Any doubts about IAF's resolve and capabilities?

congratulations mr olmert and tsahal

Say what you want about Bush (and there's plenty to criticise) but he was 100 times better than Obama. Make that a 1000 times better.

Bush gave Israel time to deal a critical blow to Hizbullah, but they blew it. Inadequate training and supplies, political cowardice, and a failure of nerve. After a few weeks the US decided Israel needed to wrap it up. But if Bush hesitated to bomb a "sovereign country [Syria] with no warning", he demonstrated abject weakness by failing to punish Syria for channeling jihadists into Iraq to kill American soldiers. I also suspect Bush elected not to attack Syria's nuclear facility because, well, he already had his hands full dealing with Iraq and Afghanistan.

what a pity!!!!

President, no president is perfect.

You neglected to mention that had Israel paid a little less attention to "collateral damage," the job would have gotten done a lot faster. There certainly was precedent -- look at all those dead civilians in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite this silly notion that civilian losses can be avoided in war, however, I wouldn't call Israel's operation a "failure." After all, how many missiles have been fired into Northern Israel since 2006?

Israel did NOT bungle the war. Israel was able to destroy nearly all of hezzies long range weapons, took total air control, destroying all of lebanons costal radars. Israel inflicted far more destruction on the hezzie axis of evil than the katyushas did to eretz Yisrael. Israel just quit too early, which does bring me to a point I agree with you on, Israel had a TERRIBLE leadership at the time. But as for the IDFs training being inadequate, I couldn't disagree more. I believe that the IDF is the best trained army in the world, and have even BEATEN the marines in joint military training exersizes- the latest being in sept of 2010.

What is often said in America, by those who are pro Israel, is no American servicemen have been killled defending Israel. If the U.S. bombs Iran and loses airmen that will negate the original statement and weaken many thousands of American's resolve for Israel. Israel will have to decide what to do about Iran's nuclear capabilities alone. This is particularly true with Obama in the White House.

Oh, I think Israel has known all along that it would have to go it alone against Iran. My guess would be early Spring 2011.

The US wouldn't be acting against the Syrian and Iranian nuclear ambitions for Israel's sake but rather for the US' sake (and most everybody else). Regardless of who sits in the Oval Office!

bus now says olmert asked him to bomb syria. Boy, readers take note of the weaklings-olmert, livni, ramon and barak ask US to bomb syria rather than be man enough to handle it themselves. And with the US bogged down in iraq and afganistan, and bad record in covert operations, israel had to do it alone with self-confidence and not bloody babies. Olmert, ramon, livni are boody babies and cowards. Barak was against it too for reasons perhaps relating too being done with operations-he has had enough of them and figures israel will have to live with nuclear arab and iran states. Being blessed by rabbi yoself won't keep olmert out of jail. As margalit, an old friend of his who saw the truth, said olmert was a miserable failure and lacked the skills to lead israel in war and peace. On the other hand, give olmert an economic portfolio and he handled with ease and first hand feeling for cash, transfers, exchange rates, billing, double billing, safe deposits, foreign holdings. he was totally comfortable in that assignment. Put him anywhere near security, idf, he hated it, flip- flopped and conceded.

if the war had been won with overwhelming efficiency &c., might not the re-armament of hezbollah been overwhelmingly efficient as well, through iran via syria? more so than it is. it could be worse in syria too, as far as israel is concerned (as well as a lot better). are these calculations, in israel's national interest, not made too?

As Sarah pointed out in her post (#9), it was Israel trying to avoid collateral damage (civilian deaths) that held Israel back. Something the U.S. and the Coalition forces didn't do in Kosovo or Iraq. I believe over 150,000 civilians were killed in Kosovo alone by U.S. and Coalition forces. The number was similar (and some said exceeded that amount) in the first Gulf War. Yet in Lebanon Israel caught all kinds of flack for Lebanese civilian deaths even though video's clearly proved Hezbollah was launching attacks from residential areas. Yet Hezbollah took almost no criticism for their use of human shields. Again as Sarah pointed out not many missiles have come from Southern Lebanon since the 2006 war ended. Not to mention the lopsided damage: Israel: $12 million infrastructure damage; with about 130 dead Lebanon: $1.2 billion infrastructure damage; with about 1,400 dead Israel: For every one Israeli killed, Lebanon had 10 killed. Israel: For every $1 dollar in property damage Israel suffered; Lebanon suffered $100 dollars in damage At the end of the day Israel took out the Syrian nuke plant. The proof it was a nuke plant is simple. The Syrians to this day will not allow the plant to be inspected. Why? Because it was a nuke plant, period! Believe me, if it was not Syria would have had the UN inspectors there the next day to humiliate Israel. The fact they didn't is PROOF POSITIVE it was a nuke plant. CASE CLOSED

Bush shriveled in the face of China when a US spy plane was forced to land in China, he sat like bewildered dork when the attack on the Twin Towers occured, blew a unique opportunity to take out Bin Laden at Tora Bora, grew incredily large testicles attacking a severely weakened Saddam Hussein making Iran 50ft tall in the process and this is Sarah's dream date? Yuck!

Taking out that reactor would have been way too popular in the U.S. That would've interfered with his letting himself become unpopular, and make it harder to grease the skids for Dingbat Hussein Obama.

And he was an obedient servant of Irans mullahs...NO one let me more down than this man...

The guy was a total fraud masquerading as "christian conservative" and is owned by the Saudis.He had the chance to destroy bin laden at tora bora but subcontracted the job to allies of bin laden. His moment of decision came when no WMD's were found. He should have either withdrawn or at least had the CIA "plant" some weapons to find. He told the american public the "war" would be paid with Iraqi oil. There's no doubt he lied-and people did die. Atleast with Obama, we get an honest Marxist. A real "cowboy" would have got the job done.

Nope, they just built his long range guns.(which eventually were found out and stopped) Now why aren't you let down by the cowardly actions of your own govt.? Oh I know, maybe because it was THEY, and not George Bush who were the real servants of Irans mullahs.

your criticism of the European governments, I am also totally and absolutely disgusted by their cowardice and inaptitude to confront either Iraq or Iran...there is no question about this. The Europeans were cowards then and are cowards now, I would never ever dispute that. W. let me down, because I thought, that HE was a cowboy...I was DEAD WRONG...!!!!

Baghdad is very far from the USA and was captured in less than 30 days. If the IDF wants to impress the world let them mobilize and capture Tehran that has threatened to wipe Israel off the map. Now that would be impressive if the Star of David was wrapped around an Ayatollahs Statue.