Perhaps Israel will want to consider electing Forest Gump to replace Ehud Olmert. Since Forest fought in Vietnam, he understands the importance of a clear plan and objective before you commit your forces to battle. At least Forest knows, “Stupid is as Stupid does”. After 34 days of fighting, Israel is occupying a portion of Southern Lebanon but has failed to accomplish its original objective of “destroying” Hizbullah.
Time to face the facts; Israel has punted and opted instead to settle for “degrading” Hizbullah capabilities. So, how did they do? Well, at the start of the invasion Hizbullah was firing less than a hundred rockets a day into Israel. Yesterday (Sunday) Hizbullah launched 250 rockets into Israel. I suspect Hizbullah was just plain worn out from lugging the rockets from their storage bunker to the launching sites. All of that lifting and shooting can make a terrorist tired. Here’s a news flash for the IDF and the Bush Administration–if your adversary can fire more missiles/rockets after 34 days of combat then they did at the start your degradation campaign did not work. It is called “failure”.
Maybe Barbara Bush can call her son and break the bad news to him. After Bush’s dismal press conference today it is clear that no one has briefed the poor rube on the reality in Lebanon. He sincerely believes Israel won. How many more such “victories” can Israel endure and remain secure?
Israel lost at least 108 soldiers and 39 civilians during the last month. More than 1140 Lebanese civilians died from Israeli bombings. Over 300 of these are dead children. Way to go Israel, that helps your image. I’m sure you’ve earned the affection and good will of the Arab masses for that bit of professional soldiering. Oh, and Hizbullah is still in place.
What is truly remarkable is that Hizbullah displayed far more discipline on the battlefield than Israel. Most of the people killed by Hizbullah were soldiers, not civilians. Israel cannot say the same. Moreover, Hizbullah turned off the rocket attacks when the ceasefire arrived while Israel continued bombing Beirut. Bombing Beirut may help Israel feel good at a visceral level but it accomplishes nothing in terms of tactical or strategic objectives. In fact, it achieves the opposite result. It unites the people of Lebanon–Shias, Sunnis, and Christians–against Israel. On this count, at least, George Bush’s promise to be a uniter not a divider has turned out to be true. As an enabler of a foolish Israeli policy Bush has helped unite the Arab world against Israel and around Hizbullah. Hopefully he does not have the same “success” in Iraq.
ON BBC World when asked about how Bush’s staement that Hezbollah had suffered a crushing defeat would affect US policy:
“in a terrifying way. it is ludicrous”
Scary stuff. Even the public in Israel seem to have acknowledged at best a tie, which in the middle east means a defeat. If Bush cannot see reality lets hope some of his advisers or military leaders can or we face a complete disaster for US foreign policy not to mention the endangering of lives of any American abroad.
Talk about creating your own reality. Its getting to the fantsy level of Hitler in the Berlin bunker waiting for the Brandenburg miracle.
Israel has suffered a staggering defeat. Now, it seems concerned primarily with withdrawing its forces before they start to bleed again. Worse, its northern border is more insecure than ever. Hizbollah could very well see its Freikorps-like militia incorporated as the hard kernel of a new Lebanese military. In that fashion, Hizbollah would and would not be “disarmed”. They wouldn’t be the Hizbollah militia anymore so that milita would not be armed. On the other hand, Hizbollah adherents would still have those arms and, likely soon, even more advanced weaponry. Who could claim that Lebanon didn’t need advanced surface-to-air and shore-to-ship and anti-tank weapons to protect itself? It’s been invaded twice by Israel in a quarter century. That would seem to qualify in almost anybody’s book. Oh, and it will also need a deterrent capability against those long-range missiles Israel maintains too. Olmert has screwed the pooch beyond imagination (at least Condi’s imagination in any event).
Hezbollah mixes its facilities in with civilian infrastructure. If fights among civilians. Their goal all along wasn’t to beat Isreal militarily, it was to apply political pressure by making Isreal look bad from civilian casualties. In theory, Hezbollah accomplished this goal.
However, the cost for average Lebanese has been astronomical. That was Isreal’s goal, to apply political pressure to the Lebanese government to make sure they would think twice about ever attacking Isreal again. The war is over, and they will need to rebuild. This is when the adrenaline and the rush of the excitement of war disappears and is replaced by the dawning realization of a shattered nation. Isreal did not degrade Hezbollah, they degraded Lebanon in its entirety. The Lebanese will not want to wage war with Isreal any more. Nasrallah will be limited from now on in the kind of cross border operations he is willing to risk. If he sends a raid into Isreal again, he will not be sure how Isreal will react. He will act with caution, and he will limit himself. In this way, Isreal accomplished its goal.
Hezbollah accomplished their goals. Isreal accomplished their goals. Now we can have peace until the next war.
However, the cost for average Lebanese has been astronomical.
Huh?
Lebanese support for Hezbollah is astronomical.
Isreal failed to accomplish their goals.
Good! You have it about correct, especially in the deterrence provided by Israel’s actions against another such Lebanese terrorists cross-border sojourn. When all is studied and maybe rebuilt in Lebanon, the last thing the average Lebanese will ever allow again is another provocation of Israel to destroy southern Lebanon again.
However, people here on this far left wing blog have a seeming alternative agenda, and refuse to see the real truth. I have to agree with George Bush on this one, and I wonder how many American voters, who would otherwise be against Bush, will also agree with him on this Israel-Lebanon assessment. Furthermore, I caution the far left to be very careful with their seeming support for terrorists in Lebanon against Israel, less they lose any potential gains they might have against the conservatives in other areas related to national security and fighting terrorism.
Bush deposed Saddam Hussein in 2003 in response to the horrific attacks of 9/11.
Then, in response to this deposing, the Al Dawa and the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution of Iraq ( i.e. 2 pro-Iranian, pro-extreme Shia factions with extremely close and long standing ties to Iran) legitimately seize the reins of power in Iraq by way of democratic election.
GOAL IRAN!!
Now, `more than 1140 Lebanese civilians died from Israeli bombings. Over 300 of these are dead children.’ Hizbullah is universally seen as heros throughout the ME.
GOAL IRAN!!
Iran 2, US 0
You’re doing a heckuva job Butchy!!!
Hopefully he does not have the same “success” in Iraq.
C’mon Mr Johnson, do tell.
You must know quite well all about Al Dawa and the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution of Iraq.
During the twenty years prior to the deposing of Saddam Hussein, they through physically violent means tried to transform a secular Iraq (under Saddam Hussein) into a fundamentalist Shia republic.
Al Dawa and the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution of Iraq sure as hell ain’t pro-US, pro-Israeli, and anti-Iran.
What is most annoying is that Bush and the GOP basically forced the reins of power in Iraq into their hands inadvertently in direct response to the horrific attacks of 9/11.
9/11 + Iraq = Bush’s Islamistan through the entire Persian Gulf
WTF?
Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki and his Dawa party have deeper ties to the Hezbollah leadership than has surfaced in recent reporting on his visit to the White House, emails Mark Perry.
“Maliki went to school with the Hezbollah leadership … Hezbollah in mid 1980s worked to free `the Dawa 17? — arrested by Kuwait for a suicide bomb that killed three Americans in the US embassy in Kuwait.
Now Dawa is the ruling party in Iraq and allied to the US and their leader visits the White House.”
According to news reports, Maliki headed the Dawa party’s Jihad office in Damascus in the 1980s.
Some history on the connections between Dawa and Hezbollah here. “Following Hezbollah’s 1983 strikes against the U.S. Embassy and the Marine barracks in Beirut, a closely related Shiite organization in Kuwait carried out a series of attacks — including a truck bombing targeting the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait City.
Kuwaiti authorities later arrested and convicted 17 Shia for involvement in that plot.
This group became known as the `Kuwaiti 17? or the `Dawa 17.’ Among its members was Mustafa Youssef Badreddin, a cousin and brother-in-law of senior Hezbollah operative Imad Mugniyah, who has been described alternately as the head of Hezbollah’s security apparatus, as the group’s chief of intelligence and as its chief of special operations.
…. Demands for the freedom of the Dawa 17 became standard in Hezbollah’s hijackings and other activities. “
From War and Piece
Al Dawa 17
“Let’s do the Kuwait embassy. In December of 1983, Islamic fundamentalists bomb the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait, and 17 are arrested. What is the end result of this terrorist situation?
I think it’s the case that the bombing of the American embassy in Kuwait and other targets in Kuwait led to the arrest of 17 people from Lebanon and Iran, the so-called Al Dawa 17. This, in turn, led to a series of kidnappings, sort of tit-for-tat kidnappings in Beirut, whereby relatives of some of those people being held in Kuwait began grabbing Americans and offering, in effect, to exchange those American hostages for the prisoners in Kuwait. The Kuwaiti government took a very hard line on this and simply refused to release any of the people, and I think they had supporters in the American government for that. …
Do we know whether the Kuwaitis were, to some extent, listening to Americans on how to deal with this situation?
We know that Americans were talking with the Kuwaitis about the situation. We know that the Kuwaitis rejected any kind of trading of hostages. … We know that Imad Mughniyah, who was the brother-in-law of one of the Al Dawa 17 being held in Kuwait, sent back videos of some of the people that he himself had been responsible for kidnapping. …
Give us the resume of Mughniyah.
Imad Mughniyah is an articulate, English-speaking, not-particularly-devout Muslim. He’s more of an ideologue. He’s said to be charismatic. He’s well educated, and he comes from a middle-class family in southern Lebanon, from the area that Israel was occupying for quite a while. For several years, he was the chief of security for Sheik Fadlallah, who was, of course, the spiritual leader for Hezbollah in their battle with the Israelis. He was running military operations in Beirut and also some operations in the south of Lebanon for Hezbollah. …
Give me his resume of crimes.
Imad Mughniyah is believed to have been responsible for the bombing of the Marine barracks with the death of more than 240 American soldiers. He’s alleged to have been involved directly in the bombing of the American embassy — the first time, because the American embassy was actually bombed twice. That led to a loss of 60 to 85 people. He was responsible directly for the kidnapping of the CIA station chief in Beirut, William Buckley, who subsequently died in captivity, and for the kidnapping of other Americans there as well.
Was [Mughniyah] one of the chief targets that we eventually had?
He’s one of the chief targets that we still have. We’ve had a multimillion-dollar reward out for his capture over the years. We have yet to have anybody try to claim it. …
What lesson can be learned from the fact that this guy — who was involved in very famous air hijackings, an enormous amount of kidnapping in Beirut, was tied into the Beirut bombings of the embassy and the Marine barracks — is still free, and we have no idea where he is?
I think one of the lessons to be drawn from the fact that Imad Mughniyah is still out there, still operating, is that America has to keep focus in this war, in what it’s doing. I don’t think we’re particularly good about that. We get very excited, very upset, very determined in the wake of atrocities, such as what happened at the World Trade Center, but then over a period of a year or two, our attention shifts to other things. We lose determination, and I think that people like Mughniyah are allowed to sort of slip away and fall through the cracks until they jump out at us again.”
Why would Bush declare Lebanon to be a new front in the war on terror, seemingly declaring war on Hezbollah, an entity that had been leaving us alone?
Because it’s his backdoor path to regime change in Syria and Iran. Something that didn’t fly the first time when he started repeating the rhetoric he used in the leadup to the attack on Iraq, only as justification for attacking Iran. “Folks” weren’t falling for it this time. This ceasefire? It’s bullshit, and he knows it. You’ll note the reference to Iran seeking nuclear weapons. It’s the same justification, just coming from a different angle.
Absolutely-bush’s regurgitated press conference yesterday hit all his brain dead talking points with the sole purpose of making sure we are supposed to be afraid, very very afraid of Iran.(well we’re just supposed to be AFRAID period)
Now he just has one more talking point in his imbecilic little arsenal-Hizbollah-he’s become so freakish transparent it’s a wonder we can’t see right through his brainless head.