On Day 17 of the Israeli Campaign Against Hezbollah in Lebanon: Why We Can't Let This Continue

Yes, we're already into the 17th day since Israel began to make Lebanon look like New Orleans after Bush's FEMA "helped" the city in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

And, just as Mr. Bush's wars on Afghanistan and Iraq have made al Qaeda and other Islamic terrorist organizations stronger and served almost as a recruitment campaign for terrorism and insurgencies, Israel's actions are strengthening Hezbollah rather than crushing it. This isn't just me stating this: so too has Richard Armitage, Bush's former #2 man at the State Department (and hardly a dove); so has Bill Clinton; so have too many others to be discounted.

Bill (not Hillary) Clinton said in a Canadian Press interview that Israel has gone too far and that a cease-fire MUST be worked out (he said by Western leaders) now. Kofi Annan said roughly the same thing before Israel decided to make a point by bombing a U.N. observation post on the Lebanese border with Israel for 6-10 hours on Tuesday.

And here's Armitage, in a post at Think Progress:

Richard Armitage dramatically broke ranks with his neoconservative allies yesterday, saying in a radio interview that he feared it was impossible to eliminate Hezbollah through airstrikes, and that by attempting to do so, “you’re going to end up empowering Hezbollah, and perhaps introducing an element into the body politic in Lebanon that will take some great period of time to recover from.” Armitage also criticized the Bush administration for refusing to talk directly to Syria.

According to a database search, no major media outlets have yet printed Armitage’s remarks. Listen: