May 3, 2007

Yesterday, an independent  commission all by demanded the firing of Ehud Olmert, Israel's Prime Minister for failing to bring victory to Israel in its war against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Of course, we should be reminded that the commission's mandate was not about Israel's atrocities, the killing of over a thousand civilians, the destruction of much of Lebanon or the plantation of more a million bomblets and land mines. Their task was not  about the morality of the war nor  the moral imperative to redress the  great injustice brought upon the Lebanese people. The suffering and fate of the Lebanese people did not matter. The goal of the inquiry was to document the reasons for the failure in Lebanon and point the finger at the army generals and politicians for failing to secure a decisive victory. While you can bet your last penny, that Olmert will soon be forced out of office, you need to assert that Israel exercise of democracy is only self-serving..
Paradoxically, we should not anytime soon expect a similar high level indictment coming  from. Washington, cradle to the world's  most advanced democracy.  Our country is fatally immersed in a battle over supposed patriotism and real politic. A commission, if ordered  will simply have to read the list of charges against Olmert and replace the name to that of Bush's war in Iraq. God help the Iraqi people as they continue to pay the price of Bush's ill advised policies. God bring comfort and consolation  to the American soldiers and their families  who must die for no morally justifiable reason.

Thee Winogard Commission partial Report