 Senator Edward Kennedy called President George W. Bush's handling of the escalating violence between Israel and Hezbollah gunmen in Lebanon ``a disaster.''
| When Alexander sliced the Gordian knot I'm sure some fat guy in a toga described it as "a disaster," too... |
``We have effectively abdicated our position in that part of the world, complicated by Iraq and a diversion of attention with North Korea and Iran,'' Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, said in an interview on Bloomberg television's ``Political Capital With Al Hunt,'' to be aired this weekend. ``Unless the United States is involved, and involved and engaged in using its good offices and trying to find the forces on all sides to advance the cause of peace, we're going to continue to see cycle of violence,'' Kennedy said.
| What we're seeing is the blow-off from 50 years of post-Nasser politix. Shuttling diplomatically back and forth, trying to placate actors who've long since perfected the techniques of bad faith, has accomplished precisely nothing. The "stability" it built turned out to be stagnation. Kennedy and his intellectual companions bitch and moan about the U.S. "support" for tyrannies, but every time we act against a tyranny they're right out front, honking that we're doing it wrong. |
Fighting between Israeli military and Iranian-backed Hezbollah has left more than 300 Lebanese and 34 Israelis dead since it began July 12 when Hezbollah captured two Israeli Defense Forces. Both sides have vowed to continue the fighting while Lebanon has indicated its regular army is ready to fight should Israel invade. Democrats generally have been mild in their criticism of Bush since the conflict erupted last week.
| Ted can't control himself, though. He suffers from ideological incontinence... |
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