Israel takes a stupid Pill
 

http://noquarter.typepad.com/my_webl...l_taks_a_.html

LarryJohnson ex-CIA guy....

Re: Israel takes a stupid Pill
 

I don't agree with this, Pats726--and I think in a few days, Larry Johnson won't agree with it either. It's becoming quite obvious to the rest of the world what role Hezbollah and Hamas are playing, and what role Syria and Iran are playing in the present conflict. The first reaction--that Israel was responding disproportionately to terror--is already fading. Within a week or 10 days at most, there'll be a cease fire in Lebanon and UN troops will patrol south Lebanon.

Re: Israel takes a stupid Pill
 

Read the article and stopped here....

Killing "terrorists" has a place in policy but it is not a strategic military obective.


Question: Does the dumb, Nascar hick american population "get it" yet?

Re: Israel takes a stupid Pill
 

Very opinionated, quite inaccurate, and essentially wrong, particularly in his insistence that Hamas and Hezbollah aren't terrorists, just because they serve their communities in other ways. Just because Al Capone hires your nephew to run something over to a lieutenant and gives him a hundred bucks a day, doesn't mean he's not a gangster.

HOWEVER, I do personally question the wisdom of this protracted engagement, from a pro-Israeli point of view.

It's become a tired canard that "the poor little Israel myth is dead," etc. This country is outmanned and hated, and for the crime of its existence -- end of story. Israel's going out of its way to avoid targeting civilians, far more assiduously than America demands of its armed forces, and obviously far more assiduously than the Hamas and Hezbollah forces Israel is fighting against. Taking captives is also not a "military" way of doing things, as this guy suggests. Taking prisoners as a concommitant to war is pretty standard behavior, but kidnapping? Hey, it's war. But that ain't according to Hoyle. And while we're at it, the irregular -- as has been pointed out in the context of Iraq -- invokes the "rules of war" at his peril, given that he blends with the population specifically to circumvent the rules of war.

Does that mean you can hold a guy with no uniform indefinitely, with no trial, or try him with rules rigged to find him guilty? Not according to Geneva. But you don't gild the lilly and call him a model of honor either.

Hamas and Hezbollah bomb bus stops, weddings, and pizza joints, and do so on purpose. Don't kid yourself. They're exactly what they were before Israel took action: terrorist organizations that happen to engage in some actions beneficial to their own people, such as social services.

Israel doesn't target such venues, and leaflets areas they expect military actions to take place in. I am sure the next whine will involve how Israel doesn't give civilians enough advance notice.

This isn't just comparing apples and oranges, it's comparing apples and rat poison.

PFnV

Re: Israel takes a stupid Pill
 

Quite inaccurate??? Like what????

Re: Israel takes a stupid Pill
 

Hmm really??? I don't think that is true...maybe for those who like what Israel is doing...

Re: Israel takes a stupid Pill
 

Cut and paste the rest of my post, read it, since it is now in your post, and you'll see that it went on to point out particular inaccuracies (for example, his characterization of Hamas and Hezbollah as "not terrorists.")

PFnV

Re: Israel takes a stupid Pill
 

Pats726, I don't know that there are a lot of people who like what Israel is doing--although there are some. But I think a growing number understand Israel's motives and have a hard time arguing with them. As a result, we're seeing significantly less outrage from France, which is most subject to it, and fewer calls for an immediate cease-fire. I think Russia can't say a great deal, since it has its own terrorist problems, and I don't think China cares much as long as the fighting doesn't expand. There are protests in Germany, but the protesters are Arabs, not Germans.

What we're seeing here, in my view, is a self-limiting conflict. A week or two and it will be over. The Israeli soldiers will be returned, some Arabs in Israeli prisons will be released, the Lebanese Army (if those two words can be used together) will occupy Lebanon's southern border, and they may be reinforced by a UN contingent.

The long-term consequences for Israel will mostly be positive. No more rocket attacks from southern Lebanon, more caution from Hamas terrorists. Iran will have proved that it has a pretty good land-to-sea missile, but that its land-to-land missiles have the accuracy of a blind baseball pitcher. Syria will realize that if Hezballah had gone a single step further, Iraeli aircraft would have bombed Damascus. All in all, not a bad result for Israel.

Re: Israel takes a stupid Pill
 

As far as outage aganst Israel..time will tell how strong that is..and how the politics of it turn out. Very apparent that all the talk of the kidnapping was just a justification of a plan they have had for many years..nd have needed an excuse to use. I don't know how that plays out..
I also agree that it seems limiting and NOT spreading which is good news..it's not getting to Syria or involving Iran and there will be prisoner exchanges..which Hezbullah wanted from the start and what Israel said would never happen. I am sure they will either the Lebonese Army and or a UN contingent in Southern Lebanon..saving Israel from a highly dangerous occupation there.

Re: Israel takes a stupid Pill
 

Once again to remind everyone, these people flew planes into buildings to kill as many Americans (yes even you libearls too) as they could! Do you honestly feel that you can sit down and rational discuss anything with them? It is just not going to happen! Israel was hammered by CLinton to hand over land, and they did, and every concession got them more terrorists attacks. To think that diplomacy with these lunatics is going to work is sheer madness. What has proven to work everytime????


Killing THEM!