is that this administration is actually highly skilled at PR in some limited ways. They're simply so staggeringly lacking in empathy - like a person suffering a neurological disorder - that they think everyone on the planet is like Americans - or wants to be American - and are thus vulnerable to the same information techniques, the same emotive appeals and buzzphrases, that they used campaigning in Texas. It's like watching a computer virus trying to infect a Labrador Retriever; they use "democracy" like that's actually supposed to mean something to a starving Somali. They should try "sandwich".

The actions of Israel invading Lebanon again reveal to the world the stunning ability that the Israeli government to co-opt the decision-making apparatus of the Amercian government. The US is now seen to be supporting a govenment that engages in extra-legal targetted assassinations, a country with a secret nuclear program and country that invades a soverign country. Is there any point at which the interests of Americans diverge from those of Israelis? If so, what is that point?
Old Prairie Dog

While our democracy, in the hands of the neocons, moves towards using force to export and expand democracy, those we deem as extremists are using persuasion to democratically assume power. That, in my opinion, is perhaps the epitome of irony. Worse yet, it is an indication that our foreign policy is an unmitigated failure that may well alter the world order for decades.

Read an analysis that discusses the implications of the current U.S. foreign policy and how the neoconservatives have simply leaped over the politics of conflict...here:

www.thoughttheater.com

While our democracy, in the hands of the neocons, moves towards using force to export and expand democracy

Emphatically no on this. Not a chance. The "rebranding" camapaign where the term "regime change" - undoubtedly tanking in focus groups - was morphed into "exporting democracy" happened about three or four years back. The term was hardly on the radar screen previous to that. I'll bet they had to get out their dictionaries to be confident they could actually spell democracy consistently.

They don't "do" - or even have much respect for - democracy. It's just a Pavlov's Bell term for the American public.

Musharraf, a main ally in the WOT - military dictator. No criticism. But they criticize the Venezuelan and Iranian elections as flawed and illegitimate, and they refuse to recognize Hamas when elected.

All while refusing to be bound by decisions taken in the world's largest democratic fora, the UN, the ICC - even Geneva - because they're flawed. But Pakistan, a military dictatorship, somehow... isn't.

Reject what is QED mere cynical semantic manipulation.

Evangelicals unite for Israel

7/26/2006 9:00:00 PM GMT

More than 3,000 Christians flocked to Washington and are staying at their own expense to ask Bush’s admin "not to restrain Israel in any way in the pursuit of Hamas and Hezbollah", as part of the first annual summit of Christians United for Israel, the founder of the group said.

More...

combined with this

Israel uses cluster bombs, chemical weapons in Lebanon

..."Israel fired several artillery-fired cluster munitions at Blida at around 3 p.m. on July 19. The witnesses described how the artillery shells dropped hundreds of cluster submunitions on the village. They clearly described the submunitions as smaller projectiles that emerged from larger shells."

Lebanese authorities are investigating reports that Israel has also used phosphorous munitions in its attacks.

The Lebanese Minister of Health has warned earlier that Lebanese children who got hurt in Israeli attacks are suffering from the impact of white phosphorus.

Same allegations were made by the Lebanese President Emile Lahoud.

Investigations are underway to determine what caused the death of eight Lebanese found in the Southern town of Rmeileh.

Mario Aoun, head of Lebanon's doctors' syndicate, told The Daily Star, investigators started the probe after "suspicious" bodies were found following one of the Israeli attacks.

Samples from the eight bodies found "are currently being analyzed at the American University of Science and Technology," Aoun said, suggesting that suspicions chemical weapons may have been used, but "nothing is certain."

"The causes of their deaths are not clear. The bodies are completely black, yet they are not burned. There are no wounds, no internal hemorrhaging and their muscles and hair are intact," he added.

I mean, who could possibly think it wouldn't?