Liberals and Israel

"Of course, it's increasingly obvious that we don't want to get anything done. The Rome conference is pretty clearly not designed to accomplish anything serious, and in the meantime Israel is gearing up for a long-term occupation of Lebanon -- I'd bet on years myself, not weeks or months. It's hard to think of a worse outcome for Israel, the Middle East, or the world, but that's what we're getting."

Attention: We have some new polls, with the NYT and WSJ both showing Bush blipping up 2 points to 39 percent.

"Americans are overwhelmingly pessimistic about the state of affairs in the Middle East, with majorities doubtful there will ever be peace between Israel and its neighbors, or that American troops will be able to leave Iraq anytime soon, according to the latest New York Times /CBS News poll.

"A majority said the war between Israel and Hezbollah will lead to a wider war. And while almost half of those polled approved of President Bush's handling of the crisis, a majority said they preferred the United States leave it to others to resolve.

"Over all, the poll found a strong isolationist streak in a nation clearly rattled by more than four years of war, underscoring the challenge for Mr. Bush as he tries to maintain public support for his effort to stabilize Iraq and spread democracy through the Middle East."

The Journal: "Americans persist in their bleak assessment of events in Iraq, the state of the U.S. economy, and the job performance of President Bush and Congress, the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows.

"The Journal/NBC poll shows a modest uptick in Mr. Bush's job performance, to 39% from 37% last month, but a 56% majority disapproves Mr. Bush's job performance. Congress fares even worse, with 25% approval and 60% disapproval . . .

"The public's desire for a change in direction represents bad news for the Republican majority. By 48%-38%, voters say they prefer that Democrats win control of Congress this fall; by identical proportions, voters say its time to 'give a new person a chance' in Congress."

Now that Maryland Republican Senate candidate Michael Steele has been outed as the mystery guest at a press lunch where he bashed Bush and the GOP, he's targeting . . . Dana Milbank?

"In the fallout from his remarks belittling the Republican Party," says the Baltimore Sun , "Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele went after The Washington Post yesterday, saying his comments had been 'off the record.'

"Steele told WBAL radio that The Post had violated the terms of a 90-minute luncheon meeting Monday with nine reporters at a Capitol Hill restaurant by being the only news outlet, initially, to publish a story about what was said there."

Well, guess what? Milbank has actual proof that Steele is wrong.