 Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. pressed President George W. Bush to involve the U.S. more directly in trying to negotiate a halt in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. ``Condi Rice ought to be going to the area immediately,'' Senator Christopher Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat, said of the U.S. secretary of State today on ``Fox News Sunday.'' ``This is a situation that could spin out of control.''
| The knuckle-draggers at the leftist Washington Monthly were saying the same thing, so I assume the talking points got out there okay. |
The U.S. is continuing to rely on the efforts of a United Nations mission and those of governments in the region to begin negotiations, and Rice said she is ready to make a trip to the region to prod along negotiations ``when I believe that I can make a difference.''
| Which we can't right now since we have no influence over one side in the fight: Hezbollah, Syria, Hamas and (especially) Iran aren't waiting to see what we think before deciding their next move. As it stands, we're going to see whether the Israelis will create some new 'facts on the ground' before doing something. |
``Simply going in and shuttling back and forth, if you don't know where you're trying to go, is not going to help,'' she said in a separate interview on the Fox program. Republican and Democratic lawmakers agreed that Israel is justified in striking at Hezbollah militants, who kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid and have fired missiles into Israeli towns. In response to the abductions, Israel has conducted dozens of air strikes in Lebanon. ``Any country, particularly Israel, has the right to defend itself and to protect its citizens as we do,'' Republican Senator George Allen of Virginia said in the Fox interview.
| The lefties are upset that Bush and Condie aren't 'doing something' -- what they mean is, aren't doing something to restrain the Israelis. |
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