Hezbollah’s Pipeline

Washington Post opinion writer David Ignatius is rapidly turning himself into a pipeline for Hezbollah propaganda and an outright enabler of that organization. His latest column in the Post is, quite frankly, appalling. First, he gives us his view of what happened in the Yom Kippur war in 1973, then he waxes rhapsodic on the heroic Egyptian sneak attack and it's aftermath.

Yet in the long lens of history, the importance of the 1973 war is that it opened the door to peace. The Arabs, humiliated by earlier wars with Israel, could now claim a measure of dignity because of Anwar Sadat's bold attack across the canal. The Israelis learned that their Arab adversaries wouldn't run from battle as they had in the 1967 war. That gave them a stake in making peace, too.

After the war ended, Egypt and Syria joined in active diplomacy, masterfully orchestrated by Kissinger, who managed to create enough distance between the United States and Israel to allow some negotiating room. Sadat felt confident enough as the "hero of the crossing" to make his famous trip to Jerusalem. Even the terrorist group of the day, the Palestine Liberation Organization, was drawn into a web of secret liaison with the CIA.

The 1973 war marked a historic turning point, in ways that no one could initially have predicted. And it is just possible that the current conflict offers a similar opportunity. The key missing element, so far at least, is a Kissinger-level diplomatic commitment by the United States. Condoleezza Rice came close to a Lebanon peace deal last weekend, but to pull it off, she will need to move more toward Kissinger's stance of honest broker.

To turn the Lebanon disaster of 2006 into an opportunity, each side will have to alter its view of the other. In dealing with the Palestinians and the Lebanese, the Israelis will have to revise their doctrine that their adversaries can be coerced solely by military force. As Gal Luft, a retired Israeli military officer, commented at a conference in Washington last week, the days are long past when Arab fighters would see the advancing Israeli army, discard their boots and flee in terror.

So all Israel has to do is let Ignatius' good buddy Nasrallah do is, you know, win just enough. That's all.

The strategy of Israel's (and America's) enemies today is to lure the military superpower into a protracted conflict. To accept the bait, as the Israelis did in assaulting Lebanon and as America did in Iraq, is to risk stepping into a trap. As Lawrence Wright says in his new book, "The Looming Tower," the master of this approach is Osama bin Laden: "His strategy was to continually attack until the U.S. forces invaded; then the mujahadeen would swarm upon them and bleed them until the entire American empire fell from its wounds."

The Israeli and American resolve in this grim summer of war should be: No more falling into traps. In the age of missiles, there's limited value in a "security fence" or "security buffer." The evidence grows that you can't achieve real security without negotiating with your adversaries, and you can't succeed in such negotiations without offering reasonable concessions.

For the Arabs, the opportunity of 2006 lies in the surprising success of Hezbollah and its leader, Hasan Nasrallah. Their resistance on the battlefield makes them more dangerous adversaries — but also more plausible negotiating partners. Little in Nasrallah's past suggests that he will use his new stature and confidence to encourage indirect negotiations with Israel, but, as 1973 reminds us, the aftermath of war can produce big surprises. U.S. officials recognize that Nasrallah is likely to emerge as the strongest political force in Beirut, and they hope he will make strategic choices that will build a stronger and more stable Lebanon.

Well, hell. We don't even have to wait for Israel to let Nasrallah win. Ignatius has already counted the score cards an made the decision on points.

You know what? After reading this particular column, I really need to go take a long, hot shower. Someone at the WaPo should really think long and hard about having a partisan pipeline for terrorists on their staff.

AP Prints Cuban Propaganda With No Question

The headline: Castro says he's stable after surgery. The story, however details that said declaration was in the form of a statement read on television by the Cuban government.

Meanwhile, Blue Crab Boulevard announces it has completed a hostile takeover of the New York Times.

Both statements have equal validity. It would be nice if the AP had even an ounce of the skepticism they show whenever a statement is released by the US government. Or by almost anyone else. Castro gets a pass? Or whatever sockpuppet actually coughed up said statement?

HAVANA - Fidel Castro said Tuesday that his health was stable after surgery, according to a statement read on state television, as the Communist government tried to impose a sense of normalcy on the island's first day in 47 years without Castro in charge.

Castro, who temporarily handed power to his younger brother Raul on Monday night after undergoing intestinal surgery, indicated the surgery was serious when he said: "I can not make up positive news."

But he said his health was "stable," and "as for my spirits, I feel perfectly fine," according to the statement read by moderator Randy Alonso on a daily public affairs program.

Castro expressed his gratitude for the good wishes he received from leaders and supporters around the world, and called on Cubans to remain calm and maintain their daily routines.

"The country is prepared for its defense," he said in the statement. "Everyone needs to struggle, and work."

Castro's comments came after Parliament Speaker Ricardo Alarcon dismissed suspicions among anti-Castro exiles that the Cuban leader was dead, said the president's "final moment is still very far away."

Raul Castro, the island's acting president, was nowhere to be seen as Cubans began to worry about what comes next and exiles in Miami celebrated a development they hoped signaled the death of a dictator. Cuban dissidents kept a low profile while watching for signs of Castro's condition.

It really is quite ridiculous that the AP would run that headline and not question a darn thing about the statement. Nor even raise a question of why the worker's paradise has suddenly become a family fiefdom. Funny how that works in a lot of communist utopias, isn't it?

MAJOR Offensive

Right after publishing the last post, I came across this item. Israel has unleashed 10,000 armored troops into Lebanon. Coupled with a deep penetration raid into Baalbek.

This is not a raid. This very well could be the big push.

After the raid on the ancient city of Baalbek ended, the Israeli military said it had captured some guerrillas and hit others. The military statement said all its soldiers returned unharmed to their base, but gave no further details.

The raid on Baalbek, once a Syrian army headquarters 80 miles north of Israel, was the deepest ground attack on Lebanon since fighting began 21 days ago.

The ferocity of the battles in the Bekaa Valley and across southern Lebanon on Tuesday and the determination of the Israelis to keep fighting quelled expectations for an early cease-fire, although U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said an agreement on how to end the conflict was possible within days, not weeks.

Hezbollah's rocket attacks into Israel, meanwhile, diminished. Hezbollah fired just 10 rockets across the border Tuesday, well below an average of about 100 a day since fighting began.

Early Wednesday, Hezbollah's chief spokesman Hussein Rahal told The Associated Press Israeli troops landed near the Hezbollah-run Dar al-Hikma Hospital in Baalbek, about 10 miles from Lebanon's border with Syria.

"A group of Israeli commandos was brought to the hospital by a helicopter. They entered the hospital and are trapped inside as our fighters opened fire on them, and fierce fighting is still raging," Rahal said early in the operation.

Rahal dismissed as "untrue" reports that the Israeli commandos managed to snatch some patients from the hospital and spirit them away in helicopters.

Fighting between Israeli commandos and Hezbollah guerrillas around the hospital raged for more than four hours and planes dropped flares over the city during the clashes, witnesses said. Israeli warplanes staged more than 10 bombing runs around the hospital as well as on hills in east and north Baalbek where Hezbollah's Shiite supporters live, they said. There was no immediate word of casualties.

Hezbollah only got off ten rockets all day? No wonder I could not find any news to update on that situation. Frankly, at this point it looks like Hezbollah may be in very deep trouble. If Israel attacks up the Bekaa, this may be an envelopment move as others have speculated.

The Big Push?

Israel is reported striking deep into the Bekaa valley and are hitting Baalbek with what appears to be a major operation.

Israel Defense Forces commandos reportedly landed by helicopter late Tuesday night near the Hezbollah stronghold of Baalbek in what Lebanese security sources described as a major operation against suspected Hezbollah positions.

Lebanese security sources said the troops landed as aircraft launched several strikes near Baalbek, which is located in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. (Click here for map)

One Lebanese officer saying the Israel Air Force presence in the air above the ancient city was "unprecedented."

The IDF refused to comment on the reports.

The operation began with at least five rapid air strikes on Baalbek and its surroundings at 10:20 P.M. - three hours before the end of Israel's self-imposed two-day pause in air attacks. Helicopters fired rockets and heavy machinegun fire at targets near a hospital in Baalbek and other sites in the city, witnesses said.

Witnesses in Baalbek said they saw dozens of IAF helicopters hovering over the city. They said the hospital in Baalbek, filled with patients and wounded people, was bombed by IAF helicopters late Tuesday. Plumes of burning smoke billowed from the hospital after it was directly hit, they said.

"The extreme, unprecedented number of aircraft indicates the possibility that the Israelis are planning to land troops, but we cannot yet confirm that," a security official said earlier, on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.

Flares held aloft by parachutes lighted the night sky to a daytime brilliance, the official said.

Four hours into the operation the fighting continued, witnesses said. IAF warplanes staged more than 10 bombing runs at 2.20 A.M. (2320 GMT) Wednesday around the hospital as well as on hills in east and north Baalbek. The planes also dropped flares over the city while the heavy fighting was raging around the hospital, they added.

Shortly after the IAF raids began, electricity was cut off, plunging Baalbek and other neighboring villages in total darkness.

IAF helicopters also attacked a target 15 kilometers west of Baalbek, starting a huge fire, witnesses said. It was not immediately known if the target was controlled by Hezbollah or the Lebanese army.

Hezbollah claimed that the IDF commandos were trapped inside the hospital and were engaged in fierce fighting with guerilla fighters who surrounded the facility. There was no independent confirmation.

"A group of Israeli commandos was brought to the hospital by a helicopter. They entered the hospital and are trapped inside as our fighters opened fire on them and fierce fighting is still raging," Hezbollah spokesman Hussein Rahal told AP.

Rahal said IAF jets were attacking the surrounding guerillas with rockets.

"The units have been surrounded by Hezbollah fighters and heavy fire is covering the area," said a Hezbollah source.

"They [the Israelis] are firing everywhere and trying to get out of the area," the source said.

Rahal said Hezbollah guerrillas were using automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. He dismissed as "untrue" reports that the commandos managed to snatch some patients from the hospital and spirit them away in helicopters.

Who are they after? This mission sounds like they knew exactly who they were after and what they wanted. Rick Moran thought it might be a big push into the Bekaa. His updates speculate about what high value target would be worth this effort. A couple of kidnapped soldiers, maybe? 

Or the opening bars of the big push?

Wireservices Deny Staging Photos

AP, AFP and Reuters are all denying participating in staging photos from Qana. The protests are quite vehement.

Photographers from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse all covered rescue operations Sunday in Qana, where 56 Lebanese were killed. Many of their photos depicted rescue workers carrying dead children.

A British Web site, the EU Referendum blog, built an argument that chicanery may have been involved by citing time stamps that went with captions of the photographs.

For example, the Web site draws attention to a photo by AP's Lefteris Pitarakis time stamped 7:21 a.m., showing a dead girl in an ambulance. Another picture, stamped 10:25 a.m. and taken by AP's Mohammed Zaatari, shows the same girl being loaded onto the ambulance. In a third, by AP photographer Nasser Nasser and stamped 10:44 a.m., a rescue worker carries the girl with no ambulance nearby.

The site suggests these events were staged for effect, a criticism echoed by talk show host Rush Limbaugh when he directed listeners to the blog on Monday.

"These photographers are obviously willing to participate in propaganda," Limbaugh said. "They know exactly what's being done, all these photos, bringing the bodies out of the rubble, posing them for the cameras, it's all staged. Every bit of it is staged and the still photographers know it."

The AP said information from its photo editors showed the events were not staged, and that the time stamps could be misleading for several reasons, including that web sites can use such stamps to show when pictures are posted, not taken. An AFP executive said he was stunned to be questioned about it. Reuters, in a statement, said it categorically rejects any such suggestion.

"It's hard to imagine how someone sitting in an air-conditioned office or broadcast studio many thousands of miles from the scene can decide what occurred on the ground with any degree of accuracy," said Kathleen Carroll, AP's senior vice president and executive editor.

Carroll said in addition to personally speaking with photo editors, "I also know from 30 years of experience in this business that you can't get competitive journalists to participate in the kind of (staging) experience that is being described."

Photographers are experienced in recognizing when someone is trying to stage something for their benefit, she said.

Ok, let's say the timestamp issue is explained away - that seems a reasonable explanation. Perhaps the wire services and the experienced photo editors could explain the complete absence of concrete dust on bodies supposedly killed in the collapse of a concrete building? Or the decade-long participation of the man in the helmet in photo opportunities from Qana? Oh and the sudden drop in number of dead bodies from 50+ to 28 would also bear a bit of explaining.

We'll wait.

UPDATE: EU Referendum didn't wait long to put together a sequence which renders the vehement protests somewhat, let's be charitable, questionable. This is pretty damning, I think. The progression of pictures makes no sense unless they are staged. None at all.

UPDATE: Well, I'm not close to being the only one who thinks the wireservices are less than forthcoming on this particular topic. Volokh Conspiracy, LGF, Israel Matzov. One thing here. This is not a conspiracy theory, which is the newest lefty campaign meme. Anyone who could look at the photos that EU Referendum has put together and not seriously question what exactly is going on is either blind, a fool or a partisan. There is something wrong here, folks. Bad, ugly wrong. This is not trying to deny the laws of physics, al la Kevin Barrett. This is very questionable material.

Bullwinkle’s Revenge

The animal uprising continues, getting worse by the day. Now a moose from Norway has knocked a tour bus full of elderly French tourists into a ditch. I tell you, this is getting out of hand.

OSLO, Norway - A bus carrying 40 elderly French tourists toppled into a ditch by a motorway in central Norway on Tuesday after passengers demanded the driver get closer to a moose grazing by the roadside so they could take snapshots, police said.

One woman suffered minor injuries in the accident on the motorway about 174 miles north of Oslo, the Norwegian capital. Eager to photograph the moose "in its natural environment," the tourists had asked the driver to get closer to the animal, after which the bus skidded off the edge of the motorway, district police officer at Gudbrandsdal, Sigmund Kaapvik, said.

The tourists were en route to the former Winter Olympic city Lillehammer, he said. The injured woman was examined at the local hospital and the motorway was briefly shut down. The moose, which was unharmed, was seen skipping away into the forest, Kaapvik added.

Now, you see just how clever these creatures are. They make it seem like it's the tourist's fault. The moose stands near a soft spot on the shoulder and looks innocent. when the bus gets close enough, the bank gives way and the moose skips away. It's evil genius in action.

You can expect another bus bushwhacking Bullwinkle story to pop up soon - it worked once.

Unfortunate Title

Headlines like this one bug me. It's really an unfortunate choice of words: "Vets Set Sights on Murtha". Mind you, I agree with the group's sentiments, as any long term reader knows. I detest John Murtha and make no secret of it. Still a headline like the above makes a legitimate political campaign sound vaguely violent.

The “Swift Boat” veterans who grabbed national headlines in 2004 when they attacked John Kerry in his failed presidential bid now are turning their sights to Johnstown.

Their target is U.S. Rep. John Murtha, a critic of the Iraq war and a de facto spokesman on the subject for the national Democratic Party.

Armed as a new group – Veterans for the Truth – they’re bringing their campaign to “Redeploy John Murtha From Congress” to his backyard.

They plan to hold a national rally in Johnstown in October “to show their outrage at John Murtha over what he is saying about our troops,” state chairman and former Johnstowner Mark Parker said in a release.

Details of the rally will be outlined at a news conference at 11 a.m. Thursday in front of Murtha’s office at 647 Main St.

Murtha, who will not be in his district office Thursday, appears unfazed by the pending “Swift Boat’’ campaign.

He is scheduled that day to be in Clarks Summit, Lackawanna County, campaigning for Democrat Chris Carney, who’s running against incumbent Republican Don Sherwood in the 10th District.

In a statement released by his office, Murtha said, “Nobody has done more for the troops than I have.

“This is a policy difference, and everybody has the right to an opinion.”

Murtha is running for re-election against Diana Irey, a Washington County commissioner, who has been critical of Murtha’s comments about the war and what she sees as his lack of support for the troops.

Since I've also been pretty vocal about supporting Diana Irey as well, it's pretty easy to see where my sympathies are on this issue. The more attention that is drawn to the hostile and corrosive remarks Murtha has made, the better.

A Really Uncomfortable Truth

Rantings of a Sandmonkey has an unfortunately revealing impromptu poll he conducted among some of his coworker (Sandmonkey is Egyptian for those who are unaware).

I had an interesting conversation yesterday with a co-worker, on the concept of the disporportinate Israeli attacks on Lebanon compared to Hezbollah attacks. He pointed to me his dismay at Hezbollah's rockets ineffeciency at hitting targets. He said "If you noticed, they bomb each other almost equally in amounts of missiles shot, but 90% of Hezbollah's rockets miss or hit nothing, while all of Israel's rockets hit something. If Hezbollah had better rockets, the civillian death toll on the Israeli side would be huge, and they would be really hurting by now."

Impressed by this point of view that I haven't considerd before, I asked him what he would've thought, if a Hezbollah rocket had attacked a building in Israel, killing 55 civillians, of which 30 were children. He responded immeidtely "I would've thought it was great! A7san!".

So I repeated the same question to 8 other co-workers, and the responses so far have been as follows: 7 said they would celebrate, and 2 said that such an attack would've been bad, but justified! Yeah! Not a single person said that the death of any civllian, on either side, is an equal tragedy. Civillians dead on our side is tragic, civillian deaths on their side cause for celebration. And if you think I am being unfair or demonizing arabs or whatever, do me a favor and try it at your work place and/or with members of your family. Conduct this little social experiment and see for yourself.  The results are very interesting.

I see comments every day that indicate the standards are applied differently between Hezbollah and Israel. There is a severely twisted logic in play here. A lot of bloggers, myself included, keep trying to point out that Hezbollah is committing war crimes. And all too often, they get a pass as the commenter piles on Israel.

Questions About Qana

Confederate Yankee continues to ask questions about what really happened at Qana. The issue of the lack of concrete dust alone should be enough to get people's attention. If they are not trying to apologize for the actions of Hezbollah, that is.

So why is the mainstream media not asking questions?

Thou Shalt Not Shoot

Sunday morning church services in Newport, Arkansas are more exciting than they are up in my neck of the woods. Usually the hardest thing to do is to stay awake during the sermon. But shortly after Larry Estes, the preacher at the Pentecostal Church of God, started his sermon, everyone was just as wide awake as could be. Larry's wife, Tammy, pulled a gun on Larry.

Tammy Estes surrendered to law officers at the Pentecostal Church of God in Newport after a brief standoff at the church Sunday evening. No one was injured.

She was taken to the Jackson County Detention Center. She was expected to be arraigned Monday.

Police say a church service had just begun when Estes pulled a gun on her husband, preacher Larry Estes, about 7 p.m. According to congregation members, she was upset over messages Larry Estes allegedly exchanged with a youth group member and she demanded he admit infidelity.

Most church members left the building, but several stayed behind to try to convince Tammy Estes to surrender. Police arrived, and other members of the congregation left the church.

And you thought the pot luck supper was a big deal.

Rightroots

I got an email a short time ago about this from John Hawkins over at Right Wing News. A brand new effort to stir up an internet grassroots campaign for more right leaning candidates as a sort of conservative counterweight to the left wing nutroots. I think it's a pretty good idea, especially since one of the 18 candidates they are endorsing happens to be Diana Irey. I've posted about her effort to send John Murtha into a long-overdue retirement.

Anyway, here's what John had to say about this project:

As you all probably know, the left-side of the blogosphere has endorsed a slate of Democratic candidates and as of last night about 11:59 PM, the "netroots" had managed to already raise $386,968.31 for them.

Time and time again, Republicans have asked, "Gee, why can't someone on our side do the same thing for us?" In fact, I was asking myself that question a little less than 3 weeks ago and it occurred to me that if no one else was going to put this together, then maybe I should do it.

But, putting something together like this, especially in a limited time frame, is too big of a job for any one person. So, I decided to ask for some help. The following bloggers answered the call and joined the Rightroots Selection Committee:

Mary Katherine Ham from Townhall
Robert Bluey from Human Events
Erick Erickson from Redstate
Ed Morrissey from Captain's Quarters
Patrick Hynes from Ankle Biting Pundits
Lorie Byrd from Wizbang

Here's the Rightroots site. If you can help any of these challengers out, please do. None are incumbents all are in competitive races. You can help make a difference.

I'll be getting a sidebar logo/link up soon as well.

Polar Light Show

Here are pictures of some very unusual clouds, photographed by a member of the Australian government's Antarctic Division. Called nacreous clouds, they form only under fairly rare conditions, requiring very low temperatures at high altitudes along with strong winds. The sun also has to be below the observer's horizon. Just some pretty pictures of something rarely seen.

Yo, Ho, Ho And A Bottle Of Rum!

Avast, matey! Bring me more grog and we'll get underway. We'll show these lubbers how a real captain pilots a ship. Mind the parrot, now. That's the first thing that went through my mind when I read this little item:

SEATTLE (Reuters) - A cruise ship captain pleaded guilty Monday to operating a Celebrity Cruise Line vessel — carrying 1,884 passengers — while under the influence of alcohol.

The U.S. Coast Guard arrested Periklis Petridis, a Greek citizen in command of the Mercury cruise liner, on May 19, hours before the ship was scheduled to depart from a Seattle pier for Alaska.

During a routine Coast Guard check, officials discovered the captain had been drinking. Tests found Petridis, 47, with a blood alcohol level as high as 0.181, more than four times the federal maritime limit for operating a ship.

As part of a plea agreement, Petridis received one year's probation, a $15,000 fine and a one-year ban from entering U.S. waters as an employee of any commercial vessel.

The Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (Celebrity's parent company) dismissed the captain. Ya think?

Iranian President Rejects UN Resolution

Is there anyone who did not see this one coming? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

"My words are the words of the Iranian nation. Throughout Iran, there is one slogan: 'The Iranian nation considers the peaceful use of nuclear fuel production technology its right,'" Ahmadinejad said.

The Security Council passed a resolution Monday calling for Iran to suspend uranium enrichment by the end of August or face the threat of economic and diplomatic sanctions.

Ahmadinejad said Iran will not give in to threats from the United Nations.

"If some think they can still speak with threatening language to the Iranian nation, they must know that they are badly mistaken," he said in a speech broadcast live on state-run television.

The next saber you hear rattled will be Hugo Chavez's. Wait for it.

South Korea Launches Satellite

North Korean insane midget throws tantrum. South Korea had a satellite launched by Russia that contains the most sophisticated geographical survey equipment yet in use by that country. The high-resolution equipment can be used for surveillance of, oh say, a dangerous neighbor to the immediate North.

South Korea sent a satellite into orbit on Friday primarily for making geographical surveys but also possibly for tracking military movements in North Korea, which raised regional security concerns by launching missiles on July 5.

"We sound an alarm-bell to South Korea straining the situation on the Korean peninsula," the North's KCNA news agency quoted a spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland as saying.

"The prevailing situation compels the North to step up its moves to bolster the invincible war deterrent for self-defense in every way under the banner of Songun," the spokesman said referring to Pyongyang's military-first policy.

South Korea's 900-kg (2,000 lb) Arirang-2 satellite, launched in Russia, can take high-resolution pictures of the earth's surface, a government agency said. Experts said it would be the country's most advanced surveillance satellite.

The Arirang-2 gives South Korea the ability to identify objects on the ground one meter in diameter, South Korea's Overseas Information Service said.

However, its capabilities pale in comparison to the array of spy satellites and surveillance planes the United States uses to keep an eye on North Korea.

Given the North's increasingly unhinged activities, it is a good thing the South Koreans are taking things quite seriously.