Syria and Jordan must be freaking out by now.

[Wonk]

This does not look good for the region, imho. This looks to only spiral bigger.

[jwirr]

1. Not to mention Europe and Japan who get their oil from the ME.

[flordehinojos]

2. it also doesn't look good for the rest of the world ... this is how world

wars get started.

[fasttense]

3. Well, attacking Iraq sure brought stability to the Middle East. n/t

:sarcasm:

[NNN0LHI]

4. King of Jordan is probably on the phone with Israel giving targeting info

If he is not too busy torturing prisoners for Bush that is.

Don

[ugarte]

5. Yes, "our good friend", America's favorite puppet king...

Best of all, he's "half" American, which makes him automatically a good guy, right?

[kentuck]

6. Trying to distract all those al Qaeda from Iraq...

Since Iraq seems to be going in the shithole real fast...

[MadHound]

7. Throw Iran into that category too

After all, both the US and Israel have been rattling the saber at them for months now. Now, on top of this Israel is attacking Lebenon, a close ally of Iran. I'm sure that there are some frantic discussions taking place in Tehran.

[Solo_in_MD]

8. Unlike Lebanon and the PA, Jordan and Syria have

good control over their territory and it is unlikely any kidnappings or rocket attacks will come from their soil. If they are freaking out it is due to the knowledge that the IDF will blowup some expensive real estate is anything does happen that is traceable to them. Unlike the US, Israel does not repair or replace that which it damages.

[vickitulsa]

9. Can you say "can of worms"?

"Contagion, epidemic, spreading like wildfire, Pandora's box?" ... and don't forget "brink of destruction." As in world war, yes.

Also, we should NOT feel any safer thinking that limited or even all-out nuclear war are out of the question or not being considered by all sides who have the option to deploy such warheads. Those life-on-earth-destroying monstrosities were never put "back in the box."

We'd all be fools to believe those arsenals of the truly insane had been reduced in size and number enough to matter -- in spite of all the talk by governments with nuclear capability about removing and destroying some of their own missiles. Such weapons that exist were never brought under the careful control of sane people and failsafe computer and mechanical guards against even accidental triggering.

Yet here we all sit, watching the breaking news of the Middle East "powder keg" as a very SHORT FUSE seems to have been lit in the last week or two. What can we, the citizens of Planet Earth, really DO about the threat, after all? We have to trust -- yes, I said it, TRUST -- those in powerful positions in the world, at the head of governments, who have their fingers on the buttons.

Now there is a situation that makes me feel reeeelly comfortable! I'm relaxing by the minute as I ponder it. I feel so reassured. :sarcasm:

Oh yeah, surely not even Israel, or Pakistan or Russia, China, or the U.S. least of all, would EVER launch any weapons or take military actions that would seriously risk starting a WORLD WAR.

Nah, we'll be okay. Let's just watch the news and get hopped up on the excitement... it'll all work out okay....

<whistling my way along in the dark>

[shadowknows69]

16. Oh to be able to be that blissfully ignorant

Unfortunately it's real hard to close your eyes again once they are open despite how much you might want to.

[slide to the left]

10. no joke

Israel attacks Leb. and Hz. Then Syria attacks Is. Or maybe the other way around. Iran gets involved. We get involved. But we don't have enough troops. We bring them in from Afghanistan. Taliban re-takes Afgn. We have to draft to get troops.

We stop paying attention to wars we are already in.

[The Stranger]

11. Why was the thread about Lebanon moved to the Israel/Palestine forum?

[NNN0LHI]

14. I believe it is a judgment call by the moderators

I trust their judgment.

Its not easy being a moderator.

Don

[gatorboy]

18. I was wondering about the move myself.

I can understand the move somewhat. But considering that these are serious current events. They should leave the Lebanon threads on the main page.

[maxrandb]

12. "Pootie-poot" is probably not too happy right now either.

Is there anything this administration touches that does not turn to shit?

Thanks Gawd * has made the world safer!

[Jacobin]

17. PootiePoot may actually be enjoying this

Russia's oil and gas reserves are enormous and the more bedlam in the other oil producing regions, the higher the price and the more valuable Russia's hydrocarbons become.

Of course, as a global competitor, our adversaries tend to be gleeful when the U.S. gets itself embroiled in expensive unwinnable situations.

[Ravenseye]

13. So At What Point Does it Really Blow Up

I mean to the point where North Korean thinks they can invade the South, and China thinks they can invade Taiwan, and so on and so forth....

Then things will truly be fucked eh?

[catabryna]

15. There was a huge consensus...

of us who not too long ago figured that our government would coerce Isreal into bringing Iran into this mess in some way because the sane people of this country want nothing to do with it. Looks like that scenario is coming to fruition. Surprise, surprise... :nuke: