Final Plot Thickens – GW Bush’s War in Lebanon

GW Bush and his Israeli cohorts planned the bombardment of Lebanon together. That, according to Seymore Hersh's recent article in the NEW YORKER magazine. Hezbollah bunkers and tunnels were built to Iranian standards. Giving the Israelis the green light to bomb Lebanon, Bush was eager to determine whether the Israeli Air Force, with American weapons, could penetrate Iranian style built tunnels and bunkers. This test was to be a prelude to war on Iran. The Bush administration denies this is true.

Stephan Hadley, Bush's National Security Chief made the declaration that Hersh’s article was untrue. Hersh, a gadfly, always controversial, broke the My Lai Massacre and Abu Gharib stories. Recently he carried a story that the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon kicked back and refused a White House request to plan the use of nuclear weapons employment to bombard Iran.

Quite frankly whom would you believe? Hadley, who was Condoleezza's pistolero at NSC and was caught flat footed at 9/11, then misled the US in the invasion of Iraq, along with Yellow Cake, mushroom clouds, ties to Al Qaeda, cake walks etc.; or Hersh, who represents a reputable magazine, whose editors vetted the sourcing for this story and has a track record of solid investigative reporting. Answer is easily Hersh.

The way that Bush's Lebanese war was to play out is that the Israelis would react to any provocation by Hezbollah to launch a massive raid on Hezbollah bunkers in South Lebanon and all the Lebanese infrastructure. Blasting the infrastructure was designed to turn the Lebanese people against Hezbollah by blaming them for the Israeli inflicted death and destruction. If this scenario worked, Bush believed it could be applied to Iran: i.e., bomb the daylights out of Iran and the Iranians would turn against the ayatollahs, revolt and make GW Bush and Israel happy by ending an Iranian quest for nuclear weapons.

Unfortunately this twisted thinking is typical of the Israeli First Neocon policy that dominates the Bush Administration; always based on false assumptions and corrupted intelligence.

Ruthless bombing of Lebanese infrastructure backfired on Bush and Israel. By the time the cease-fire started, Hezbollah popularity increased significantly not only in Lebanon, but also in the Sunni Arab world... To make matters worse for Bush Inc., it did not defeat Hezbollah on the South Lebanese battlefield and to its chagrin, 250 undamaged katyushas hit Israel on the eve of the cease-fire. No prisoners were returned unconditionally to Israel. So far there is no evidence that Hezbollah turned in weapons, nor does there appear to be an intention to do so. There is still confusion on the makeup and deployment of the UN force. Bush and Israeli claim victory, but neither have any credibilty. American Jewish circles are in despair – the Israeli government most likely will fall, because of the faulty conduct of the war... Even the born again Zionist Christian, Reverend Pat Roberts, said the war was pointless.

As Hezobollah goes about cleaning up war damages and writing $12,000 checks for bombed out victims, you can find banners on piles of rubble in Beirut declaring, MADE IN THE USA...

Despite damage to transportation net-works, you can assume Hezbollah is being resupplied as Lebanese caravans return south. Underground tunnels from Syria also will insure resupply of military equipment and supplies to Hezbollah. No blockade by Israel or the UN can stop the resupply... Iran, Syria and Hezbollah are crowing victory over Israel and US. Assad Beshar of Syria declared there can be no peace in the Middle East as long as Bush is president. US still has the Iranian nuc problem which has been complicated by the results of the war... Bush has to talk directly to Iran, Syria and Hezbollah; otherwise, he will isolate the US as Israel is cut off diplomatically.

Smoking gun documentation of whether Bush used the Lebanese war as a tune up for the bombing campaign of Iran will come as a US or Israeli source is tempted by book royalties and TV glory... There is no question that Bush and Condoleezza intentionally delayed the cease-fire as long as they could to give the Israeli Defense Forces time to destroy the Hezbollah and Lebanese infrastructure – there is no question the US provided state of the art weapons to destroy Hezbollah formations and Lebanese infrastructure. That it failed, may preclude the foolish bombardment of Iran now advocated by the Neocons, and tempts GW Bush so much. This may be positive, but certainly an unintended consequence for Bush's bloody adventure.

Mr. Bush appears to have the King Midas touch for disaster: 9/11, Katrina, North Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza and now Lebanon. He has demonstrated he can start wars, but he cannot win them – that is a serious flaw in the man.

One thing Mr. Bush insured in his war in Lebanon: the US will go down in history with the Nazis in the Spanish Civil War by testing tactics and weapons in one small war for another much larger. Thank you Mr. Bush for this dubious distinction – you did it again. Colonel RE Bartos USA RET