Urgent and enduring

British journalists have been unable to leave the overheard Bush-Blair “Yo Blair” dialogue alone, analyzing it over and over, and even translating it into more fitting tones:

Antonio: And the Lady Cherie, with dressers three, made expedition to Harrods Palace,
and there requested a long sleeve, ribb’ed crew neck, striped horizontal all about,
with fully fashioned cuffs and waistband. Doth suit you, sirrah?

Giorgio: Like unto a second skin. Nay better, for the first hath no embroidered G. For Giorgio.
But good Antonio, take we counsel now concerning the Levant.
My lord Annan, charged by the nations in their assembly to calm the noise of war,
Seeks only to separate the arms, thinking thereby to fulfil the task.
But the enmerded Moor, taking this peace for respite and repose,
By my vision, readies his galleys for renewed assault on the enrag’d Jew.

Speaking of the enrag’d Jew, Condi Rice met with Ehud Olmert – and again I ask, what’s with all the smiling? –


and released a flood of empty rhetoric, if something empty can be said to flood. “A durable solution will be one that strengthens the forces of peace and democracy in the region.” Does peace have forces, and who or what might they be? “It is time for a new Middle East. It is time to say to those who do not want a new Middle East that we will prevail, they will not.” I didn’t know you could just scrap the “old” Middle East and start over. And “we” will prevail? Who’s we?

Her favorite word this trip has been “enduring,” as in, we want an “urgent and enduring” peace in Lebanon. The inappropriate smiles, alas, proved not to be enduring.




Okay, now you’re creeping me out.

Speaking of an old, old, oh so very old, Middle East, we learn from the Jerusalem Post via Billmon that Chief of Staff of the IDF Dan Halutz has (according to an unnamed “high-ranking IAF officer”) ordered the destruction of 10 buildings in Beirut for every Katyusha rocket that hits Haifa.

Olmert is insisting that there will be no cease-fire without implementation of Security Council Resolution 1559. Funny to hear Israelis citing Security Council resolutions; rather like Joe Lieberman’s approach to the Connecticut Democratic primary.