Krauthammer: Let Israel Win the War

This Charles Krauthammer column appeared today in the New York Daily News, and was picked up by Real Clear Politics. Krauthammer demolishes the argument that Israel has acted disproportionately to the Hezbollah attack. Unfortunately, that shameless and baseless argument continues to gain worldwide traction. Krauthammer writes:

With a few significant exceptions (the leadership of the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and a very few others), the world -- governments, the media, U.N. bureaucrats -- has completely lost its moral bearings.

...

The perversity of today's international outcry lies in the fact that there is indeed a disproportion in this war, a radical moral asymmetry between Hezbollah and Israel: Hezbollah is deliberately trying to create civilian casualties on both sides while Israel is deliberately trying to minimize civilian casualties, also on both sides.

In perhaps the most blatant terror campaign from the air since the London blitz, Hezbollah is raining rockets on Israeli cities and villages. These rockets are packed with ball bearings that can penetrate automobiles and shred human flesh. They are meant to kill and maim. And they do.

But it is a dual campaign. Israeli innocents must die in order for Israel to be terrorized. But Lebanese innocents must also die in order for Israel to be demonized, which is why Hezbollah hides its fighters, its rockets, its launchers, its entire infrastructure among civilians. Creating human shields is a war crime. It is also a Hezbollah specialty.

Yet President Bush announced today that Condi Rice is returning to the Middle East. The implication, says Powerline regretfully, in a post ominously titled "Has Hezbollah Won?" is that she is returning to negotiate a ceasefire.