It's official. They've cracked.
Ed Rogers called the Israeli – Lebanon conflict a “side-show”
today on “Hardball.” He went on to say, “when in trouble make some rubble.” The man thinks
this carnage will help the Republicans politically, especially in November.
Like I said above, they've
cracked.
Out of the mouth of a Bushie.
Someone needs to give Ed a reality check.
Frankly, Condi doesn't do the ventriloquist thing very well. She stands up
there as the doll mouthing words straight out of neocon land and doesn't look
very convincing doing it either. Her position has been untenable from the start;
first as National Security Adviser, in which she failed miserably, now as Secretary
of State, which isn't going so well either. Nobody doubts she's a smart woman,
but an academecian just isn't equipped for The Art of War, especially with Rummy
– Cheney breathing over your shoulder and whispering in the king's ear.
But if the Bush administration thinks keeping a hard line will work, they've evidently forgotten they're up against the hardest case of all.
I'm watching al-Jazeera's live coverage of the Rome conference right now.
Al-Jazeera bumper sticker summary: Rome conference fails because United States
rejects a ceasefire. The camera captured Condoleeza Rice looking visibly uncomfortable
as Lebanon's Prime Minister Seniora calmly but angrily denounced “Israel's
aggression against Lebanon”, and visibly upset when he quietly said that
“everything which delays a ceasefire is something which exacerbates the
suffering of the Lebanese people” (not an exact quote, just a sense of
what I heard him say). Rice expressed grave concern about the Iranian role
in Lebanon, and concern for the humanitarian situation – which, at a time
when her government is pretty much solely responsible for allowing the bombing
to continue, is pretty the definition of adding insult to injury. …(snip)
America is totally alone on this. And more than most Americans might realize,
America is being blamed for Israel's actions. The shift in Arab public discourse
over the last week has been palpable. For the first few days, the split between
the Saudi media and the “al-Jazeera public” which I wrote about
at the time. Then for a few days, horror at the humanitarian situation, fury
with the Arab states for their impotence, speculation about the endgame, and
full-throated condemnation of Israeli aggression. But for the last few days,
the main trend has been unmistakable: an increasing focus on the United States
as the villain of the piece. (That the Israeli bombing of Beirut stopped just
long enough for Condoleeza Rice's photo op certainly didn't help.) …Rome
conference fails – Marc Lynch
Prime Minister Siniora looked apoplectic today, as he pleaded for a cease fire.
Condi played the ice queen, the United States of America Ice Queen, unfortunately.
The other problem is that President Bush didn't want anyone in the region until
they had to go, so we're late to this party.
Meanwhile, the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld trio are prodding Israel on to blast away.
You know who gets hurt most in all this, besides the Lebanese and the familes
of the dead and maimed? America's image, our force for peace and our relationship
with the entire Middle East.
Bush backed into sending Rice. He's also going to back into dealing with Syria.
But by then it may be too late for the Siniora government, because Hezbollah
will have gained the hearts of the Lebanese because of Israeli bombs that continue
to rain down.
That spells even worse news for the Israeli people who have had to endure far
too much for far too long. This latest expedition in Lebanon may be shorter,
but it's going to be devastating to the Israeli cause for peace.
Also, let me just say to the people who believe that Israel has to degrade
Hezbollah enough to prepare for the peace to come. Wake up and smell the burning
corpses of Lebanese civilians and children. Each day Israel continues the bombing
she gets further away from “winning,” because the Lebanese people
get further away from the Israelis, closer to Hezbollah and more determined
than ever to fight for Lebanon. Meanwhile, the Siniora government gets weaker,
with a greater chance of collapsing.
Got failed state?
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