Israeli fighter planes are bombing densely populated civilian areas. This is supposed to be a morally acceptable response to (a) the abduction of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah near the Lebanese border, and (b) the firing of katyusha rockets by Hezbollah into Haifa and other Israeli cities. No one should make light of these actions by Hezbollah, but it does not follow that Lebanese civilians are a legitimate target for reprisals. Imagine if a foreign government started bombing your city, your neighborhood, your hospitals and schools because Operation Rescue or the Ku Klux Klan had done something, and some of their members lived in your city.
These are war crimes, and literally no one in the US media, and few in the blogosphere, have anything to say about it. It's a "tragedy", but you know, Israel has every right to defend itself. This is the official position of the US govt regarding Israel's actions. It's not our business. These people have been at war for centuries, so we really can't do anything about it. Too bad.
Bullshit. If the US wanted this war to stop, it would stop. There is a good chance that Bush will lead us into a wider war in the Middle East as a direct result of these hostilities. It is hard to think of a more important issue.
One of the most puzzling myths about war is that it's OK for states to do things that otherwise would count as terrorism. If Israel uses smart bombs made by McDonnel Douglas to flatten Lebanese villages, that's just their business. But if Hezbollah sends dinky, defunctive Katyusha rockets over the border, most of which cause no damage at all, it's WORLD WAR THREEEEEEE.
See Greg Mitchell's powerful condemnation at Editor & Publisher of US newspaper editorial boards for saying nothing about this. Definitely worth a read.