The IDF are a magnificent army, the only way they can be defeated are by trecherous, spineless politicians. And that is just what has happened.

Let it never happen again.

It can't happen again. Israel is finished. Done. Over. Toast.

I wonder if CNN will shoot video of the last El Al flight out of soon-to-be Lydda.

Robert -- Forgive my ignorance, please. I obviously have little understanding about the current Israeli political structure. But doesn't the Knesset have to vote on Sunday? Doesn't that mean there's at least a reasonable chance that this terrible resolution will NOT be accepted?

It seemed like when it was voted on earlier this week to expand the war further into Lebanon, that Olmert was given authority to disregard this or act in his own time. But surely, wouldn't the Knesset just say NO?

Thanks in advance for explanations from any and all as to how this could happen.

Actually, I dont think the full Knesset votes on it...

Just the cabinet....

Which is the government led my the defeatists Olmert...Zippy...and the rest of Kadima.

Thank you, Lance. Where are you finding out all your (up-to-the-minute, but tragic)news? The IDF website is blank under announcements, and with Shabbat now in Israel, I don't expect to hear anything from bloggers until tomorrow pm in the West Coast.

Hi Katherine,

In between trading futures and commodities....I scour the net and I am able to find all sorts of things.

I also rely on watching Israel TV for up to date news....direct from the source.

Really without the net I feel I would be really blind to what is truly going on...

Shabbat Shalom!!

Nah. The sky's not falling.

Israel is cooperating with the UN. This is good on lots of counts, since she is FOLLOWING AMERICA. Into the Lion's Den? The muzzies are losing.

And, if there's a pause, hezbollah isn't ahead. And, the media's propaganda arm just had a wrench thrown into it.

Does it take time to build one's reputation? Sure. Look what Arik Sharon had to endure. Just to get to the top. Olmert's a real player. And, there's lots of stuff on the table.

Including getting the kidnapped soldiers back.

The arabs just can't keep holding onto what they have. For them this is Katrina. And, they built everything UNDER the water line.

Will it take time to take shape? That's why there are doors on kitchens. You see waiters walking in and out. But the diners want to be comfortable.

Can Israel's right try to tear the country up? This would be new? It didn't happen with Gaza? Bibi didn't get his head handed to him?

Of course, you can go out and buy any kind of story, or automobile you like. But in time, if you don't make good decisions, you're left with your anger. And, very little money.

I don't see Israel going backwards. If anything, America is a powerful friend. The money to "reconstruct" will be there. And, any missile that is lobbed from lebanon becomes another reason to keep on fighting. The lebanese know this. And, Assad also knows he's in a pickle.

Just give it time. Things will develop ahead, and they won't be run by hot heads, either. Worth considering as you pick a position.

Carol,

Is your middle name Pollyanna?

Olmert's a real player. And, there's lots of stuff on the table.

Olmert's a tool. He hasn't had an original thought in his life. He's an apparatchik more concerned with getting sex from his leftist wife than with protecting Jews. Even Shimon Peres would be better than him - and I despise Peres.

Does it take time to build one's reputation? Sure. Look what Arik Sharon had to endure. Just to get to the top.

To begin with, Sharon was originally tight with Ben Gurion, who groomed him for leadership. Long before he became prominent in politics, his military accumen was recognized in and out of Israel. He stopped the fedayin in the 50s and 60s. It was his brilliant plan to counterattack across the Suez that turned the tide on Israel's southern flank during the 73 war. His tank battles are studied in war colleges around the world. Arik is/was a complex man, with much to admire and maybe as much to criticize, but he is/was a Jewish patriot. Olmert is a human piece of dreck.

Can Israel's right try to tear the country up? This would be new? It didn't happen with Gaza? Bibi didn't get his head handed to him?

If this is the case, than the right and the left don't deserve a sovereign state.

I don't see Israel going backwards.

Oh goody. Hezb-allah and Hamas are still on their sides of the border. I guess that means we won. Okey dokey. Got any bridges for sale.

If anything, America is a powerful friend.

Like France, America has no friends, only interests. Your powerful friends in the State Department are delaying the shipment of cluster bombs that Israel has paid for.

The money to "reconstruct" will be there.

Why bother rebuilding? Hezb-allah will just shoot more rockets. Do you really think that Hezb-allah will be disarmed? It's more realistic to recognize that Zionism is dead. The dream is over.

And, any missile that is lobbed from lebanon becomes another reason to keep on fighting.

Right. Just like Olmert said that Israel wouldn't tolerate any missiles from Gaza. Maybe they should rename Sderot, Qassam. That way Hamas won't have to change the signs at the city limits when they take over.

The lebanese know this. And, Assad also knows he's in a pickle.

Keep telling yourself this.

85 soldiers dead for nothing.

Time to pack and move. Israel is finished.

Oh, and Carol, about your "friend"?

Rich Lowry of National Review Online reports the following:

Was just talking to a friend who was noting that there is intense anger toward Israel within the administration for botching the war. He thinks the attitude was, "What's the point of giving them more time when they do nothing with it?"

Olmert has screwed the pooch on this about as bad as can be done. He's even managed to piss of GWB by acting like a wimp. The US told Israel to do what it had to do, and Olmert couldn't pull the trigger. No wonder his wife is such a lefty, she's married to a man without a spine.

Wow, a website where I can finally get some of my ignorance cleared up. When I listen to both sides of the Israel/Palestine debate, I hear the same old "Israel/Palestine has no land in history." When I google ancient Israel/Palestine, I get the same map. I'm confused, and I thought I had a bit of intelligence about myself.

Background: I'm a 50-year-old, non-practicing Christian, who spent 20 years in the USAF, from 1976-1996. I spent almost 12 years of my military career overseas. While in the military, I was somewhat abreast of world events, but not very political. As far as Israel goes, I've witnessed, since 1972, many acts of aggression against her, but none perpetrated by her.

This latest cease-fire, to me, is yet another in a long line of excuses for the enemy to regroup and rearm.

Any comments?

Nothing new under the sun. The most hard-fought battle Sharon accomplished was defanging the press. Which is usually entirely negative towards Israel.

Not any more. In other words, while the press doesn't change, they are now seen as bigots. And, worse.

Or as President Bush put it, "You're either with us, or you're with the terrorists."

There's nothing in the document that gets Israel to withhold DEFENSIVE RESPONSES TO the hezbollah. If you think hezbollah has used this "interim" to get more missiles, what I see is that Assad is FROZEN. And, all the bridges, now, to sryia (except one), have been blown to smithereens. With the last shots being taken by AIR, at bridges that held traffic. That's a HUGE change. What can the media do? It's covered in GREEN-HELMET GUY doo-doo.

I think enough Iraelies will see that Olmert and Amir Peretz are doing good work. And, all the Likud wants to do, now, is steal the ball.

When the Likud tried this on Arik Sharon, they shrunk to a dozen seats. And, they sit outside of government.

Given how many ministers are really extoritionists; it may be easy for Olmert, in the way he distributes power and prizes, to keep the margins clear of the Likud. Who used to bathe in taxpayer dough. So, you bet. The Likudniks are angry.

And, sometimes Bibi makes short term moves, and his ego inflates, but over time, he shrinks back to just who he is.

Plus, if the dream is to force new elections; I don't think Bibi will stand, unchallenged. That's just the nasty nature of the Likud. And, Silvan Shalom, who let's Bibi's ego do all of the dirty work.

Meanwhile, some in Israel HATE America. What can you do? Except expect it? That's the nature of the Bell Curve. The distribution for those who are free, is thrown wide. With the only "restrictions" placed on the few who gather at the outside. Trying to spit their way in.

So far, Israel's doing fine. That it takes longer than 6 Days? You want a war from Sunday till Shabbas? You didn't see what's provoking people to believe the Israelis lack stamina? Funny. I think the stamina is strong. And, Olmert will keep enough folks inside the tent. Even if they piss out. It's better than those pissing outside the tent, trying to piss in. (Very famous LBJ quote. It was the language used at the time. When the donks had a strong tent, but a tendency to screw up how they distributed their goodies.)

Ah, yes. Arik SHaron was to Ben Gurion, what Haim Ramon was to Arik. So what?

By the time things switched to Eshkol (crazier than can be), and then to Golda, Arik Sharon was pushed OUT of the "circle," where Golda said "Arik is not one of us."

It took Sharon 4 years, after watching the bloodbath of the Yom Kippur War that Golda failed to address, well. And, that Gonen and Bar Lev are now considered DRECK. If you study military history.

By the way, it's not my job to change anyone's else's mind. But showing you my opinion, is like showing you my cards. There's a whole deck. You're not the only one in control, and your opinion doesn't trump mine.

Some people learn best when they view all sorts of opinions. Just different flavors inside the Bell Curve's jar.

That there are some who hate Olmert? Goes without question. But if this "conflict" is what brings him down, I'd be surprised. Why? Because the settler's in Israel should have learned by the way the rest of the Israelis' felt, that the rewards didn't go to Bibi, after Sharon stroked.

Instead, most people WATCH. Wait. And, learn. Will the right pull Olmert's government down? You know, I have no idea.

It's like asking me if I think Castro is alive, now. Nope. I don't. But whom am I to say? In time we'll discover who gets buried. And, who stays above ground.

For Olmert to fail here, you'd see a massive troop rebellion. For some reason, I just don't see that one, right now. And, I see Olmert shoring up strength. Not losing it. (How does "shoring up strength" look? It looks like Disengagement. But not "convergence." Only on that theme does Olmert tank. And, we're not there yet. Just in case you were asking.)

Robert:

I'm sorry I haven't stopped by lately, my work has been, well, waaaaaay too much work.

But I did want to stop and say how sorry I was for all of us.

Iran is not done. I can't help but think that they are surprised themselves over how much they were able to "get" out of this attack. I think it is a ploy to keep the "diplomats" of the world occupied while something even more malevolent is worked on. (Kind of like when Al Quiedi killed the Northern Alliance leader Moussoud just prior to the 9/11 attacks.) The leaders of Iran believe they are close to bringing back the "12th Iman" from hiding. Very bad news for the rest of the world indeed.

I hope I am wrong, but I am afraid they already have "the bomb" and they are trying to occupy our short pathetic attention spans, while they put the ultimate weapon in position.

I can't help but feel that the one that needed to be here is Pres. Sharon. Isn't it Ironic that the true warrior of Israel is half dead/half alive because of a stroke? I can't help but wonder what G-d's plan is? What is going on?

At the same time, I can't totally blame Bush for all of this. He tried to give Israel time to get down to business (which the leadership squandered). At the same time Bush is hated and pounded by everyone: friends and foes alike. It is hard to tell the difference between the two anymore. (I marvel at the fact that he gets out of bed everyday. If I were in his shoes, I think I would be in my bedroom with a box of chocolates and a remote control to the TV and scream at anyone that come in my room to "get out". That, or be in a fetal position rocking back and forth in the corner of the Oval Office.)

Things are just bad all around and I blame fatigue. The enemy doesn't seem to know what that is .... we do.

I agree this all has the 1930's all over it but I believe the next holocaust will be aimed not just at Jews but at all non-Muslims. (We can see the enemy has their "Hitler", several of them even. But where is our "Churchill"?)

*sigh*

I will be with you my friend.

Peace In Our Time

So Carol....

You say Assad is frozen.....

I think you are looking at the world through leftist color glasses...

This item from Sunday's Ha'aretz...

Syria still transferring supply of rockets, missiles to Hezbollah
By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent
http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/749692.html

And you think its a good idea for Israel to work through the UN??
I see...Israel should work with the same Jew hater...Kofi Annan...who turned a blind eye to the slaughter in Darfur..

Carol...people who think like you get other's killed...and as one who is making Aliyah in December, Im not betting my rear end on your pollyanna world view.

my take on carol v. lance:

carol: israel is doing great, but i'll stay right here, thankyou.

lance: israel is in awful shape, but i'm going anyhow.

but i do like, carol, how respectful you are in presenting your side of things. thank you.

Let me understand this....

Ben Ami doesnt like my take on the situation....
He thinks Im too harsh....

Well...I say too bad.

I look at the facts....and the facts dont back up Carol's take of the situation. If that is being harsh....well...what can I say...except...get a thicker skin...and show me some facts.

I love Israel.
Im making the choice to come on Aliyah...I think that is statement in and of itself. For me the Zionist ideal is alive and well...and the bungling and ineptitude of Olmert, Zippy, and Commie will not kill the state. The people of Israel are way too smart for that.

Of course there are some citizens who feel that if we dont surrender to the Arabs things will never end....I believe the Israeli electorate is very smart and once this government falls...and it will....the electorate, and hopefully, I will be voting, will choose people who want to win and protect Israel....instead of worryong if everyone likes us.

Lance:

glad i checked back - i meant exactly the opposite. i am %100 behind you and your view. i live in israel.

please reread my first comment in light of the following: carol, i believe, is the ostrich in the sand. pretending everything is alright, but not quite able to believe her own words, she would never actually GO to israel and see things on the ground, first hand, lest her cushy worldview be vaporized with a blast of reality. you, lance, are the lion headed towards the front lines, eyes wide open, prefering to confront reality up close with courage.

i apologize for not being clearer the first time around. also, i'd be glad to talk or otherwise do what i can to help ease your move home. as i said, we live there and know that good things often have stiff prices.

Ben Ami,

Thanks for your kind words....

BTW...funny you used lion to describe me...thats my Hebrew name...Aryeh. ;)

Check your e mail...I sent you a note...and look forward to meeting you.

At least Hitler signed the piece of paper Chamberlain waived...

This whole episode has demonstrated the flaws in a "War on Terror" led by the USA:
1) Terror: no consistency between the grandiose promise of fighting all terrorists everywhere, and reality. I did not see any support from the USA when the IRA was murdering people in London or Manchester or Germany. Similarly, when Algerian terrorists bombed France in the 1960s and again in the 1990s, I saw nothing from the USA. As you have pointed out genocide is ok in Sudan. Sure enough, US interest in fighting global terror isn't global.

2) Nation building: if a welfare state is not the solution to the social problems of the world's wealthiest country, why is it suddenly the solution to a country that can't afford one? All the bad social engineering schemes that can't get implemented back home get dumped on Iraq (gun control, state education, state healthcare, state monopolies in all the utilities).

Either soldiers are trained to kill, or they are bad social workers. If they become touchy-feely types, they can't fight. If can kill, they're dangerous when used as police.

3) Clear objectives: there is no willingness to publicly state the nature of the enemy, so it is hardly surprising if most people are not enthusiastic about military operations in the USA or in the UK.

Machiavelli: make a friend of your enemy or destroy him. Don't bomb his house and then give him a food parcel.

As for bombing Lebanon, it is ridiculous. The orders to attack Israel came from Damascus and Teheran, not Tyre, or Beirut. In World War II terms its like dropping nukes on Paris, Warsaw and Manila, but leaving Japan and Germany alone.

If I were a Lebanese Christian, I would be furious for the Israeli botch job: destroyed infrastructure, dead civilians and no eradication of Hizbollah or the paymasters. Broken eggs, no omlette.