Posted on 08/13/2006 2:44:35 PM PDT by familyop
WASHINGTON -- U.S. President George Bush said the United Nations resolution to halt the fighting between Israel and Lebanon will stop Hezbollah from acting as a "state within a state" and deal a severe blow to the efforts of Syria and Iran to exert influence in the Middle East.
In a statement released by the White House Saturday, Bush urged the international community to support the resolution, which could lead to a likely ceasefire on Monday, "and make every effort to bring lasting peace to the region."
Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said Saturday that his group will abide by the UN resolution so long as Israeli troops leave southern Lebanon.
"When the Israeli aggression stops then the reactions by the resistance will stop," he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also signaled his country's intention to comply with the wishes of the international community in a telephone call with Bush on Friday, though that did not slow the pace of fighting.
The Lebanese cabinet, however, did meet and agree to support the resolution Saturday, something that the Israeli cabinet was expected to do on Sunday.
The resolution, passed by the UN Security Council on Friday night, will see Israel and Hezbollah pull out of southern Lebanon at the same time as Lebanese and UN troops move in to patrol the area and enforce the ceasefire.
"I would hope that within no more than a day or so that there would be a cessation of the hostilities on the ground," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said in an interview with Israeli television Saturday.
Bush said the resolution "aims to end Hezbollah's attacks on Israel and bring a halt to Israel's offensive military operations. It also calls for an embargo on the supply of arms to militias in Lebanon ... and for the disarming of Hezbollah and all other militia groups operating in Lebanon."
He added that the resolution is designed to stop Hezbollah from acting outside the reach of the Lebanese government "and put an end to Iran and Syria's efforts to hold the Lebanese people hostage to their own extremist agenda."
The president said "millions have suffered" as a result of this month-long "unwanted war."
The U.S. has been one of Israel's most strident backers throughout the month-long conflict in the Middle East. The Bush administration has been severely criticized for, among other things, shipping weapons to Israel during the fighting, but the president has defended the actions as a means of supporting the right of a democratic country to defend itself from terrorists.
He also linked Israel's fight against Hezbollah to the global war on terror in his weekly radio address, which focused on the arrest of two dozen people in and around London.
"The terrorists attempt to bring down airplanes full of innocent men, women and children. They kill civilians and American servicemen in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they deliberately hide behind civilians in Lebanon," Bush said. "They are seeking to spread their totalitarian ideology."
But that line of thinking has also earned the U.S. president new and additional critics, coming after his response to the London terror arrests.
Bush referred to "Islamic fascists" when talking about fundamentalist Muslims intent on attacking the U.S., and the comments have provoked anger and concern.
"Imagine calling people Muslim fascists?" asked Ramsey Clark, a former U.S. Attorney General under former president Lyndon Johnson, and a controversial political figure in America. "That's telling a million, a billion, a billion-and-a-half people around the world that you're a fascist. We insult all the other people around the world and we expect them to succumb to what we demand? They won't."
Speaking at a pro-Lebanon rally a stone's throw from the White House Saturday, attended by thousands, Khalid Chahhou, from North Carolina, said Bush's comments do not promote the U.S. government's fight against terrorism.
"All those people here are against terrorism and we are against fascism also, so to classify Muslims and fascists, that's unfair and unjust, and it doesn't make America in the eyes of many Muslims respectful," he said. "If Mr. Bush means by 'fascists' terrorism, then we are all against terrorism."
Sorry President Bush, not buying it.
No victory, no peace.
Only war deferred and more deadly when it starts again.
Ramsey the Rotten needs to shut up.
it doesn't make America in the eyes of many Muslims respectful,"
No, the only thing that would do that would be to
accept Islam and institute Shari'a.
Islamic Fascists must die.
What would "strike a blow" to Syria and Iran is killing all Hezzies first, then striking a more literal blow to Syria and Iran. Anything else is naive appeasement.
I finally remembered my password.... haven't remembered since January to update by blog.
flogerloon.blogspot.com
"Imagine calling people Muslim fascists?" asked Ramsey Clark............ "That's telling a million, a billion, a billion-and-a-half people around the world that you're a fascist."
Umm, no it isn't. Like, if I use the phrase "American sheep farmers", that doesn't imply that all Americans are sheep farmers. See how that works, Ramsey?
Israel's best asset... it's deterent capability has lost it's edge.
The way they conducted the war, will not impress Syria or Iran.
It will only embolden Israels' ememies.
Sorry President Bush. I ain't buying it either
Should be interesting.
Israel agrees, Lebanon agrees, and Hezbollah disagrees with the cease fire terms--then the renewed war is on their shoulders. If Hezbollah should agree then they, as proxy, betray Iran and Syria and the Naz is a dead man.
The amazing thing is that the rest of the UNSC went along with this three way trap.
It's an interesting situation with even more interesting possible future scenarios. The Democrat way of dealing with an inevitable world war is to wait until a larger attack against us occurs (or many attacks within a short duration), then to engage in high intensity conflict (as differentiated from our current tactics), which necessitates a large military draft for such emergency.
So we can do it the Republican way (which is not happening yet, given appeasements and delays for western European objections), or we can do it the Democrat way.
bttt
I thought hezbollah started it to begin with. How many times do we need them to start it?
The strategery is that Iran and Syria will not allow Hizb'Allah to accede to the terms of the cease fire, in which Hizb'Allah must hand over its arms to the Lebanese army and there is to be an embargo of arms to Hizb'Allah. Therefore, Israel should be able to continue with its fight, inasmuch as Hizb'Allah will not accept the terms of the cease fire.
So far, the strategery appears to be working. The Lebanese cabinet, which was supposed to meet to decide on implementation plans, has postponed its Sunday meeting indefinitely, because Nasrallah has gone back on his pledge to observe the cease fire.
See http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/
This whole line of BS is nothing but a sucker punch by the UN on Israel to give the Hizzies time to reload. Iran has some dirty tricks up its sleeve and this gives them free run to launch whatever it is.
We do not learn from previous lessons on history.
The world learns reeeeeeeaaaaaaaallllllly, reeeeeeeaaaaaaaallllllly, SLOWLY.
If it ever learns at all.
History proves it.
Another way of saying this is, how many chances does Israel give Hezbollah to prove AGAIN that they want to destroy Israel.
Oh, but we do.
Just sometimes we learn the hard way.
That's putting a happy face on it. What have Iran and Syria lost? Their client, Hezbollah, has just fought to a stalemate with Israel. Syria and Iran can now replenish the weapons that Hezbollah used up, and in fact improve on the Hezbollah arsenal. Unless there's a major change brought about in the area, we're looking at another conflict.
Good. Then Israel can take the wraps off and flatten Hezbollistan once and for all.
This time, if Nasrallah blows off the UN, Israel will have the implied approval of the UN. (They will choke on it, hah hah.)
He gets not one stitch of credit for that now, so why bother?
"Good. Then Israel can take the wraps off and flatten Hezbollistan once and for all."
"Hezbollistan" meaning Syria and Iran also. Of course, we would be fine with that, too. Can't wait to hear the UN when THAT begins. It's gonna be veto time for Bolton and the USA.
With all due respect president Bush... that's bullsh*t.
Then They die !!!
This is NUTS!!
I don't care much about the UN actually, but watching Condi and Bolton work is much better than watching Powell and ??whoever it was.
I think it might have been Negroponte, but i'm not sure.
That's not what Bush said. Bush called them "Islamic fascists." If Ramsey Clark had any larnin' at all, he would know that Islamicist is a term used by some academics to refer to proponents of the most radical and violent branches of Islam. Or maybe Ramsey Clark does know that, and he is just assuming (like many liberals) that his audience is stupid.
Mr. President G-d bless you Sir, but do you really believe hizbollah is going to honour such a truce?
Mr.President you ask to make peace with kidnappers?
Good G-d this is dillusional thinking.
I can't believe Bush is this clueless.
Is this man a fool? Muslims that strap bombs on themselves, dogs, children, hide chemicals in baby bottles, ARE ISLAMOFACIST-NAZI'S!!
And also ANY MUSLIMS that supports them. Those Muslims (which the world is still waiting to hear from) that don't support terrorists are fine.
Or like calling the people at this rally American scum sucking traitorous cowardly POS. It doesn't imply that all Americans are that way.
President Bush didn't ask for a truce. Get your facts straight.
He set the Hizb'allah (and Iran, and Syria) up like a row of dominoes, and Israel is about to knock it all down.
The President never expected them to honor the 'conditional cease-fire'. In fact, he depended on them not doing so.
He just explained the plan to the public, and yet many just don't 'get it'.
Many here on FR were criticizing Condoleeza Rice, but she doesn't do anything without it being directed by the President.
Remember, he fooled the Dems, the MSM, everyone that has tried to play him for a fool, and he just gave Iran, Syria, and the Hizb'allah some rope with which to hang themselves.
Never play poker with a Texan.
"I can't believe Bush is this clueless."
Kerry thought Bush was clueless.
The MSM thought Bush was clueless.
The Gov. of Louisiana thought Bush was clueless.
Mary Mapes and Dan Rather thought Bush was clueless.
When will they ever learn?
Neither Hizbollah nor the Shiites will take control of Lebanon. The Lebanese Sunni, the Christian and the Druze hate the Shiites. They also hate the Iranian Pasdaran (Revolutionary Guard) that in 1982 created the Hizbollah and has funded it ever since. If the miserable Hizb could be crushed the Lebanese people could be about their business -- the business of making money.
But he is correct (unintentionally, of course), Democrats don't learn from experience.
Democrats consider a loss a "moral victory"!
;^)
So Ramsey Clark has jumped on the bandwagon by claiming that the phrase 'Islamic Fascist' means that all Islamics are fascists. So, I guess when the phrase 'strawberry ice cream' is used, it means that all ice cream is strawberry flavored. You'd think that someone as learned as he would have a better command of the English language.
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