Another 'Mission Accomplished' Moment?

"Speaking to a domestic audience skeptical of his decision to accept a cease-fire -- one that ended most of the fighting a day after Hezbollah sent one of its heaviest rocket barrages of the war across the border -- Olmert insisted that the military 'has struck a major blow to this murderous organization.'

"He added, however, 'The extent is not known.' "

Megan K. Stack writes for the Los Angeles Times from Beirut that Hezbollah "lighted up the night sky with fireworks Monday and declared itself triumphant over Israel.

"Israel meant to break Hezbollah with its monthlong offensive, but instead the militant organization has been strengthened politically in Lebanon, analysts say. The movement has a fresh boost of popularity, at least for now, and a renewed sense that it is entitled to keep its armed militia outside the control of the Lebanese army, they say.

"Hezbollah's newfound clout has come at a staggering cost to Lebanon's infrastructure, economy and civilians, hundreds of whom died under the rubble of Israeli bombs. The fragile central government, which the U.S. administration strove to present as an example of democracy taking root in the Arab world, also has suffered from the month of fighting."

Steven Erlanger writes in the New York Times: "For the moment, Hezbollah is bathed in a heroic light, not just in Lebanon but throughout the Muslim world. . . .

"Israel's vaunted military invincibility, which has been a big part of its defense strategy, has taken a serious knock."

The Washington Post's Anthony Shadid talks to Hezbollah fighters emerging from the rubble in southern Lebanon. "We're still here," says one.

Et Tu, George?

George F. Will writes in The Washington Post: "Hezbollah has willingly suffered (temporary) military diminution in exchange for enormous political enlargement."

And Will doesn't stop there. He savages Bush on Iraq and argues that law enforcement, not firepower, is the most useful tool against the terrorists who threaten us today -- an argument long advanced by Democratic Sen. John Kerry. In fact, Will takes blistering aim at the kind of straw-man argument so frequently made by the White House.

"Immediately after the London plot was disrupted, a 'senior administration official,' insisting on anonymity for his or her splenetic words, denied the obvious, that Kerry had a point. The official told The Weekly Standard :

" 'The idea that the jihadists would all be peaceful, warm, lovable, God-fearing people if it weren't for U.S. policies strikes me as not a valid idea. [Democrats] do not have the understanding or the commitment to take on these forces. It's like John Kerry. The law enforcement approach doesn't work.'