Loose Cannons

'Calming' Baghdad

"Iraq, US Forces Raid Sadr City to Calm Baghdad" — Headline on US Bloomberg news service report on an August 7 US-led military attack that set off a two-hour gun battle with supporters of anti-US Shiite cleric Moqtada al Sadr.

'Calming' Lebanon

"On Saturday, an Israeli offense consisting of more than 250 air attacks dropped 4000 bombs within seven hours ... The total death toll from the attacks is approaching 1000. One third of those deaths are children under 12." — August 7 Turkish Zaman news service report from Beirut.

Bushwacked?

"Amid the political and diplomatic fallout from Israel's faltering invasion of Lebanon, some Israeli officials are privately blaming President George W. Bush for egging Prime Minister Ehud Olmert into the ill-conceived military adventure against the Hezbollah militia in south Lebanon. Bush conveyed his strong personal support for the military offensive during a White House meeting with Olmert on May 23, according to sources familiar with the thinking of senior Israeli leaders ... Now, as the conflict winds down, some Israeli officials are ruing the Olmert-Bush pact on May 23 and fault Bush for pushing Olmert into the conflict." — Baltimore Chronicle, August 13.

Too few Lebanese kids killed

"It's been not a failure, but a massive disappointment." — Former Reagan administration policy adviser Edward Luttwak commenting on August 15 on Israel's war on Lebanon.

From GLW issue 680