Israel Takes Boy George to School

Thank heaven Israel knows what it is doing in the Middle East. By entering into a ceasefire at this point they are acting in their own best interests, instead of the interest of Bush and his neocon-artists.

The Israeli government knows it lives in a tough neighborhood. Despite repeated attempts by Boy George to enlist them in his "War on Terror," and expand the war in the Middle East, the Israelis refused.

Recognizing that their initial strategy of waging an air war and limited strikes into southern Lebanon was a failure, they used the threat of full-scale invasion to force an end to hostilities.

Unlike what Bush is doing in Iraq they adapted deftly to the surpise of Hezbollah's strength, and have put off a final showdown for a later day. The next time, and there will be a next time, they will have had time to assess this operation and see what changes need to be made.

While Bush flounders by "staying the course" in Iraq, the more experienced Israelis knew when to stop. Withdrawal from southern Lebanon will not be considered "cutting and running" in Israel. It is a tactical manuever.

Certainly, implementation of the ceasefire can go haywire, but Israel has conducted its foreign policy in a much more sophisticated way than Bush has conducted ours.