Israel has a "right to defend itself" but...

Nice sentiment, but the Lebanese are not nearly powerful enough to enforce their will on Hezbollah, which has a following in the populace. The burden was on Hezbollah to give up their positions, or at least give up the kidnapped soldiers.

 

How do you handle an enemy who hides among innocent civilians? It's not as if there is a clear dividing line in Lebanon "This is Hezbollah and this is not." Israel is making war on a shadowy group that is interwoven within another country. Israel has publicly stated very reasonable conditions for a cease-fire: Return the two soldiers, stop the rocket attacks and the Lebanese army stepped in to patrol the border.

 

Chuck, nice sentiment, but war ain't pretty. Innocents are going to die, violently.

 

Yes, you can. There is no Hezbollah in the Maronite Christian north. (However, there might be now.) There is no reason to make Hezbollah-once-removed airstrikes to make Beirut uninhabitable. Your opinion is a very easy one to hold at an ocean's remove. Do you believe the Lebanese believe Israel is NOT making war on Lebanon? Right now, Hezbollah is the only force fighting to defend this country. Who do you supppose is going to command loyalty at the end of this war?
And, Xan, I'm sorry, but you are advocating a policy for Israel that ends you, at best, at Slobodan Milosevic.

 

That's fine. If the Leabnese didn't have enought power to enforce the will on Hezbollah, you create a "Hezbollah vs. Everyone else" Lebanon. Of course the Lebanese government would need to help in this "project". When this happens, that's when you bring other countries in.

 

Guys... this is pipe-dream, Pollyanna thinking.

If the Lebanese are not going to give up Hezbollah, they must assume the risks of a wider retaliation.

It's like the Islam discussion again.

If these guys are extremists, then separate yourself from them... loudly... visibly.

 

And I agree with you. Lebanon should've seperated themselves from Hezbollah louldy and visibly. But if Israel would've talked more with Lebanon, we would've gotten a real answer from Lebanon. You go to Lebanon, you bring leaders from different countries around the world and basically say "Are you in or out?"

 

Lebanon has loudly distanced themselves from Hezbollah, but has taken no affirmative actions to stop them. Actions speak louder than words, Chuck.

 

All I'm saying is that war is war and innocents are going to die, just like in Iraq, Afghanistan, Darfur, etc.

None of my opinions matter. I'm just fascinated with how it's all going down. I love the seal-them-in strategy by blowing up roads and mountain bridges (very "For Whom the Bell Tolls" like) and not allowing anyone to escape. There's a reason we keep hearing people like Bush say "the root of the problem ... " What do you do to roots? You root them out.

 

Ahhh the Voice of SportsJournalists.com's lefty loonies rears up on cue....And please tell us how we Make War on them only....always thought you were of the anit-semitic nature. No one should defend themselves --nice take. Just fior the record, I had a friend among the Marines killed in 1982....Take your textbook theories and stick them up your ass douchebag

 

But someone already mentioned that Lebanon dosn't have enough to take out Hezbollah. They need help. This would've been solved if we all just sat down and talked about this. Just like the old days, when we were kids and had fights with our sibilings.

 

And, you made it. Congratulations. "Rooting out the roots" -- meaning women and children and people who have nothing to do with Hezbollah because they didn't take affirmative enough steps against it -- is the logic of Milosevic. And the 10-1 kill ratio's going to get worse.
We -- the NYT says we're sending bunker-buster DU ordinance to Israel now -- are going to be complicit in an Israeli war that looks increasingly like ethnic cleansing of the Shiite population of southern Lebanon, and of the effective destruction of the rest of one of the only semi-functioning democracies in the Arab world. Anybody who thinks this is in the longterm interest of the US is fooling themselves, and frankly, that's the only national interest I care about.
And, as for the blubbering troll, you can jam your "anti-semitism" card as far up as you can with your head already lodged there. I'll use whatever historical analogy I see fit.