The Donner Party has moved on from filleting the nomination of Harriet Meiers to gnawing at Dr. Rice.
First of all, I'm not one of the "It's Bush's Fault!" crowd. I voted for Bush - 4 times, and rather enthusiastically each time. I'd happily do so again if it were possible, because I think that the man is a good President with a good moral compass. However, as is the case with any other politician, I reserve the right to disagree on any individual policy position he has, and to complain about it in public forums like FR (obviously with the hope of swaying others, who will sway yet others, etc., until maybe the policy can be changed). I hope that you don't have a problem with that.
Specifically, when it comes to his policy regarding how Israel deals with avowed terrorists that want only the destruction of Israel and the death of all Jews, I disagree with Bush. Bush demands of Israel, and follows up with pressure, things that we ourselves wouldn't even give a 2nd thought to doing. I simply ask that Bush acknowledge - with deeds, not just words - that Israel has the same right to defend itself against these nutjobs that we have, and that he not complain about it or pressure Israel to change its ways or policies when we would do the same thing. Would we (have we) ever give up territory to someone that we took it from who had attacked us from that territory and who was still a threat to us? Hell no, and we're right to do that - so why is it that we pressure Israel to do so?
As to Israel being a "sock puppet," sometimes they have no choice. We are, effectively, Israel's only ally. If they don't dance the way we want them to at least a fair amount of the time, then they'll begin to lose the goodwill of that ally (or at least of the President in office at the time). So, yes, to an extent Israel is a sock puppet - which I'm sure its leaders don't like, but that's reality.