They don't do irony

If Bush and Rice could only hear themselves...


Mr. Russert and colleagues can't see it from the air

Today on Meet the Press, Tim Russert asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about Lebanon. Quite rightly, Dr. Rice spoke of how the Lebanese deserve a political process free from foreign interference.

DR. RICE: ...We're concentrating, Tim, on trying to remove the artificial element in Lebanese politics at this point and that is Syrian troops and the Syrian security forces, intelligence services. Once that is done, the Lebanese will be able to have a political process that is free of that kind of foreign interference, a political process that will begin to develop and we will be able to see or they will be able to see what the real balance of forces looks like in Lebanon. But as long as you have an overwhelming security and troop presence there for the Syrians, it is not possible for them to do that work.

This follows wisdom President Bush dispensed in a March 8 speech at the National Defense University.

All Syrian military forces and intelligence personnel must withdraw before the Lebanese elections, for those elections to be free and fair....The elections in Lebanon must be fully and carefully monitored by international observers. The Lebanese people have the right to determine their future, free from domination by a foreign power. The Lebanese people have the right to choose their own parliament this spring, free of intimidation. And that new government will have the help of the international community in building sound political, economic, and military institutions, so the great nation of Lebanon can move forward in security and freedom. (emphasis added to passage where the equivalent does not apply in Iraq)

It all passes without comment from Tim Russert and his colleagues in the US media. I take that back, Jon Stewart commented a few nights ago on the fake news Daily Show, ``They don't do irony, do they.''