Obviously, the great President of the only 'hyperpower' on the planet does not read Counterpunch, but we knew that (he does not read at all). If he had, he would have read the excellent article by Franklin Lamb, Choufeit's Bloddy Pentacost, where, among many other good points, Lamb wrote:
The reality in West Beirut today is that even if every Hezbollah member but one withdrew, Hezbollah would still be in control of Lebanon's capital. He does not even need to have a weapon. All that is necessary is for it to be known that he is present. The Lebanese Army is increasingly deployed but its role is determined by the Bay Rocks barricade. One faculty member of the American University of Beirut (AUB) explained that if someone from Hezbollah handed the US Embassy gate-keeper a polite note asking the Embassy to close up shop, it would be done within hours this Monday.
To anyone with a modicum of understanding of the situation in Lebanon it is quite clear that weapons and firepower are really not the issue here: the USA has already spent hundered of millions of dollars to arm the militias of the Three Stooges (Hariri, Jumblatt and Siniora) and more millions will not make any difference at all.
Still, Dubya looked sincere when he made that statement. I personally suspect that he is kept in a state of total ignorance by the Neocons surrounding him and that he he utterly clueless about what has really happened this past week in Lebanon. Regardless of the idiocies voiced by Bush, it is a reasonable guess to make that the real deciders in Washington in Tel Aviv are by and large aware of what has really happened. This awareness of the real situation is probably what prompted the Imperial High Command to order the USS Cole back to the Lebanese coast.
Immediately, Stooge #1 (Hariri) declared that, quote, "he would not surrender to Hezbollah". Man, this playboy (see picture) is one tough dude, isn't he? He will not surrender to Hezbollah, wow! Over 800 of his militiamen did, but he will not surrender to Hezbollah. Sure makes me wonder why he was not in the streets showing them how to get the job done...Another fire-breathing Iran basher who thinks that he will "teach Iran a lesson" is Robert Gates who, having caught on all the nuances behind Adm. Fallon's ouster and, even more so, the nomination of David "ass-kissing little chickenshit" Betrayus as CENTCOM commander now does his own brown-nosing to the Israel Lobby by promising it that Iran will be taken care of, and soon. So what can they really do?
With Lebanon? Nothing. At least nothing the Israelis have not already tried and failed at. What they can - and will - do is present the attack on Iran as part of a strategy to "support democracy in Lebanon"; that, at least, will be one of the many reasons (yes, the Neocons never heard of Occam's razor; they think many bad reasons can be a substitute for one good one). Which brings the back to the Three Stooges and their select coterie of fat millionaires supporting them.
It appears that the Zionists puppets in Beirut still think that the USraelian Empire can do something to protect them. They are utterly unaware that an attack on Iran is all that the Empire can come up with and that this attack, when it happens, will do exactly nothing to change the equation in Lebanon (besides making Hezbollah even more popular, of course). Like all the rest of the slowly vanishing millionaires in history (Pahlavi, Batista, Marcos, etc.) they appear to be unable to see the end coming (except for Amin Gemayel who "leads his men" against Hezbollah from.... Paris).
It is time for the Three Stooges to realize that the show is over. All that remains for them now is to steal as much money as possible and choose a comfy place of exile from which to (ghost-) write their memoirs and enjoy all the coke, women and luxury which they are used to.
The show is over.