I have no clue what it cost the taxpayers to send the Secretary of State and her entourage to Italy, Lebanon and Israel. But her recent mission could as easily been achieved with a conference call.
Rice: Look, everyone. If you think we're going to stand in the way of Israel pounding the bejesus out of Hezbollah, you really don't know us very well. They say they need a few more weeks to do the job right, and we're going to give them the space they need. A few weeks, a few months. Whatever it takes.
Don't be so impatient. We thought everything was going to be all hunky-dory in Iraq a little sooner than has happened. These things can't be rushed. Wars don't always go as planned. Foreign policy can be messy.
So, permit me to reiterate. There will be no premature ceasefires while I'm on the job.
Be assured. We will consult with Israel as to when a ceasefire would best fit in with their summer plans. When that day comes, I'll be ringing you up again for an endorsement.
I must say I've been more than a little upset at the comments I've seen some of you making to the press. All that whining about civilians being killed. Get over it. That's the way the cookie crumbles. Sure we're sorry - the President and I - when a 3-year-old gets his intestines splattered all over the pavement or a grandma's brains are blown out of her skull. But as Israeli Justice Minister Haim Ramon has said:
"All those now in south Lebanon are terrorists who are related in some way to Hezbollah."
Including toddler terrorists.
Ending the killing now when it's just got some momentum going would be a tremendous missed opportunity.
I'd like to continue chatting with you all, but I see that my cellphone batteries are running low.
If you're ever in Washington, give me a call.