HEZBOLLAH GLOATS - WE SPENT A MONTH HIDING BEHIND THE UN'S SKIRTS, SO WE WON!

Yes, we know it's annoying. But who cares - it's classic lady doth protest too much blithering. If Nasrallah's best argument is that the consequences of Lebanon II have hurt Olmert's political career, he ought to look into how the Lebanese blogosphere is reacting to Winograd:

If the Israeli prime minister is being held accountable for failing to deliver on his promises, Hizbullah took an entire nation to war without consulting its government or people, and delivered them death and destruction. Yet you don't hear of a probe or investigation into how a militia got away with destroying the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands, and how it continues to hold a country hostage. Why stop at Hizbullah? Soon, many "citizens" of this Arab world will be claiming victory over an enemy they never fought, in a battle they never won and in which they made no real sacrifices... So hurray, we have won. Israel is defeated. Strangely, their defeat will move them forward. As for our "divine victory", well, it will keep us where we are, which is at the bottom of the lowest circles of hell.

Lebanon II was bungled not because the IDF lost but because the IDF did not win fast enough. Fast enough by the standards of the international community, which demands that Israel win wars instantly. Wars fought against enemies that hide in civilian areas don't work that way. Had the IDF been allowed to go after Hezbollah's infrastructure for another month - or if they had been allowed to leverage the IAF's air superiority and to hell with Hezbollah's use of civilian areas as military staging grounds - does anyone have the slightest doubt what the result would have been? For Hezbollah to claim victory because they spent a month hiding figuratively behind the skirts of UN officials and literally behind the skirts of Lebanese women - well, it just seems a like they're trying just a bit too hard. A 10 to 1 kill ratio - to say nothing of the 1000 to 1 infrastructure ratio - does not a glorious victory make.

[Read an extended version of this post at Mere Rhetoric]