JABbering Stooge

In the recently-ended (and probably soon to resume, since few, if any, of the underlying issues got resolved by the cease-fire) Israel-Lebanon conflict, probably the best source of in-depth analysis on the subject came from Billmon. In the course of several posts, he details several major screwups committed at the highest levels of both the IDF’s and Israel’s civilian leadership. Additionally, he details an incredible level of hubris (Which James Wolcott also notes - oh to get a link from him; I’d be golden!) at the top levels of Israeli leadership, along with an instance of corruption.

Frankly, I’ve seen this toxic combination of hubris, incompetence and corruption in only one other place. Which leads me to ask: when did Ehud Olmert sack Amir Peretz in favor of this man?

Rummy, is that you?

UPDATE: In case you were wondering, the text reads: "Reagan White House Middle East Special Envoy Donald Rumsfeld shakes hands with Iraqi Dictator Saddam Hussein during his visit on December 19-20, 1983. Rumsfeld would visit again on March 24, 1984, the day the U.N. released a report that mustard gas and Tabun nerve gas had been used by Iraq against Iranian troops. The New York Times reported from Baghdad on March 29, 1984, ‘American diplomats pronounce themselves satisfied with relations between Iraq and the United States and suggest that normal diplomatic ties have been restored in all but name.’"

Speaking of hubris and corruption, here’s some tips for Likud and Kadima (hat tip, LGF Watch):

• If you’ve bombed civilians, be it accidentally or deliberately, don’t lie about your less-than-pinpoint accuracy. You’ll only look like more of a fool when you’re inevitably caught.

• When going to war, make sure you have the troop levels you need, so that you won’t have to rely on foreign proxies.

• If you’re going to complain about terrorist organizations’ deliberate use of anti-personnel ordinance in their Katyusha rockets and suicide bombs, don’t be a hypocrite and turn around and order anti-personnel cluster bombs from your sugar daddy military hardware supplier, especially if you’ve deliberately blown up civilians in recent weeks.

• For that matter, don’t use terrorist organizations’ deliberate targeting of civilians to justify the deliberate targeting of civilians who "look just like the terrorists."

• Trying to avoid personal culpability for atrocities is no justification for forcing the grunts in your military into a position where they have to disobey orders in order to remain blameless in said atrocities.

Will the Olmert government take these tips into consideration if and when they come into conflict with Hezbollah agian? We shall see.