And The Opposite Solution

Diametrically opposite take from Harold Meyerson's "solution" as described in my last post, is Charles Krauthammer's take. His idea? Israel must conquer Southern Lebanon, take it back from Hezbollah, then give it back to the Lebanese government, cleansed of the murderous terrorist thugs who use civilians as human shields.

Every important party in the region and in the world, except the radical Islamists in Tehran and their clients in Damascus, wants Hezbollah disarmed and removed from south Lebanon so that it is no longer able to destabilize the peace of both Lebanon and the broader Middle East.

Which parties? Start with the great powers. In September 2004 they passed U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559, demanding that Hezbollah disarm and allow the Lebanese army to take back control of south Lebanon.

The resolution enjoyed the sponsorship of the United States and, yes, France. As the former mandatory power in Lebanon, France was important in helping the Lebanese expel Syria during last year's Cedar Revolution, but it understands that Lebanon's independence and security are forfeit so long as Hezbollah — a lawless, terrorist, private militia answering to Syria and Iran — occupies south Lebanon as a rogue mini-state.

Then there are the Arabs, beginning with the Lebanese who want Hezbollah out. The majority of Lebanese — Christian, Druze, Sunni Muslim and secular — bitterly resent their country's being hijacked by Hezbollah and turned into a war zone. And in the name of what Lebanese interest? Israel evacuated every square inch of Lebanon six years ago.

….

But only one country has the capacity to do the job. That is Israel, now recognized by the world as forced into this fight by Hezbollah's aggression.

The road to a solution is therefore clear: Israel liberates south Lebanon and gives it back to the Lebanese.

It starts by preparing the ground with air power, just as the Persian Gulf War began with a 40-day air campaign. But if all that happens is the air campaign, the result will be failure. Hezbollah will remain in place, Israel will remain under the gun, Lebanon will remain divided and unfree. And this war will start again at a time of Hezbollah and Iran's choosing.

This could be a winning strategy.

International Army?

It would appear that Harold Meyerson of the Washington Post is calling for the UN to possess an army of it's own. His concluding paragraph would so indicate:

Real border security is going to require the kind of force that didn't exist as World War I loomed. With the Lebanese army no match for Hezbollah, a genuine international army such as that proposed by Kofi Annan and Tony Blair (and bigger and more assertive than the Boy Scout troops that the United Nations periodically deploys) is needed to restore the peace. It offers no decisive outcome to the Arab-Israeli conflict, but no decisive outcome is remotely in the offing. In a region rapidly succumbing to blood-drenched fantasies of victory or of martyrdom, however, an international holding action may be the only thing to spare us from another 1914.

The rest of the article gives a history lesson on the First World War, but this last paragraph is the one that bothers me. Quite frankly, the last thing I want to see is a heavily armed UN. That is a recipe for disaster for the whole world right now. I have been an advocate of using NATO (even if that means changing the charter a bit) rather than trusting the UN.

Sorry, Mr. Meyerson, I do not want a world government backed by it's own army. I'm funny that way.

Breaking News: Israel Sending Ground Troops Into Lebanon

CNN is reporting Israeli troops are entering Lebanon, story is here. Video is here.

BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) — Israeli ground troops have entered southern Lebanon on a mission to destroy outposts of the militant group Hezbollah, an Israel Defense Forces spokesman told CNN early Wednesday.

The spokesman said the troops are "close to the border." No further details were immediately available.

Hours earlier, Israeli airstrikes pounded the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital near the airport, lighting up the night with explosions.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the latest airstrikes, but at least a dozen people were killed in Israel and Lebanon on Tuesday.

The Right To Keep And Bear Applesauce

Apparently, a little known codicil of the second amendment to the US Constitution that allows citizens to keep and bear applesauce.

PHILADELPHIA - A customer at a city grocery tackled an armed robber and beat him with a can of applesauce when he refused to drop his gun, police said.

The suspect shot himself in the head during the struggle, and passed out after the 66-year-old customer administered four blows to the head with the Mott's applesauce.

"Finally, the guy passes out," said Det. Curtis Matthews. "There's blood everywhere — on the floor, all over."

About 15 customers were in Gomez Grocery in the city's East Germantown section when the gunman walked in Sunday afternoon, jumped atop a small freezer and pointed the gun at store owner Eddie Gomez, police said.

Customer Thomas Santana, who is 5-foot-4, grabbed the 6-foot-1 gunman from behind when he was on the freezer, and with help from Gomez knocked him down.

All hail Thomas Santana! This is a thing of beauty! Lord, please, please, please tell me there is video of this!

Efforts will begin immediately to ban possession of Mott's applesauce. Ted Kennedy will lead the charge.

Mott's applesauce. Don't leave home without it.

Patterico Hits It!

The perfect solution to everything! The perfect answer! Preemptive condemnation! I hereby join Patterico on the "I condemn it all" bandwagon! Now when I'm asked, nay, ordered to condemn something I can merely point to this post and all is complete!

About Civilian Casualties

Anyone on the left care to step up and damn this particular war crime? As in forcing people to be human shields? As in here's where the civilian casualties are coming from.

The IDF has found that Hizbullah is preventing civilians from leaving villages in southern Lebanon. Roadblocks have been set up outside some of the villages to prevent residents from leaving, while in other villages Hizbullah is preventing UN representatives from entering, who are trying to help residents leave. In two villages, exchanges of fire between residents and Hizbullah have broken out. (Hanan Greenberg)

Damn, those crickets are loud.

How Very Serious

You know, yesterday, it was "Bush used a bad word". Today it's "Bush groped Angela Merkel". Greg Tinti has the video at Outside the Beltway. Said "groping' lasts under a second in real time, involves hands on shoulders and it really is impossible to tell what Merkel's reaction really is. I'd say, offhand that she may have been startled. (I react very like that when someone touches my shoulder from behind and I was not aware of them being there).

But these critics are serious players in the Democratic party - or want to be. There's a vast silence on the left over events in the Middle East, other than the mandatory "it's all Bush's fault" so I guess they have to fill up their bandwidth with something.

Funny, I had a lefty here taking me to task for my humor, but I think I see the real joke now.

UPDATE: Allah, of course, nails it.

More Stirring Of The Pot?

Word from Turkey right now is not encouraging. The Turkish government is sending signals that it may act against Kurdish guerrillas operating out of Northern Iraq. While the possibility exists that this is saber-rattling for domestic consumption, it is also getting official US reaction from the State Department.

Turkey is facing increasing domestic pressure to act after 15 soldiers, police and guards were killed fighting the guerrillas in southeastern Turkey in the past week.

"The government is really in a bind," said Seyfi Tashan, director of the Foreign Policy Institute at Bilkent University in Ankara. "On the one hand, they don't want things to break down with the United States. On the other hand, the public is crying for action."

Diplomats and experts cautioned the increasingly aggressive Turkish statements were likely aimed at calming public anger and pressing the U.S. and Iraq to act against the Turkish Kurdish guerrillas. But they also said Turkish politicians and military officers could act if nothing is done.

U.S. officials in Turkey and Washington were in contact with Turkish officials and military commanders to press them to work with Washington to combat the guerrillas and not to act alone, a Western diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject.

Turkey's NTV television and Hurriyet newspaper reported the government has told the military to draw up plans for a push into northern Iraq and to advise on the possibilities such an incursion could lead to a clash with Iraqi Kurds or U.S. troops.

Any operation was unlikely before the end of August, when the current military chief of staff is replaced by an officer widely regarded as a hard-liner, NTV said.

Northern Iraq is under Iraqi Kurdish control and is considered quite safe (Michael Totten has been there and filed stories about his visits). The Iraqi Kurds have stated that they, "won't allow anyone to harm our neighbors by using our territory." So it then requires one to ask the question, what is going on? The crucial detail may be in this part of the article:

The Turkish Kurdish guerrillas are mostly based in the Qandil mountains, an area 50 miles from the Turkish border with Iran. From Iraq, the guerrillas infiltrate southeastern Turkey to stage attacks.

Does that sound a bit suspicious to anyone else? It sure does to me. One cannot help but wonder who's hands are in this.

101st Blog Of The Day

For the benefit of my new visitors from Powerline, I'll fill you in on my ongoing project. I set out more than two months ago to visit one member of the Fighting 101st Keyboard Brigade each day. It is a way to ensure I visit some new territory each day, while hopefully giving some mutual publicity. It's sort of like what Powerline did with me this week, but on a much smaller scale*.

So today I visited Vita ab Alto. The proprietor, one Monk, has a story out of his adopted home state of Alabama that is truly creepy. Giant yellowjacket nests! And they are - you have got to see the picture! Now, I'm highly allergic to wasps, so if I saw one of these things around my neck of the woods, I'd be over the horizon in a very short time indeed.

* Until Powerline linked me, this blog never saw traffic like it has today. In fact, my hitcounter is sitting over in the corner with it's little digital arms over it's ears whimpering. But don't worry, he'll be fine. I hope folks are enjoying the site.

Iranian Hezbollah Threatens US

The Iranian Hezbollah group has openly threatened the United States and Israel with attacks. The Mullahs try to pretend the group does not speak officially.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's Hizbollah, which claims links to the Lebanese group of the same name, said on Tuesday it stood ready to attack Israeli and U.S. interests worldwide.

"We have 2,000 volunteers who have registered since last year," said Iranian Hizbollah's spokesman Mojtaba Bigdeli, speaking by telephone from the central seminary city of Qom.

"They have been trained and they can become fully armed. We are ready to dispatch them to every corner of the world to jeopardise Israel and America's interests. We are only waiting for the Supreme Leader's green light to take action. If America wants to ignite World War Three … we welcome it," he said.

Iranian religious organisations have made great public show of recruiting volunteers for "martyrdom-seeking operations" in recent years, usually threatening U.S. interests in case of any attack against the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme.

But there is no record of an Iranian volunteer from these recruitment campaigns taking part in an attack.

Iran's Hizbollah (Party of God) says it is spiritually bound to Shi'ite Muslim guerrillas in Lebanon but its command structure and funding are unclear.

Despite Iranian Hizbollah's insistence that it takes orders from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, government ministries say Hizbollah does not implement official policy. Iran's government has said it hopes for a diplomatic solution to the Israeli offensive in Lebanon.

Since it's pretty obvious to everyone who is causing the trouble in the Middle East right now, it's kind of ludicrous that the Mullahs try this little gem. As my son pointed out the other day, Iran is in a de facto state of war with a number of countries right now by virtue of their puppetmaster role in the disturbances all over the Middle East right now. It's especially disingenuous since the Hezbollah representative is mirroring the Iranian president's statements in recent weeks.

UPDATE: And word from the FBI that they are watching for Hezbollah activity in the US.

American law enforcement officials are concerned the Lebanon-based Hizbollah, which has so far focused on fund-raising and other support activities inside the United States, could turn to violence in solidarity with Iran.

"If the situation escalates, will Hizbollah take the gloves off, so to speak, and attack here in the United States, which they've been reluctant to do until now?" said William Kowalski, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI in Detroit.

Detroit is home to one of the largest Muslim communities in the United States.

"Because of the heightened difficulties surrounding U.S.-Iranian relations, the FBI has increased its focus on Hizbollah," said FBI spokesman Paul Bresson in Washington.

"Those investigations relate particularly to the potential presence of Hizbollah members on U.S. soil."

It would be a miscalculation of truly epic proportions for Hezbollah to try an attack inside the US.

Big Dig - Problems Mount

Following up on previous posts about the Big Dig and all the problems inspectors are finding, there is news that engineers are trying out a fix to some of the problems. It seems that the existing system is using bolts embedded in an epoxy. Unfortunately, the bolts are pulling out at much less than design load. That would indicate that this has been an accident waiting to happen for a while now. Mitt Romney, the Governor, has started proceedings to remove the head of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. (Who should frankly have the decency to resign and save everyone the trouble.)

BOSTON - Engineers tested a plan to reinforce the heavy concrete ceiling tiles in Boston's Big Dig highway tunnels and started working on a design Tuesday to put the back-up system in place.

With crews working around the clock, Gov. Mitt Romney said at least one portion of the two tunnels that have been closed since last week's deadly collapse could reopen by late in the weekend.

Romney, who seized control of the inspection process last week, ordered the reinforcement work after testing in the two tunnels revealed problems with more than 1,100 bolt assemblies that used epoxy.

"In grabbing ahold of these bolts and pulling on them with excess force, they're letting go … at lower pressures than they were designed to handle," Romney said Monday. "That suggests that this epoxy system is not working."

The two Big Dig tunnels have been closed for inspections and repairs since July 10, when Milena Del Valle was crushed in the Interstate 90 connector, part of a main route to Boston's Logan Airport.

Romney, a Republican considering a bid for president in 2008, has said he was concerned about the tunnel closures' impact on traffic, business and tourism. He said it could be two weeks before the entire closed-down section reopens.

The $14.6 billion Big Dig highway project, the most expensive in U.S. history, buried much of the city's highway network in tunnels. It took over a decade starting in the early 1990s to complete and has since been plagued by leaks, falling debris, cost overruns, delays and problems linked to faulty construction.

Last week, the governor started formal proceedings in a bid to oust the chairman and chief executive of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, Matthew Amorello, whose agency oversaw the highway project.

Amorello was given a list of charges against him Tuesday, Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom said. A formal hearing, set for July 27, will be closed and the charges will remain private, he said.

Earlier posts: Here, here, here, here and here.

The Myth Of Containment

Hugh Hewitt has a post up asking when the Senate is going to start having a real debate about our policy toward Iran and Syria. Starting from a column by George Will, Hewitt points out why certain policies cannot work.

Will is so engaged in harumpphing about the Weekly Standard neocons –he denounces their "radicalism"– that he confuses the situation today with that of post-war Europe rather than pre-war Europe.  Stalin could be deterred from the use of nukes (though never proxies).  Hitler could be deterred from nothing because of his messianism, a messianism he shares with Ahmadinejad along with a hatred for Jews.

Will's indifference to this unrestrained evil, his casual assumption that "containment" will work with Iran is the sort of gambling associated with the left, but not with President Reagan, to whom George Will often turns when the going gets tough.  Nor would Reagan have ignored the fruits of the Iraq war –including the disarmament of Libya and the freedom of the Iraq people, however difficult its birth– from a homicidal maniac.

Will's dropped out, then, of the Reaganite GOP when it comes to foreign policy  –"We win.  They lose."– and others may as well.  The Buchanan caucus welcomes him and them.

But I don't believe a majority of the American electorate will agree on a "wait and see/do nothing" foreign policy, dressed up in U.N. half-resolutions.

Only some of the most Clueproof™ actually think containment was working with Saddam Hussein. The bloated and corrupt UN made sure there were plenty of holes in the sanctions so Saddam could get what he wanted on the world market. The futility of the idea of containment when you are dealing with rogue states should also be evident from how well the Clinton White House's containment worked with North Korea.

A foreign policy based upon the reality of the Iranian regime does not mean a war with it or Syria, though neither would war be ruled out.  But it certainly wouldn't indulge in the fantasies that characterized Stanley Baldwin and his followers. The very first step is clarity about the nature of the enemy.

The "evil empire" is gone, but the "axis of evil" is only partly dismembered.  Pretending that "containment" might work in the long run is political posturing.

I think there are too many people who want to indulge in the wishful thinking of containment despite the evidence to the contrary. I've said many times before, if the world does not pull together, war becomes more likely, not less.

Rocketing Continues In Israel

Hezbollah has continued to launch rockets at civilians in Israel. More than 80 rockets have struck cities and town across Northern Israel today.

A 30-year-old resident of Nahariya was killed on Tuesday afternoon as Hezbollah guerillas launched a second barrage of Katyusha rockets at towns and cities in the north of the country.

Another person was hurt in a rocket strike on Gush Halav, in the Mount Meron area of the Galillee.

The total number of Israeli civilians killed by Katyusha rocket fire from Lebanon since the start of fighting is thus far at 13.

The fresh volleys struck also Safed, Hatzor, Carmiel, Moshe Sde Eleizer, Acre, Kiryat Shmona, Tiberias, the Krayot region (Haifa suburbs of Kiryat Yam, Kiryat Haim, and Kiryat Ata), Hatzor Haglilit, Yesod Hama'ala, the central Golan Heights, and the Haifa Bay region.

Eye witness Eli Dayari told Channel 10 television that the rocket hit a two-story building in Nahariya, and an apartment there was on fire.

"I was near the bomb shelter, there was a humongous boom, and I saw it was two meters next to my house, really two meters," he said. "People are panicking and the house was on fire, really big flames, the fire fighters are here."

Eyewitnesses reported Tuesday afternoon that the victim of the Nahariya attack was walking towards a bomb shelter in a public park 20 meters from his home when he was directly struck by the rocket. The victim's wife witnessed the incident as it unfolded.

Tuesday afternoon's barrage, which included more than 80 rockets, was one of the more fierce to have struck Israel since the outbreak of hostilities.

The rocket fire also ignited fires in the northern Golan Heights near the town of Goshrim and the Nahal Amod and Rosh Pina regions.

The train depot in Haifa where eight people were killed in a rocket strike Sunday was hit for a second time Tuesday afternoon, as fresh barrages of Katyusha rockets fired by Hezbollah guerillas in Lebanon struck the northern towns of Haifa and Safed.

Because of the nature of these rockets with their very simple launch system it is difficult to locate the launchers before the rockets are fired. I would not be at all surprised if there is some very extensive counter-battery fire once they are launched, though.

En Garde!

Ah, the French, always amusing. A French magistrate has been placed in a psychiatric hospital after going on a drunken rampage with a great big sword. One police officer was injured in the mêlée.

Police were called to the home of Philippe Bonnet of the Paris appeals court after a guest staying there alerted them to his unusual behaviour.

He attacked the two officers with the sword, slightly injuring one, before being overpowered with a flash-ball, a non-lethal weapon used by French police. He was then taken to a psychiatric hospital.

Two weeks previously, the judge had threatened his host with the weapon during a party he attended. He was placed under judicial investigation and given a conditional release.

Not all that impressive a swordsman if that's the best he could do. I mean, where's the swash? Much less the buckle! Now, if he'd done a Bluto like John Belushi in Animal House, it would have been really funny.

This is a Flash-Ball incidentally. Looks like it would hurt. A Lot.

US Civilians To Be Evacuated

Although the mainstream media is saying that civilians in Lebanon are not being told what plans are, the fact is that US Central Command has news up on their website which includes information on contacting the US State Department.

The State Department has posted a message on its Web site directed to Americans living in Lebanon. It reads: "A message to American citizens in Lebanon: The U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Defense continue working on a plan to help American citizens who wish to depart Lebanon to leave in a secure and orderly manner. To assist in the development of that operation, the U.S. government is sending an assessment team to Beirut to facilitate the safe departure of Americans who wish to leave." The Embassy remains open to support U.S. citizens in Lebanon, the Web site said. It directs U.S. citizens in Lebanon to register by contacting the Embassy in Beirut directly, or through the State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs registration site. The Web site listed two contact telephone numbers: 800-407-4747 inside the United States and 202-501-4444 from overseas.

So, Americans in Lebanon who want to evacuate should be in touch with the embassy and should also bookmark the Central Command main page as they will have better and more timely information than the American Media will.

UPDATE: Five US Navy vessels have arrived off the coast of Lebanon to provide security for the evacuation effort as has the first of several chartered cruise ships. Although Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have chosen to make this a political issue, please keep in mind that security for US citizens must be considered a priority.

UPDATE: India is also sending four of it's warships to Beirut to evacuate Indian nationals.