"On the verge of war"

[bluestateguy]

How long will the corporate media be repeating this catch phrase? Not only with regard to the Israeli/Lebanon/Syria/Iran ordeal, but also with regard to Iraq being "on the verge" of civil war. How long has Iraq been "on the verge" of civil war? How much more has to happen for them to drop the prefix of "on the verge"? It's here already? Iraq is in a civil war, and Israel is very much at war with Lebanon.

I could just imagine these corporate media whores in the Civil War, still speculating that the US is "on the verge" of a civil war after Fort Sumter was hit, after the Battle of Bull Run and after the Battle of Shiloh. I suppose to these folks America would be "on the verge" of a civil war in April, 1862!

[New Government]

1. Good Point

It's the old, "If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck......"

[Monkeyman]

2. quack

[New Government]

3. Yup..........nt

[ladjf]

4. This is not war. This is one bully slaughtering their foes while

the other side throws "spitballs". Palestine and Lebanon have no fighting power. All they can do is make weak gestures of defiance.

[bluestateguy]

5. Not if Iran and Syria get involved

Those countries have real armies and navies. Combined, they could go toe to toe against Israel.

[ladjf]

6. In that event we would have two bullies pummeling two weak

sisters, still like shooting fish in a barrel. The air power would devastate the infrastructure. There would probably be no ground action in Iran.

[New Government]

7. Until.....

Israel gives them 12 hours to do as they say or risk nuclear annihilation. I put nothing past them - nothing.

[ladjf]

11. I don't think it would ever come to that. Palestine and Lebanon

are too close and the Israelis aren't suicidal. However, sooner or later, some ME Country is going to get their hands on a nuke and they are suicidal. One such weapon and it would be all over maybe for the entire ME.

[New Government]

14. Tactical Nukes in Lebanon are an option for Israel

A real nuke in Damascus or Tehran, as a statement of strength (and insanity), is not out of the question. They have them to use them - as a last resort. They are feeling close to that "last resort." I agree with you that the future in the Middle East does not look bright. But, I also see a possibility of nuclear escalation and the possibility that Israel could hit Damascus and Tehran and leave the Islamic countries with nukes in ruin, while they still stand, having set back the nuclear programs of these countries for years. Israel, because of Hamas in Palestine, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran getting close to nukes, rattling from Syria, is feeling boxed in and a first-strike to rid the ME of Israeli enemies cannot be ruled out. The cornered Israel has always frightened Middle East analysts. It's a hard-to-fathom scenario, but Israel has long planned for just this final showdown.

[ladjf]

15. If Israel calls their strategy the result of their long thought out

plan about how not to get nuked, they are doing a sorry job of it. In the first place, all of the worry about Iran "developing" their nuke capability is misplaced. They had lots of cash and nukes can be purchased a lot easier and quicker than creating them. Valerie Plame was working on that problem when she was outed by Cheney and his gang.

The point I'm trying to make is that everything Israel does is designed to make their enemies hate them more and more. Israel is motivating their enemies just as Bush is. There are no easy solutions. But, I believe that Israel's massive blows to Palestine, Lebanon, probably Syria are only making a terrible situation worse.

It has thought for months by many that Israel might hit Iran with nukes as our proxy. That's a possible but, in my opinion,crazy plan.

[New Government]

16. I actually agree 100%......nt

[Erika]

8. Persecution of the weak is now an Israeli thing

and W says they have the right to "defend" themselves. What a joke. W doesn't even live in this world.

[cali]

9. So killing

eight Israeli troops, abducting two of them, firing off dozens of rockets, killing two and injuring another dozen or so, is throwing spitballs? I don't condone the Israeli response, but that's hardly a spitball.

[ladjf]

12. I carefully considered the use of the word "spitballs". Yes, I

consider the puny efforts of the small missiles into Haifa, the killing of a few Israeli soldiers "spitballs" in comparison to the full fledged aerial assaults, tank and artillery groups of the Israelis. The firepower comparison would be something like 1,000 to 1. 1 is as spitball in my view.

[cali]

13. Most amusing n/t

[VolcanoJen]

10. It should be measured in "Friedmans."

I enjoy the way Atrios describes these increments in "Friedmans."

One Friedman = Approximately 6 Months. In the sense that Thomas Friedman is forever writing that "the next six months in Iraq will be the turning point." Such sentiment is then echoed across the hallowed halls of news outlets, and passed off as original and reflective, studied thought, even though facts on the ground contradict such thought at every possible turn.

It's maddening, isn't it?