Here's the key to the story; it matches what I heard in 2006 after the war. This government couldn't make up its mind to take decisive action; it fits. When the Lebanon War began, Olmert, Peretz, and Dan Halutz, the IDF Chief of Staff, promised results to the White House using the old saw of Victory through Airpower. Everyone, from Cheney to Rice on down questioned the Israeli methods.
The White House was right. Leaking from the Israeli Government tried to put the onus on Rice and the Administration for Israel's failure, when in fact, she held Olmert's hand for three weeks in July. Useful Idiots like John Bolton merely amplified the Israeli Government line. Now, the accumulation of disastrous decisions by the Olmert regime are forcing the truth to come out.
The critical flaw in our strategic planning since 2006 has been a weak Israeli Government, as outlined in the Winograd Report. It has gotten so bad that the IDF's deterrent value will not be restored without anything other than radical action, up to and including a campaign in Syria to remove the Iranians. Sadly, Hezboallah's rocket forces are so massive that a rocket barrage will almost certainly provoke an assault on Iran.
As to the fact that it's from DEBKA? Look, I've read more critics of Rice and Hadley take Debka and World Tribune reports as Gospel when it puts the USG in a more "appeasement-oriented" light on this forum. Now that it goes the other way, they question the source. Can't have it both ways, folks.
Be Seeing You,
Chris