June 12, 2003

U.S. to Sanction Some Attacks by Israel on Terrorist Leaders?

That’s what it sounded like the LA TIMES was saying.

U.S. Struggles to Keep Plan Intact

The chief focus is to set ground rules for when Israel can launch attacks against militants.

By Robin Wright, Times Staff Writer

WASHINGTON— With broken bodies and smoking rubble mounting, President Bush’s Mideast peace initiative—launched with such fanfare a week ago—has turned into a struggle just to figure out a way to prevent more killings.

The tightening spiral of violence has spurred some outside the administration to call for drastic action, including the possible deployment of foreign troops to separate the sides. But on Wednesday, the White House was concentrating on nailing down ground rules on what constitutes “restraint” by Israel.

It would be a major step in the right direction. This notion that the killing of random civilians by Hamas is ethically equivalent to the killing of Hamas leaders by Israel, is just dumb. Of course Israel should be permitted to do to Hamas what it needs to do to defend its civilians.

If Iraq Had no WMD, why Did Hussein Obstruct the U.N. Inspectors?

Many have raised this question. The answer may not be that hard to find.

Could it possibly have been to hide Hussein’s mass slaughter of Iraqi citizens? Story after story has appeared detailing the atrocities and mass murders committed by Hussein against his own people. Surely he considered that any free investigation would discover these things.