It is important to remember this history—that Israel had unilaterally withdrawn from Lebanon only to have Iran supply Hezbollah with thousands of rockets.

Uh huh. Of course, Hezbollah might say "it is important to remember that Israel withdrew from Lebanon because we bled them white. It is important to remember that they never gave Lebanon the maps to the minefields they left behind, minefields which continue to kill innocent Lebanese. It is important to remember that they hold many Lebanese prisoners from their invasion, yet when we grab a couple that's worth war - but we are expected to just let our soldiers rot in Israeli prisons and do nothing, even though they were seized during an illegal invasion and an occupation that lasted over a decade."

And then, of course, he said:

Just six months after I visited, Hezbollah launched four thousand rocket attacks just like the one that destroyed the home in Kiryat Shmona, and kidnapped Israeli service members. And we pray for all of the service members who have been kidnapped: Gilad Shalit, Eldad Regev, and Ehud Goldwasser, and I met with his family this week. I offered to help in any way I can."

Ooookay. Now certainly the rocket attacks were bad, but let's face facts - Israel bombed the shit out of Lebanon and the rocket attacks did hardly any damage in comparison. As for the kidnap victims - remember all those Lebanese held by the Israelis.

That effort begins with a clear and strong commitment to the security of Israel: our strongest ally in the region and its only established democracy."

A nation where about 40% of the population can't vote isn't much of a democracy in this era.

It's pretty sad, really, when this sort of unbalanced bullshit is the best a politician can do. That said, certainly, Obama's pander wasn't quite as grovellingly obsequious and Orwellian as Clinton's and Edwards. But it's only a matter of degree, not kind. It's still the twilight zone and Iran and Hezbollah and Hamas are still evil, evil, evil, while the Israeli government just has a few misguided policies (and yes, to give him points, he does suggest as much.)