[Alberta's Child]

. . . Ehud Barak allowed himself to be browbeaten by short-sighted Israeli public opinion and the Clinton administration into fleeing Lebanon before the job was done.

That wasn't really the case at all. Israel withdrew from Lebanon because the cost of occupying the place was enormous -- and "short-sighted Israeli public opinion" was largely driven by the recognition that Israel would eventually bankrupt itself trying to wage a permanent military campaign in Lebanon.

[MikeA]

So what was untrue about what I said?? You basically reiterated my point. And what you cite as the reasons behind Barak eventually pulling out from Southern Lebanon are the same pressures working against our efforts in Iraq now. But it is true Clinton worked tirelessly to get Barak out of Lebanon and Barak going along with that and Israeli public opinion finally gave in. The result is what we see now, a far costlier war.