So is this entirely unexpected? For five years, the Bush administration has done nothing but smile at Israel as the problems escalated in the region. Now Rice wants to get tough, and realistic leaders know she has no clout, State Dept is just a show horse in this administration, why not push back? What, is Congress going to cut Israel's funding? Hell no. The Pres recommends funding, Congress executes. Even with Israel's lobbyists spying on America, it's not going to lose money.

Remember how it was such an important attribute for leaders in this country, until we were persuaded that in the case of George W. Bush, it wasn't?

Well, here's the end result. Bush's lack of gravitasse has consumed the entire foreign policy apparatus.

If our staunchest ally in the world feels comfortable telling us to 'back off,' what are our enemies thinking at this point?

The President has a fair bit of exuctive power to at his discretion cut off certain types of very important military aid and cooperation to Israel. If Rice had/has his backing, there can be real consequences for crossing her. Problem is the neocons still have enough influence to nullify her influence, is my guess.

a way for the US to distance itself while at the same time tacitly supporting Israel.

Its time to start putting the squeeze on. The $$$ in foreign aid ought to have a far bigger lever than what is being used now.

Mad Dog

Artillery, rockets and tanks mass along the border

From Stephen Farrell, in Tsivon and Roland Watson, in Tel Aviv
BEHIND a protective canopy of trees an Israeli 155mm artillery battery fills the valley with gunsmoke and decibels, blasting 100lb shells northwards toward invisible targets across the Lebanon border.

A few miles away, another unit huddles beneath foliage, guarding hundreds of 4.5m (15ft) Texan-manufactured Haz rockets being readied to blow something or someone into pieces.

Artillery, rockets, tanks and Humvees are massing on Lebanon’s southern border as Israel reveals the true extent of its ambitions. It is determined not merely to punish Hezbollah, but to destroy it once and for all as a military threat.

Unperturbed by international criticism, the Government of Israel continued to pound Lebanon’s civilian infrastructure, destroying roads, bridges, fuel dumps and mobile telephone installations as well as Hezbollah targets, including a Beirut radio station.

It believes that Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Shia group, badly overplayed his hand on Wednesday by kidnapping two Israeli soldiers in a daring cross-border raid and killing eight others.

Israeli generals and diplomats are now arguing that their attacks are simply a belated effort to achieve what the Lebanese Government and United Nations have consistently failed to do: implement UN Security Council Resolution 1559, which calls for all Lebanese militias to be dismantled.

“As long as Hezbollah is in the south of Lebanon this will lead to a destabilised region,” Tzipi Livni, the Israeli Foreign Minister, told The Times.

Taking heart from President Bush’s stance that Israel had the right to defend itself, she said that Ehud Olmert, the Prime Minister, would not rest until the Shia group was removed from southern Lebanon.

“The international community has to understand that this is an opportunity to push the Government of Lebanon to put more pressure on Hezbollah and change the situation,” she said.

Mr Olmertalso has the overwhelming support of the Israeli people for avenging their country’s ignominious retreat from Lebanon in May 2000, leaving Hezbollah claiming victory.

Banner front-page headlines in Israeli newspapers yesterday included “Smash Hezbollah”, “The Target: Nasrallah” and “Beirut Will Pay”.

Normally moderate Israeli analysts praised Mr Olmert, a lawyer, for reversing the “errors” of his military predecessors, who allowed Hezbollah to move right up to Lebanon’s border with Israel.

“This was a very bad gamble,” Alex Fishman of Yedioth Ahronoth wrote of Hezbollah’s attack on Wednesday. “(Israel) is acting as if every valve that had been locked for six years has been released and all restraints are off. Everything is permissible.”

more

Our citizens are trapped, wheres the outrage?

Jul 14, 6:58 PM EDT

U.S. Citizens Should Weigh Leaving Lebanon

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The State Department said Friday that Americans in Lebanon should consider leaving when it is safe to do so, and officials made contingency plans for the evacuation of people who cannot leave on their own.

"Our best advice is for people to assess their security situation," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. "Right now ... from the U.S. government perspective, there aren't any reliable ways to get out by air, land or sea."

Nonessential U.S. Embassy personnel and family members have permission to leave because of rising violence between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. The fighting has closed the Beirut airport and the city's port and has made road travel dangerous.

No government employees have left, he said. The United States estimates 25,000 Americans live or work in Lebanon, but officials assume that far fewer would choose to leave if they could.

"We would, as part of that planning, see how we can accommodate those American citizens who want to leave," McCormack said.

Meanwhile, the Homeland Security Department urged state and local law enforcement officials in the U.S. to be watchful for attacks spurred by the violence in the Middle East. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said there is no specific or credible intelligence to indicate any immediate domestic threats.

"But we're in a constant process, obviously, of evaluating capabilities of people who might potentially turn against American interests to see that were adequately addressing what their capabilities are," Chertoff told reporters in Washington.

Homeland Security and the FBI sent a joint bulletin to state security and law enforcement officials about people who "may be planning to act out on grievances or sympathies in the homeland," spokeswoman Michelle Petrovich said.

"We urge vigilance during this heightened state of tension in the Middle East," Petrovich said.

The State Department sent a message late Friday to American citizens who had registered with the U.S. Embassy as traveling to or already in Lebanon.

The United States is "working on options to facilitate the departure of private Americans who wish to depart and would require assistance in doing so, but these plans are not yet finalized," the message said.

The department also told Americans in Lebanon to be watchful and stay away from areas where there may be demonstrations.

The State Department issued a general warning on Thursday night, urging Americans not to travel to Lebanon because of the violence.

The Defense Department said it had received no request for help with an evacuation. Pentagon officials said they expect a request soon, and they were closely watching developments and studying options for how to remove the Americans.

Reuters

There is a sense here that things will get worse before Washington acts.
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"You are not about to see a strong and effective intervention. The G8 will issue a statement, there will be some hand-wringing, but nobody will have a clear idea what to do," said Alterman.
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"My experience with the Middle East is that there is a moment when people see themselves perched on the edge of an abyss, and we are not at the moment.
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"Until we are there, I am not persuaded that we are going to see any other government doing anything dramatic."

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/219328/1/.html