So we are urging restraint

The Israeli air force has been dropping leaflets on Beirut, with a cartoon. Fun! They depict Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah (who they tried unsuccessfully to assassinate by air strikes on his home and office Friday, and who has said, “If you want open war, we will give you open war”), with his turban turning into a cobra. “To the Lebanese people, beware: He appears to be a brother, but he is a snake.” Because people value so highly the opinion of people who drop things out of warplanes on them.

Has anyone seen a picture of this leaflet? I can’t find it, but I want it.

Speaking of cartoon figures, Bush, refusing to call on Israel to stop its acts of war against Lebanon, said this: “Our message to Israel is defend yourself but be mindful of the consequences, so we are urging restraint.” There are two messages Lebanon can take from this statement: 1) fuck you, and 2) fuck you. Fuck you the first: Bush is describing Israel’s acts as purely defensive, and therefore justified. Fuck you the second: while “urging restraint,” Bush fails to condemn any particular action taken by the Israelis; hence, he must think that every action taken by the Israelis thus far has shown the restraint he is urging.