Good Words, Weak Words In LA

I've been disappointed by much of Arnold Schwarzenegger's governorship and the only good thing I can say for Antonio Villaraigosa is that he's doing a fine job of showing the benefits of the GOP alternative. But I can find no fault in either of these quotes, delivered at a pro-Israel rally that attracted thousands in LA yesterday:

"We're all here to do one thing, and that is to support the state of Israel," Schwarzenegger said, noting that he first traveled to Israel as a bodybuilder and has been back many times since. "Any nation has the right to defend itself against terrorism."

"We're here to affirm the basic truth that there can be no peace without security," Villaraigosa said.

Nearby, 100 protested against Israel, and presumably for Hamas and Hezbollah. The official word from LA's Islamic leadership was a bit different, however:

"We don't have any sympathy for any of these groups, Hamas or Hezbollah," said Maher Hathout, chairman of the Islamic Center of Southern California. "But supposing those guys really are the bad guys, by no stretch of the imagination does that justify what is going on now."

So what is that, an anti-bombing-Lebanon statement or an anti-Syria-and-Iran statement? I assume the former.

Quotes and photo: LATimes
Related Tags: Lebanon, Israel, Schwarzenegger, Villaigarosa