Peace through war

Apparently the Bush administration doesn't understand why an immediate cessation of killing is desirable.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, embarking on a diplomatic mission to the troubled Middle East, said she would work for "stability and lasting peace" instead of the immediate cease-fire demanded by much of the rest of the world.
A cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon would be a "false promise" if the root causes of the conflict are not addressed, the top U.S. diplomat said.

"An immediate cease-fire without political conditions does not make sense," she told reporters.

Yeah, so keep right on shooting and bombing and killing. It's good for the peace process.

As part of its fractured plan for peace in the region, the administration is expediting a shipment of bombs to Israel.

The Bush administration is rushing a delivery of precision-guided bombs to Israel, which requested the expedited shipment last week after beginning its air campaign against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, American officials said Friday.

The decision to quickly ship the weapons to Israel was made with relatively little debate within the Bush administration, the officials said. Its disclosure threatens to anger Arab governments and others because of the appearance that the United States is actively aiding the Israeli bombing campaign in a way that could be compared to Iran’s efforts to arm and resupply Hezbollah.

The munitions that the United States is sending to Israel are part of a multimillion-dollar arms sale package approved last year that Israel is able to draw on as needed, the officials said. But Israel’s request for expedited delivery of the satellite and laser-guided bombs was described as unusual by some military officers, and as an indication that Israel still had a long list of targets in Lebanon to strike.

Another soild decision by the Bush administration. I don't see any way this plus the administration's lethargic mosey toward peace (also called "walking" in Texas) could foster anti-American sentiment in the region.

I guess the administration's timetable for a cease-fire is based on when we run out of bombs.

By the way, add two more days to Bush's record number of vacation days. While the world spirals into chaos, he's weekending at his "ranch" in Texas.