There was a poor family in my village in India, who was always under debt and financial hardships. They owed money to every merchant in the village. Every time a creditor went to their house for collection, he would find the couple in a fierce, family fight with husband trying to beat up the wife, and the wife crying for protection from the abusive husband.
Turns out that it was a clever ploy by the couple not to face the creditors. Afraid of being dragged into the family feud, the collectors would go away. The strategy worked every time!
The emerging feud between Sharon and Bush reminds me of this strategy. "Let us pretend a fight between Israel and USA for now, so the Arab nations can support the alliance."
