August 07, 2006
To War

Tomorrow I’m going to Israel to get as close to this monster as I can without getting myself killed. (To friends and family who worry about me: I promise not to embed with the IDF and ride into Lebanon on a tank.)
I will stay there as long as events warrant and as long as I don’t start losing money. Please hit the PayPal button so I can stay longer.
If I can raise enough money on the blog I won’t need to subject my stories to the ever-popular editing process for paychecks. So help me out, k? You get what you pay for. If you want non-corporate writing that isn’t first scrutinized by the gatekeepers, this is the place.
If you would like to donate money for travel expenses and you don't want to use Pay Pal, you can send a check or money order to:
Michael Totten
P.O. Box 312
Portland, OR 97207-0312
Many thanks in advance.
Posted by Michael J. Totten at August 7, 2006 02:29 AMI'm sorry that I can't afford to spare any money for this, but my best wishes go with you (and if I prayed, I'd be sending some of them, too!). I trust you to be honest about what you see.
Posted by: Lizzie at August 7, 2006 04:26 AMGood luck!
Posted by: Kevin at August 7, 2006 07:33 AMGood luck!
Posted by: Kevin at August 7, 2006 07:34 AMGood luck with the trip and please continue the excellent writing. I do not know if you ahve considered this, but ahve you thought of maybe posting some of your interviews of thoughts in a short video. Brain-Terminal does somehting like that and I thought it would be really interesting to see these people you speak to. Again it is just an idea and if not feasible please ignore.
Posted by: Mantis at August 7, 2006 08:08 AMDo you have access to donations in Israel or anywhere in teh ME? If so, do we send it to your PO box or to you directly in the ME?
Posted by: Marty at August 7, 2006 08:27 AMI hope you have a second passport, or your interrogation might be longer than last time.
Posted by: lebanon.profile at August 7, 2006 08:48 AMGood luck. That said, you could do a lot worse for your personal safety than being embedded with the IDF.
As to how long your interview will be, that largely depends on your history, and your demeanor. Things are not always as they seem, and you're unlikely to get clued in on what it is that's either increased or decreased the level of attention you get.
Posted by: Joel Rosenberg at August 7, 2006 08:54 AMhow close can you hope to get, I might be watching an imbeded report by CNN on the beach and see you spread out in the sun sipping a pina colada
Posted by: D.B. Shobrawy at August 7, 2006 08:54 AMYou're a brave guy. I "got" the message in your photos with no problem; that Hezbollah has completely permeated South Lebanon with a vicious culture of death. I've featured your blog on mine this morning and I'll be sending along some money in a few minutes. Good luck.
Posted by: Frank Hilliard at August 7, 2006 09:13 AMThey want a ceasefire, but they don't really:
Lebanon demands ceasefire
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&u=/nm/20060807/ts_nm/mideast_dc_37
Lebanon Rejects Ceasefire
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/06082006/140/lebanon-rejects-ceasefire-resolution.html
Posted by: Carlos at August 7, 2006 09:28 AMMarty - Israel has ATM machines and Visa cards and everything.
You can get a Visa card on a PayPal account, so I'm sure Michael can access donations direct in Israel if he wants to.
Posted by: Akiva at August 7, 2006 09:29 AMMmmmmmm ... an internationally monitered border. Great idea! Oh wait, we tried that. Never mind.
Posted by: Joe Marino at August 7, 2006 10:10 AMMichael,
Good luck and godspeed. Stay safe out there. Here's hoping you can stay as level-headed and objective as you've always been (it can be a lot harder than doing so in peacetime).
Posted by: bad vilbel at August 7, 2006 10:33 AMNo money to spare for now, so it's just my prayers. I know you can't eat those, but they might do something.
Keep your head down.
Posted by: Dallas at August 7, 2006 12:12 PMNo money to spare for now, so it's just my prayers. I know you can't eat those, but they might do something.
Keep your head down.
Posted by: Dallas at August 7, 2006 12:13 PMPassage of the UN ceasefire resolution is now being delayed until at least the end of this week due to Lebanese and Arab objections.
Immediate ceasefire and negotiating a withdrawl are simply incompatible.
There is simply no way around the fact that it is now Lebanon and other Arab states which are delaying the ceasefire
The time and place to negotiate the words and terms and timing of an Israeli withdrawl is obviously in the larger political agreement. It's also obviously going to be contingent on the international force arriving together with the Lebanese army.
You're nuts. Try not to get yourself killed. Don't get in range of anyone's artillery.
Posted by: John Jenkins at August 7, 2006 01:09 PMMichael: You're an incredible man. Go get 'em. I'm sure your reports will be among the best. And please be safe.
Posted by: ahem at August 7, 2006 01:25 PMMichael:
Good luck. And I still mean to meet up with you for that beer once you're back in Stumptown, so you have to come back safe.
Posted by: Shelby at August 7, 2006 01:37 PMI can't believe the Labanese Army or any International force would be willing to fire on civilian targets to take out Hezbollah's rocket launchers...
Posted by: monkyboy at August 7, 2006 06:01 PMI hit the tip jar. I hope it helps! And have a safe one!
Shawn
Posted by: Shawn in Tokyo at August 7, 2006 06:08 PM“I can't believe the Labanese Army or any International force would be willing to fire on civilian targets to take out Hezbollah's rocket launchers...”
If this is indeed the case, then we will inevitably lose the war on terror. We must be willing to accept civilian casualties. This is not negotiable. The western world’s leaders must follow the example of Winston Churchill and FDR.
Posted by: David Thomson at August 7, 2006 07:17 PMDavid,
Churchill and FDR sat around twiddling their fingers while Stalin defeated the Nazis.
This time, as in Vietnam, the U.S. has taken the lead...we got nobody to do all the dirty work for us...except a few weary Brits and Canadians...
Please stop using WWII as a guide...Vietnam and the Phillipine-American War are far more relevant.
Posted by: monkyboy at August 7, 2006 07:26 PMChurchill and FDR sat around twiddling their fingers while Stalin defeated the Nazis.</i
WTF? I guess they did everything in the Pacific Theater as well?
Let's think here. There were Two fronts in the European theater. There were two theaters related to the conflict. The Brits and Americans handled Africa and the eastern front, while the Soviets, who by the way had made a pact with Germany beforehand, fought on the western front, which only makes sense, given that's where they were.
I don't know where you learned history, or whether you did, but comments like that are simply ridiculous (and even if it were true, it would be brilliant strategy to let your second-worst enemy fight your worst enemy until one is defeated. Seriously fucking brilliant, which is why there is no way in hell the old codgers would have come up with it).
Posted by: John Jenkins at August 7, 2006 08:43 PMJohn,
The Germans lost 3.5 million soldiers durin WWII.
The Soviets killed 3.1 million of them on the Eastern.
Do the math.
Posted by: monkyboy at August 7, 2006 08:58 PMMT - I am disappointed that you will not be kickin' it Anderson Cooper style in the troop transport under the blackout lights en route to some unknown objective.
Posted by: Caveman at August 7, 2006 10:11 PMmonkyboy: Your latest post verifies John's statement; the Allies resupplied Stalin so that the Reds/Nazis could kill each other off.....the more casualties the better.
Posted by: Nemo2 at August 8, 2006 01:23 AMNemo,
Are you saying America supplies weapons to countries where they want to reduce the population?
Interesting theory...but not very diplomatic.
Posted by: monkyboy at August 8, 2006 02:08 AMWelcome back to Tel-Aviv.
The only normal city this side of the world.
monkyboy: As I understand it, at least two US Generals wanted to continue hostilities, post German/Japanese surrenders, into the communist spheres, (Patton into Russia, and MacArthur into China)..........many/most, (albeit not the Western pseudo-intelligentsia), realized that, although the USSR was fighting the Germans at the same time as the Allies, they were NEVER 'on our side'.
Unfortunately the Western powers were exhausted at this point.
Yoav: You got THAT right! I spent 7+ years in Riyadh, and have been to Syria/Iraq/Iran, (among other places), and it was a pleasure to visit Israel. GO GET 'EM!!
Posted by: Nemo2 at August 8, 2006 03:25 AM"I can't believe the Labanese [sic] Army or any International force would be willing to fire on civilian targets to take out Hezbollah's rocket launchers..."
If those launchers were firing at said Lebanese Army or international force, what do you want to bet that they would?
If those launchers were aiming for "monkyboy's" house, what do you want to bet that he'd wish that they would?
Posted by: RalphSpeak at August 8, 2006 03:54 AMRalph,
I meant if Hezbollah fires rockets over whatever peacekeeping force mans the border into Israel from civilian buildings, I don't think any peacekeeping force, domestic or international, will strike at those launchers...
Nemo,
Patton was one of our best generals, but MacArthur was a complete loon. He finally got his chance to take on the Chinese in Korea by having his troops shoot across the border. The Chinese responded and MacArthur's troops fled before them in the longest retreat in U.S. military history...Truman fired him soon after.
I didn't mean to hijack this thread, but it bothers me when people think all the civilians the U.S. killed in WWII had any effect on the outcome of that war.
Russia defeated Germany...with modest assistance from the U.S. and Britain.
And while the U.S. did defeat Japan, it was already severely weakened by six years of war with China before we even got in the fight.
I guess years of Hollywood films and political rhetoric have inflated the U.S. contribution to WWII in the minds of its citizens.
Look at the losses -
Russia: 20+ million
China: 10+ million
America 250,000-400,000 (depends on who is counting)
back on topic,
I didn't realize the Palestinians had inherited some huge offshore gas fields when Israel pulled out:
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=16556
Looks like they'll be rich when it starts flowing in 2007.
Who knew?
Posted by: monkyboy at August 8, 2006 04:22 AMPer Russia's fight with Nazi Germany - - true the two armies bloodied each other well beyond proportion to the Western front, but the Eastern battles were financed heavily by the West. Ditto on the Chinese/Japanese fight, which also included a lot of confrontation between Japan & Russia to keep it contained. The astronomical body counts also demonstrates something of how these various armies fought: Russia, Germany (especially as Hitler got more involved after 1942) and Japan threw men away willy nilly. Germany losing North Africa to Montgomery had a huge impact on what happened in the East. Hitler, Stalin and Tojo killed a lot of their own men through sheer incompetence, in their thinking it was okay to lay waste to whole divisions of men "for the cause".
This kind of leadership is hardly new in history. How Tehran is using its pet Hezbollah army in Lebanon is similar (and is also how Tehran fought Iraq in the war of the 1980s - - blood is cheaper than equipment).
Posted by: Johnny Eck at August 8, 2006 05:24 AMAnd the new Washington Post article (they support Israel in this war, BTW) has lots of quotes from Israeli soldiers, ending with, "Unfortunately, this is a lost war."
Enemy is impossible to find, you're always under pressure, he's using advanced technology....and the fighting is STILL in the string of villages along the border.
So far, Hezbollah has essentially held Israel right at the border--an astounding feat.
Oh, but I forgot. The Arabs are culturally incapable of fighting a modern war.
Posted by: Jeff at August 8, 2006 05:46 AMAnd here's a quote from another pro-Israeli website, The Belmont Club, quoting another pro-Israeli interviewee about Hezbollah:
"I think it's something new, in that a non-state organization has undertaken a major, sustained, broad-scale, and so far, the successful military offensive against a state," said William Lind, director of the Center for Cultural Conservatism at the Free Congress Foundation, a Washington, D.C., think tank. "What changes here ... is that non-state forces are able to challenge states militarily -- and win."
"Successful". "Win". Not Israel. Hezbollah.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
Posted by: Jeff at August 8, 2006 05:51 AMJeff: "the new Washington Post article (they support Israel in this war, BTW) has lots of quotes from Israeli soldiers, ending with, "Unfortunately, this is a lost war."
The WaPo may be "pro-Israel" in some alternative universe, but in this dimension they print repeated articles whose main thesis is that Israel is a 'mistake' (their term) and the root of all troubles in the Middle East.
Posted by: Johnny Eck at August 8, 2006 06:21 AMWurmser in National Review is saying the Israeli military was disastrously unprepared for this war and using the word "hubris"--pretty much the same as my choice, "chutzpah".
He's describing the Israeli generals shaking their heads when they hear Olmert declaring "victory" and saying, "Is he looking at the same war we are looking at?"
Counterterrorism Blog--another pro-Israeli outfit--is saying, "practically nothing achieved."
Those of you who thought this was a walkover for the Israelis were wrong, wrong, wrong.
Don't start something you are incapable of finishing. It's the worst of all worlds.
Posted by: Jeff at August 8, 2006 07:20 AM“Don't start something you are incapable of finishing. It's the worst of all worlds.”
Excuse me, but when did Israel start this war? Is this some sort of Freudian slip of the tongue? Are you hinting that Israel deserves its troubles? Moreover, Israel is fighting this conflict with one hand tied behind its back. It must cease its exaggerated emphasis on avoid the deaths of innocents. At the end of the day, Israel will win this conflict.
Posted by: David Thomson at August 8, 2006 07:42 AMAnyone throwing a victory party for Nasrallah whilst he still hides in a bunker in Damascus is maybe putting the cart before the donkey, so to speak.
Posted by: Johnny Eck at August 8, 2006 07:56 AM“David,
Churchill and FDR sat around twiddling their fingers while Stalin defeated the Nazis.”
You are dodging my central point. Churchill and FDR knew that civilization is doomed if we are overly concerned with protecting the lives of innocents during wartime. Israel must cease this idiocy of not bombing legitimate targets to avoid the indirect killing of civilians.
Posted by: David Thomson at August 8, 2006 08:00 AMIt's time for the blogosphere to institute a moratorium on World War II. Comparisons to WWII add nothing substantive to the discussion of the War on Terror and should be confined to WWII historical forums. I know there is a lot of WWII envy among folks who wish the US had a real enemy to fight instead of a disorganized bunch of semi-literate religious fanatics with no industry or economy to speak of, but there we are. We should worry about our real battles rather than trying to refight the Battle of the Bulge. To paraphrase Rick Pitino: "Winston Churchill is not walking through that door, fans. George Patton is not walking through that door, and Ernie Pyle is not walking through that door. And if you expect them to walk through that door, they're going to be gray and old. What America is, is young, exciting, hard-working, and we're going to improve. People don't realize that, and as soon as they realize the Greatest Generation is not coming through that door, the better this country will be for all of us because there are young guys in that room playing their asses off."
Posted by: vanya at August 8, 2006 08:01 AM“It's time for the blogosphere to institute a moratorium on World War II.”
Nope, it’s not the time to do any such thing. During WWII we were not existentially conflicted regarding the identity of our enemies. The intellectual virus of political correctness was not a factor. We perceived the war as essentially a black/white matter and not morally ambivalent. The fact that our foes might be nonwhite did not make us feel guilty. We were not rendered virtually impotent by being overly concerned regarding civilian causalities.
Posted by: David Thomson at August 8, 2006 08:22 AMIsrael was justified in responding to the provocation that started this war. But the incompetent, hamfisted, no-holds-barred way they reacted turned a border incursion into a full-blown war and a major crisis. A disaster for Lebanon and an even worse disaster for Israel, which has deservedly lost its rep in the Middle East.
So...yes, Israel stupidly started this war AS a war and it is not prepared to handle it. It has no strategy for beating Hezbullah and it CANNOT beat Hezbullah--without totally destroying Lebanon. It won't be allowed to do that and ANYWAY, it isn't INCLINED to do that.
It can't stop the rocket fire. It can't get its soldiers back. It can't destroy Hezbollah; it can barely hold its own right smack over the border, where its offensive has ground to a halt.
This poorly executed war was ill-thought-through and Israel is paying dearly for it. When it ends, there won't be any crowing about victory among the Israelis and their friends. In the unlikely event that there is an "international force" on the border, it won't be able to stop rockets or even the occasional border incursion. Israel will be worse off than before it picked this fight.
Now, no matter what you think of Israel, picking a fight that will leave you worse off is foolish. And starting a war that will destroy your image as competent warriors in the eyes of your enemies and leave your own citizens blackly muttering "defeat" in their bomb-shelters is absurdly foolish.
AS I SAID: Israel was justified in responding. Just as we were justified in responding when our soldiers in Iraq were kidnapped, tortured and killed recently. How did we respond? By going berserk and ape-sh*t and bombing everything in sight? Nope. Did we declare we were going to "destroy" the Sunni rebels on the one hand, while admitting that we could do no such thing and confessing to modest aims on the other? Nope.
We acted like grownups.
But no doubt the Sergeant-Schultz-types will keep on seeing nothing and knowing nothing and assuring us (without explaining what on earth they mean) that Israel will eventually "take care of all this."
Posted by: Jeff at August 8, 2006 10:32 AMHere ar the National Review editors, friends of Israel all:
"And here’s the rub: Israel does not appear to have been able to weaken Hezbollah sufficiently to compel it to go along with any settlement acceptable to the Jewish state. Perhaps when the fog of war lifts, Israel will be revealed to have damaged Hezbollah in a way that isn’t evident right now. If Israel were waging a war against bridges, highways, and south Beirut apartment buildings, it would be winning a smashing victory."
Pretty revealing coming from National Review, isn't it?
But you heard it all here from Jeff right from the beginning. Hezbollah is the best force Israel has ever fought. They can't be simply "smashed." And bombing things from up high will achieve precisely nothing.
Posted by: Jeff at August 8, 2006 11:02 AM"Nope, it’s not the time to do any such thing. During WWII we were not existentially conflicted regarding the identity of our enemies. The intellectual virus of political correctness was not a factor. We perceived the war as essentially a black/white matter and not morally ambivalent. The fact that our foes might be nonwhite did not make us feel guilty. We were not rendered virtually impotent by being overly concerned regarding civilian causalities.
So you're agreeing that WWII was a completely different beast. So why bring it up? Do you think Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld suffer from excess political correctness? That's the problem? These wars are simply not comparable in any way. The problem we face is not that there are a few bleeding hearts in the press or that we are "morally ambivalent". To say that "we" see the war as morally ambivalent is a slur on our troops and on most Americans if you think about it. You really believe some left-wing bloggers and editorial writers have the power to destroy the morale of our armed forces? A lot of faith you seem to have in our soldiers, brother.
None of the issues you raise is a problem today, so wishful thinking about how patriotic we were in WWII won't help, and is an insult to the American kids fighting today, who are less cynical, more patriotic and more gung-ho than their grandfathers were (yes, it's true). Our problem today is that we are fighting a guerilla war, not a conventional war. In WWII our enemies did us the favor of wearing standard uniforms, formally declaring war on us and operating as organized hierarchies. None of that is true today. In a real sense we aren't fighting a war at all, we're fighting against a global insurgency of muslims that are mentally and spiritually stuck in the 16th century. In WWII the end-game was clear - smash the Nazi hierarchy and smash the Japanese hierarchy. Today the end-game is fuzzy - "spread democracy and freedom." Can you tell me how to accomplish that? Killing Hitler and Tojo were pretty simple concrete goals. How do you build democracy in the Middle East? Do we win hearts and minds? Do we kill everyone who disagrees with us? Do we need to colonize large stretches of the Middle East? Should we just isolate the contagion and forget about democracy? Do we switch tactics every few months? I believe Americans still have the balls and determination to do what's ncessary, what we are missing today is leadership. Platitudes and generalities are getting us nowhere.
Posted by: vanya at August 8, 2006 11:24 AMBetween Hiroshima and Nagasaki the Americans killed over 180,000 Civilians , and you say that had little or no outcome on the end of the war ?
Wow !!!!
Either way , those Bunker Busters Bush sent over should be in Tel-Aviv by now. It will be interesting to see which part of South Lebanon gets to be the 1st reciepient.
Posted by: Ratt at August 8, 2006 11:50 AM“Do you think Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld suffer from excess political correctness?”
I most certainly believe that George W. Bush suffers “from excess political correctness. He is to be blamed for confusing the American people with his “war on terrorism” rhetoric. Was he talking about a bunch of Scandinavian Lutherans, Alaskan Eskimos, or Martians in other space? Bush’s hesitation to open declare war on Islamic nihilism has caused enormous damage. He was far too concerned with not hurting the feelings of moderate Muslims.
Posted by: David Thomson at August 8, 2006 01:34 PM...declare war on Islamic nihilism?
What are we to fight it with?
Can we bring our troops home and battle Islamic nihilism with good ol' American optimism?
Posted by: monkyboy at August 8, 2006 01:53 PMDavid Thomson wants to fight the War on Terror the way Olmert is fighting the War on Hezbollah. Smash things around and make as many enemies as possible. With no real plan for what you want to achieve or how you are going to achieve it.
Hey, it cures frustration anyway...for a little while.
Posted by: Jeff at August 8, 2006 04:26 PMIf Hezbollah is kicking the IDF's ass, why do they keep suggesting, no begging, for a cease-fire????Then you have the Arab League, demanding that the cease-fire agreement be redrawn up...which, of course, delays it's implimentation, allowing the IDF more time to destroy Hezbollahstan & indirectly, bloody Iran's nose.....And today the IDF puts a new general in charge, one who's more aggressive & advocates pouring more resources into Lebanon while pushing farther north.....Seem's the Isrealis feel things are going well enough to push their advantage......Hezbollah is a guerrilla army trying to hold territory..They pricked the Isreali giant one time too many..The Giant woke up, rolled over & is now crushing them..And they're screaming to the world to save them......poor babies...
Posted by: WorkinStiff at August 8, 2006 06:18 PMLet's hope the IDF can do what the U.S. and British militaries couldn't do in Iraq, Work.
Good luck to them.
Posted by: monkyboy at August 8, 2006 06:56 PMOur problem today is that we are fighting a guerilla war, not a conventional war. In WWII our enemies did us the favor of wearing standard uniforms, formally declaring war on us and operating as organized hierarchies. None of that is true today.
Hm.
'Non-state actors' are unable to stand against a government without backing by another government- insurgents require a safe haven, usually on the other side of a border, and logistical support (usually also from across a border).
Conventional methods of warfare may not be particularly effective on insurgents, but they can be damn effective on the government where the safe haven is located and where the logistical support is coming from.
The US isn't good at counterinsurgency, but it is very good at conventional warfare. Why are we fighting on the opponent's terms, instead of on our terms?
In a real sense we aren't fighting a war at all, we're fighting against a global insurgency of muslims that are mentally and spiritually stuck in the 16th century.
...and operates out of Syria, and is commanded out of Iran.
Every gardener knows that pruning weeds is a waste of time. What you need to do is pull them up by the roots.
Posted by: rosignol at August 8, 2006 11:08 PMRosignol sees an enemy that operates out of Syria, and is commanded out of Iran.
If only it were that simple. The Shia are Israel's enemy. They are an enemy of the US only to the extent we are allied with Israel, which granted is an important strategic alliance for the US. But are real long-term enemy is not the Iran, it is the Sunni wahabist fundamentalists who are supported by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. None of the 9/11 terrorists were Shia as far as we know. Nor were the Spanish train bombers or the UK subway bombers. Nor are most of the terrorists in Iraq who are trying to kill our troops. The muslim terrorists who present the greatest immediate threat to the well-being of American citizens are probably located mostly in Western Europe, are not financed directly by any nation state and cannot be rooted out by bombing Damascus or Teheran, or even Riyadh. From the American perspective Hezbollah is a side-show and a distraction.
Posted by: vanya at August 9, 2006 05:47 AMPosted too quickly. 3rd sentence should read:
But our real long-term enemy is not Iran, it is the Sunni wahabist fundamentalists who are supported by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
If only it were that simple. The Shia are Israel's enemy. They are an enemy of the US only to the extent we are allied with Israel, which granted is an important strategic alliance for the US. But are real long-term enemy is not the Iran, it is the Sunni wahabist fundamentalists who are supported by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
I don't think that is a useful distinction. Yes, the Wahabbis have caused more fatalities more recently, but the Shia radicals in Tehran have been causing problems for the US for decades, starting with siezing the US Embassy in '79, and proceeding up to the "we're enriching uranium and no one can stop us nyah nyah nyah" problem today.
They're both serious problems, IMO, and classifying one or the other as the 'main' enemy is shortsighted. Both are capable of inflicting serious damage on the US, and I think the only real distinction between the two is that we're dealing with one group now, and will be dealing with the other group in the next year or so.
None of the 9/11 terrorists were Shia as far as we know. Nor were the Spanish train bombers or the UK subway bombers. Nor are most of the terrorists in Iraq who are trying to kill our troops.
Short-term threats vs. medium-term threats. Just because the long-term threat isn't killing as many people as the short-term threat does not mean it's not a threat.
The muslim terrorists who present the greatest immediate threat to the well-being of American citizens are probably located mostly in Western Europe, are not financed directly by any nation state and cannot be rooted out by bombing Damascus or Teheran, or even Riyadh. From the American perspective Hezbollah is a side-show and a distraction.
Indeed it is. This is why the IDF is dealing with Hezbollah instead of the USMC.
Ignoring medium- and long-term threats so you can focus exclusively on short-term threats is unwise.
Posted by: rosignol at August 9, 2006 08:51 AMWhy would anyone argue over whether Shias or Sunnis constitute the "real" enemy? Confessional differences may be of interest to them as they slaughter each other in Iraq (and in Pakistan, by the way) but such distinctions are useless in this coming war. Islamists come from ALL factions of Islam and their goal is the same - destruction of the West. David Thomson has the right idea - this "War on Terror" should be conducted like WWII as it is a war of ideologies. And there IS a clear goal - to stop them from harming the West. What could be clearer?? It's not the goal that is lacking, it's the will to really fight. Instead, it seems to me that the Americans want to be "liked" by everyone - even their adversaries - and the Europeans (who, in truth, detest anything and anyone east of the Danube) simply want to appease them. Both approaches are being read as weakness by the Islamists and this is just causing them to redouble their efforts. Which ultimately means more war. Rosignol is correct - you need to pull this triffid out by the roots.
Posted by: liam at August 9, 2006 08:30 PMliming 07年08月30日
wow power leveling
wow power leveling
wow powerleveling
wow powerleveling
wow gold
wow gold
powerleveling
powerleveling
wow powerleveling
wow powerleveling
wow power leveling
wow power leveling
power leveling
power leveling
wow power level
wow power level
rolex replica
rolex replica
beijing hotels
beijing hotels
shanghai hotels
shanghai hotels
rolex replica
rolex replica
china tour
china tour
hong kong hotel
hong kong hotel
beijing tour
beijing tour
great wall
beijing travel
beijing
beijing
china tour
china tour
搬家公司
北京搬家公司
猎头
猎头
货架
搬家公司
搬家公司
北京搬家
北京搬家公司
北京搬家公司
搬家
搬家公司
搬家公司
北京搬家公司
北京搬家公司
搬家公司
北京律师
营养师
营养师培训
喷码机
铸造模拟软件
激光快速成型机
搬家公司
搬家公司
北京搬家公司
北京搬家公司
google排名
google排名
监控
监控
激光打标机
软件工程硕士
集团电话
集团电话
激光打标机
激光打标机
打包机
打包机
拓展训练
塑钢门窗
网站设计
机票
机票
网站建设
数据采集卡
美国国家大学
在职研究生
呼叫中心
交换机
激光打标机
激光打标机
磁控溅射台
磁控溅射台
淀积台
淀积台
镀膜机
镀膜机
匀胶机
匀胶机
溅射仪
溅射仪
刻蚀机
刻蚀机
pecvd
pecvd
去胶机
去胶机
康王
康王
康王
康王
康王
喜来健
喜来健
喜来健
喜来健
喜来健
liming 07年09月10日
wow gold
wow gold
wow gold
wow gold
powerleveling
powerleveling
power leveling
power leveling
wow powerleveling
wow powerleveling
wow power leveling
wow power leveling
wow power level
wow power level
wow powerleveling
wow powerleveling
wow power leveling
wow power leveling
powerleveling
powerleveling
World of Warcraft Gold
World of Warcraft Gold
warcraft gold
warcraft gold
BUY VIAGRA
BUY VIAGRA
rolex replica
rolex replica
beijing hotels
beijing hotels
shanghai hotels
shanghai hotels
china tour
china tour
hong kong hotel
hong kong hotel
beijing tour
beijing tour
北京律师
北京律师
搬家公司
北京搬家公司
搬家公司
在职研究生
营养师
营养师培训
喷码机
铸造模拟软件
激光快速成型机
搬家公司
北京搬家公司
飘零月
飘零月
rolex replica
google排名
google排名
great wall
beijing travel
beijing
beijing
china tour
china tour
翻译公司
翻译公司
保洁
保洁
保洁公司
保洁公司
光盘刻录
光盘刻录
光盘制作
光盘制作
光盘印刷
光盘印刷
猎头
猎头
货架
搬家公司
搬家公司
北京搬家
北京搬家公司
北京搬家公司
搬家
搬家公司
搬家公司
北京搬家公司
北京搬家公司
搬家公司
搬家公司
北京搬家公司
北京搬家公司
google排名
google排名
监控
监控
激光打标机
软件工程硕士
集团电话
集团电话
激光打标机
激光打标机
打包机
打包机
拓展训练
塑钢门窗
网站设计
机票
机票
网站建设
数据采集卡
美国国家大学
在职研究生
呼叫中心
交换机
激光打标机
激光打标机
磁控溅射台
磁控溅射台
淀积台
淀积台
镀膜机
镀膜机
匀胶机
匀胶机
宠物托运
宠物托运
溅射仪
溅射仪
刻蚀机
刻蚀机
pecvd
pecvd
匀胶机
匀胶机
压力开关
压力变送器
压力传感器
流量开关
流量计
液位计
液位开关
温湿度记录仪
风速仪
差压开关
可燃气体检测仪
wow power leveling
wow powerleveling
runescape power leveling
runescape powerleveling
runescape power level
runescape money
runescape gold
buy runescape gold
buy runescape money
runescape items
runescape accounts
buy runescape accounts
buy runescape items
cheap runescape money
cheap runescape gold
runescape gp
dofus kamas
dofus kamas
Achat DOFUS Kamas
Guild Wars Gold
buy Guild Wars Gold
GW Gold
上海网站优化
上海网络公司
上海网站建设
复印机租赁
复印机出租
上海复印机租赁
上海复印机出租
硼氢化钠
消防泵
自吸泵
液压控制阀
柴油机泵
控制箱
循环泵
无负压供水设备
上海水泵
上海阀门
二手压路机
二手吊车
二手装载机
吊车
装载机
压路机
上海 日本語 通訳 病院
真空泵
真空泵厂
上海真空泵厂
旋片式真空泵
真空设备
旋片真空泵
同步轮
同步带
同步带轮
聚氨酯带(PU带)
聚氨脂带(PU带)
化工
化工试剂
试剂
化工网
试剂网
化学试剂
试剂
化学
大众搬场
上海大众搬场
铁艺
制服
工作服
衬衫
夹克
T恤
促销服
西服
上海赛迪化工
http://www.ce-r.cn
http://www.jx-net.net
http://www.jx-net.net
http://www.shjxwl.cn
http://www.shjxwl.cn
http://www.shjxwl.cn
http://www.shjxwl.cn
http://www.oameibang.com
http://www.oameibang.com
http://www.kuanhao.cn
http://www.chinasongjin.com
http://www.chinasongjin.com
http://www.shlutong.com.cn
http://www.shlutong.com.cn
http://www.pujiangvacuum.com
http://www.pujiangvacuum.com
http://www.pujiangvacuum.com
http://www.longzhaobelt.com
http://www.longzhaobelt.com
http://www.longzhaobelt.com
http://www.ce-r.cn
http://www.ce-r.cn
http://www.cesupp.com
http://www.dzbc114.com
http://www.china-glare.com
http://www.kangking.com
http://www.kangking.com
http://www.021wjjj.com
乐乐城
SEO排名
SEO社区
SEO优化排名
SEO日志
网络营销
SEO博客
SEO博客
龙翔
SEO
凌枫博客
空谷
空谷博客
博客
博客
博客
博客
博客
博客
空谷博客
空谷博客
空谷博客
空谷博客
空谷博客
空谷
空谷
空谷
空谷
空谷
空谷
空谷博客
空谷博客
空谷博客
空谷博客
空谷博客
空谷
空谷
空谷
空谷
空谷
空谷
博客
货架
货架
货架
货架
货架
货架公司
货架公司
货架公司
货架厂
仓储货架
仓储货架
仓储货架
仓储笼
仓储笼
仓储笼
仓储笼
仓储笼
托盘
托盘
托盘
托盘
托盘
钢托盘
钢托盘
钢托盘
钢托盘
钢制托盘
钢制托盘
钢制托盘
钢制托盘
钢制托盘
钢制托盘
塑料托盘
塑料托盘
塑料托盘
仓储笼
钢托盘
堆垛架
钢制料箱
物流台车
仓储笼
仓储笼
仓储笼
仓储笼
折叠式仓储笼
托盘
钢托盘
钢制托盘
仓库货架
阁楼货架
货架厂
重型货架
仓储货架
重型货架
货架公司
轻型货架
堆垛架
仓储笼
折叠式仓储笼
托盘
塑料托盘
托盘
铁托盘
铁制托盘
托盘
钢托盘
钢制托盘
求购货架
货架求购
货架制造
贯通货架
货架
悬臂货架
仓库货架
阁楼货架
货架厂
重型货架
货架公司
中型货架
仓储货架
轻型货架
仓储货架
轻型货架
角钢货架
货架厂
重型货架
货架公司
中型货架
货架制造
悬臂货架
托盘
塑料托盘
仓储笼
折叠式仓储笼
托盘
钢托盘
钢制托盘
求购货架
货架求购
货架公司
轻型货架
仓储货架
中型货架
货架厂
重型货架
仓库货架
阁楼货架
货架
悬臂货架
货架
模具货架
托盘
钢托盘
托盘
钢制托盘
托盘
塑料托盘
仓储笼
折叠式仓储笼
堆垛架
钢制托盘
仓储笼
模具货架
仓库货架
货架厂
仓储货架
货架公司
货架
仓储笼
登高车
手推车
塑料托盘
货架
货架
货架
轻型货架
货架
中型货架
货架
重型货架
货架
阁楼货架
货架
悬臂货架
货架
模具货架
托盘
塑料托盘
钢制托盘
仓储笼
货架
货架
货架公司
货架厂
仓储货架
货架厂家
托盘
钢托盘
钢制托盘
木托盘
轻型货架
中型货架
重型货架
模具架
中型货架
仓储笼
仓储笼
仓储笼
仓储笼
仓储笼
仓储笼
仓储笼
仓储笼
托盘
托盘
托盘
托盘
托盘
托盘
托盘
托盘
托盘
钢托盘
钢托盘
钢托盘
钢托盘
钢托盘
钢托盘
钢托盘
钢托盘
折叠式仓储笼
折叠式仓储笼
1.深圳搬家公司供深圳吊装公司服务,深圳尾板车出租服务,深圳搬家服务.
2.好日子深圳搬家公司提供深圳疏通公司服务及深圳搬家.
3.深圳装饰公司供深圳装修,深圳装修公司,深圳家庭装修,深圳厂房装修,深圳写字楼装修服务.
4.深圳搬家网里有深圳搬家公司.
5.深圳搬家公司主要供深圳搬家,范围深圳罗湖搬家公司,深圳福田搬家公司,深圳南山搬家公司,深圳盐田搬家公司,深圳宝安搬家公司,深圳龙华搬家公司,深圳龙岗搬家公司,深圳布吉搬家公司,深圳吊车公司
上海恒语翻译广州翻译
深圳翻译北京翻译
天津翻译厦门翻译
成都翻译武汉翻译
南京翻译郑州翻译
重庆翻译山东翻译
wow gold
wow gold
wow gold
wow gold
wow gold
wow gold
World of Warcraft Gold
rolex replica
rolex replica
World of Warcraft Gold
rolex
wow power leveling
powerleveling
powerleveling
power leveling
power leveling
wrath of the Lich King
wrath of the Lich King
翻译公司
机票
性病
尖锐湿疣
搬家公司
搬家公司
展览公司
中高年 転職
転職
派遣会社
アルバイト 求人情報
人材派遣
パチンコ 攻略
ダイエット
合宿免許
おなら
フランス語
婚約指輪
競馬
ブライダル
競馬 予想
お見合い
窃听器
窃听器
手机窃听器
手机窃听器
ups电源
rolex replica
beijing hotel
beijing hotel
china tour
china tour
great wall
great wall
beijing travel
beijing travel
beijing
beijing
代孕
试管婴儿
婚庆
婚庆公司
北京婚庆
北京婚庆公司
商务网
保洁公司
塑钢门窗
心脏病
试管婴儿
试管婴儿
捐卵
捐卵
wow powerleveling
wow powerleveling
wow power leveling
wow power leveling
powerleveling
powerleveling
power leveling
power leveling
wow powerleveling
wow powerleveling
wow power leveling
wow power leveling
powerleveling
powerleveling
power leveling
power leveling
鲜花订购速递网
北京鲜花订购速递网
上海鲜花订购速递网
广州鲜花订购速递网
深圳鲜花订购速递网
济南鲜花订购速递网
厦门鲜花订购速递网
东莞鲜花订购速递网
重庆鲜花订购速递网
天津鲜花订购速递网
合肥鲜花订购速递网
杭州鲜花订购速递网
西安鲜花订购速递网
成都鲜花订购速递网
昆明鲜花订购速递网
武汉鲜花订购速递网
长沙鲜花订购速递网
南昌鲜花订购速递网
南京鲜花订购速递网
太原鲜花订购速递网
郑州鲜花订购速递网
石家庄鲜花订购速递网
沈阳鲜花订购速递网
长春鲜花订购速递网
哈尔滨鲜花订购速递网
拉萨鲜花订购速递网
银川鲜花订购速递网
南宁鲜花订购快递网
海口鲜花订购速递网
兰州鲜花订购速递网
贵阳鲜花订购速递网
开业花篮
鲜花花篮
花篮
鲜花订购速递网
北京搬家公司
北京搬家公司
北京搬家公司
聚氨酯
软发泡聚氨酯
建筑保温材料
建筑保温
聚氨酯
软发泡聚氨酯
建筑保温
建筑保温材料
北京鲜花速递网
北京鲜花订购网
北京鲜花快递网
北京鲜花预订网
北京鲜花店
感恩节鲜花
平安夜鲜花
圣诞节鲜花
师长鲜花
朋友鲜花
同事鲜花
客户鲜花
祝寿鲜花
爱情鲜花
生日鲜花
开业花篮
花篮
友情鲜花
歉意鲜花
婚庆鲜花
哀思鲜花
商务鲜花
探望鲜花
探病鲜花
上海鲜花速递网
上海鲜花订购网
上海鲜花快递网
上海鲜花预订网
上海鲜花店
广州鲜花速递网
广州鲜花订购网
广州鲜花快递网
广州鲜花预订网
广州鲜花店
深圳鲜花速递网
深圳鲜花订购网
深圳鲜花快递网
深圳鲜花预订网
深圳鲜花店
济南鲜花速递网
济南鲜花订购网
济南鲜花快递网
济南鲜花预订网
济南鲜花店
厦门鲜花速递网
厦门鲜花订购网
厦门鲜花快递网
厦门鲜花预订网
厦门鲜花店
东莞鲜花速递网
东莞鲜花订购网
东莞鲜花快递网
东莞鲜花预订网
东莞鲜花店
重庆鲜花速递网
重庆鲜花订购网
重庆鲜花快递网
重庆鲜花预订网
重庆鲜花店
天津鲜花速递网
天津鲜花订购网
天津鲜花快递网
天津鲜花预订网
天津鲜花店
合肥鲜花速递网
合肥鲜花订购网
合肥鲜花快递网
合肥鲜花预订网
合肥鲜花店
杭州鲜花速递网
杭州鲜花订购网
杭州鲜花快递网
杭州鲜花预订网
杭州鲜花店
西安鲜花速递网
西安鲜花订购网
西安鲜花快递网
西安鲜花预订网
西安鲜花店
成都鲜花速递网
成都鲜花订购网
成都鲜花快递网
成都鲜花预订网
成都鲜花店
昆明鲜花速递网
昆明鲜花订购网
昆明鲜花快递网
昆明鲜花预订网
昆明鲜花店
武汉鲜花速递网
武汉鲜花订购网
武汉鲜花快递网
武汉鲜花预订网
武汉鲜花店
长沙鲜花速递网
长沙鲜花订购网
长沙鲜花快递网
长沙鲜花预订网
长沙鲜花店
南昌鲜花速递网
南昌鲜花订购网
南昌鲜花快递网
南昌鲜花预订网
南昌鲜花店
南京鲜花速递网
南京鲜花订购网
南京鲜花快递网
南京鲜花预订网
南京鲜花店
太原鲜花速递网
太原鲜花订购网
太原鲜花快递网
太原鲜花预订网
太原鲜花店
郑州鲜花速递网
郑州鲜花订购网
郑州鲜花快递网
郑州鲜花预订网
%