Greatest possible care

In his Saturday radio address, Bush admits that “This is a difficult and trying time for the people of Lebanon.” Yes, moving is always so stressful, isn’t it, and half a million Lebanese suddenly having to move all at once has put a real strain on the country’s supply of bubble wrap. Bush said, “we have called on Israel to continue to exercise the greatest possible care to protect innocent lives.” Not just exercise care, you understand, but the greatest possible care. But they can still bomb the shit out of them, right? With missiles we’re supplying them?

Neither he nor anyone else in his administration has yet found a single act committed by Israel (attacking ambulances? creating half a million refugees?) worthy of the mildest of reproaches. Bush does complain, however, about “Hezbollah’s practice of hiding rockets in civilian neighborhoods”. Israel’s methods of putting rockets into civilian neighborhoods are rather more... ostentatious.

Bush adds that the rocket-hiding thing plus “its efforts to undermine the democratically elected government have shown it to be no friend of Lebanon.” He does realize that Hezbollah members are Lebanese, doesn’t he?

Bush says peace in the region “will come only by defeating the terrorist ideology of hatred and fear,” adding, “And you know what’s good for reducing hatred and fear? Massive aerial bombardment.”