America and its Proxy Army

Although many Americans are suitably concerned about Israel's over-the-top, disproportionate attack on Lebanon, few doubts seemed to grip prominent American Jewish groups that lobbied the White House and Congress to insure Israel was not pressed to stop its war in Lebanon. Of course, the views of these interest groups only seem to reinforce the worldview that defines the highest reaches of the U.S. government. Thus, they are lending reinforcement to Bush rather than urging him to rethink his assumptions. It is likely that there will be good reason for a requiem on the simplistic assumptions that undergirded U.S. actions, and Israel's as well, but that lies in the near future not the present.

Meanwhile, the unequivocal support of the U.S. for Israel underlines that this is a proxy war. As if any more evidence was needed, today's reports that the U.S. will rush PGMs (precision guided munitions) to Israel only dots the "i".

The approval of massive jet fuel sales to Israel early in the war underlined that President's Bush's idea of restraint was being delivered to Israel with a wink. See jet fuel in a July 16 post.