn't because of the lies and deception (for said reasons above). Any problems should be attributed to those who are far less worthy.

And, just like that, we have virtual innocence.

Which is why one must remember always this cardinal rule: Any problem is never their fault. Ever.