Israeli leadership was the sole cause of non-performance. Let's not blame the victims dying for their country.
Trading lives for "attaboys", I thought, was the sole property of the U.S.
Overwhelming force underwhelmingly applied against a murederous primitive enemy, is criminal.
don't think there's much wrong with their troops and whatever needs fixing, i'm sure it can be. the sting of not achieving a full victory is real, but that may be a reality of this kind of warfare (aren't we experiencing same in Iraq?)
I love it (NOT!) when the media blames the troops for the inadequacies and errors of the politicians.
Of course blaming the politicians and lawyers would only reflect back at themselves at a later date.
I am bemused by all of the caterwauling about Israel's "losing" the war.
Here is how things stand (my view):
1. This was a battle, not a war.
2. This was Lebanon vs. Israel (Hezbollah IS Lebanon). The meme that Hezbollah is somehow separate from Lebanon is like the great myth that Austria was "Hitler's first victim" (were it not for an unfortunate appointment to the UN Secretary General, this myth would have gone on, unchallenged. Old Joke: What is Waldheimer's Disease? Answer: It makes you forget you were a Nazi).
If you count the casualties and battle damages, Israel won by a TKO.
3. No matter how many weapons and how many troops Hezbollah retains, Lebanon will not soon again try to singe Israel's beard.
4. Iran's cards have been played and they have lost. Hezbo spent over half their missiles store and inflicted precious little damage for all their sound and fury. Now the threat is gone. Yes, Hezbo can start firing them again -- but they won't. They didn't work when tested and would work less well if used again (think of the Battle for Britain and the great Blitz).
5. I predict that GWB will link recovery aid to Lebanon with Hezbo disarmament. Lebanon will have to choose: Give up the proxies or squat in your own filth.
6. The IDF has gotten a good lesson (watching the success of the Yanks in Iraq wasn't enough). The IDF will come up with counters to Hezbo's use of wire guided missiles in lieu of tube artillery and will train the troops to avoid sheltering in buildings in sight of enemy positions. And tank commanders will be taught to keep their heads down and their hatches battened. And the IDF will greatly strengthen training of regular troops and reserves. And the IDF will get substantially greater operating funds.
I don't know if Olmert will survive -- and I don't know if he should survive. I need to know more about the advice he was given and the warnings he received (from Rice & co).
But, PLEASE! Chill out! So what if the Hezbillys dance in the street? Smell the rotting corpses in their bunkers and gauge their appetite to rejoin the battle.
I do not know the accuracy of this story, but lack of equipment, and lack of and/or poor training will gut any army.
Uhmmm...right. Let's just forget that the MSM gleefully published any and all propaganda put out by the Hezbos with nary a skeptical eye or ear.
Humbling? O.K., answer me this: how many Hizz fighters and enablers died or were put out of action, vs. how many Israelis?
Maybe we should pray for more such enemy "victories"!
I think this is a result of enforcing the "land for peace" surrender. Competent NCO's and officers deemed unreliable with respect to evicting settlers were replaced en masse with "yes men" and "team players".
Hezzbollah made the most of what they had and made the Israelis pay. This will become the stuff of legends and a recruiting tool for generations. Twice Hezzbollah has slapped around the IDF, each time a little better. Hezzbollah doesn't, and the fighters don't care about causalities. In a few years Hezzbollah will recover, stronger. Lessions learned from this will not be enough. Israel has to leap frog ahead of expected Hezz inovations.
Benjamin Netanyahu would have annihilated the Hezbo's on the Israeli-Lebanon border.