Friday, July 21, 2006

The Economist is caught in a logic trap

Sometimes, you see this a lot with BDS or RDS, smart people are so blinded by their dislike or hate of an individual or institution that they can't think straight. Here is a perfect example.
A war that starts by accident is not necessarily easy to end. This one is what Israelis call a “war of choice”. Mr Olmert did not have to react the way he did. But now that he has, the stakes could hardly be higher for both sides. It is no longer a matter of wounded pride or the fate of the kidnapped soldiers.

If Hizbullah is beaten, it risks losing its position as the strongest power in the fractious Lebanese state, with damaging consequences in the region for its Iranian sponsor and Syrian ally. If Israel falters, many of its people think, the iron wall of military power that has enabled it to win grudging acceptance in the Middle East will have been seriously breached.
All valid points. What does The Economist think should happen?
What is needed now is a way for both sides to climb down. Israel must get its soldiers back, Hizbullah's departure from the border area and an undertaking that
Hizbullah will not attack again. The Lebanese army or a neutral force should then man the border. Hizbullah needs to be given a way to consent to these changes without losing face. Squaring this will take time, ingenuity and the full engagement of the United States. It will not bring peace to the Middle East but it might silence a dangerous new front. America should start its work at once.
What is needed now is that my hair should be darker and thinker. I should be able to run a 6 minute mile again. I should be selected for Major Command at Sea - now, to the place I want to go. I should be appointed by my Gov to the next open seat in Congress. I should win the lottery by acclamation.

What another planet. Both The Economist and Phibian in the above paragraph are asking for things that will never happen, yet like a child, expect them to be granted just so things will be easy.

And the gall of the last part. I thought unilateral US action was a complete nightmare from the British Press point of view - America is the source of all evil in the world. Give me a break. I pay too much for that subscription to read such KosKids logic and two-faced knowitallism.

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