Israel v. Lebanon, still.

Not a heck of a lot has changed in the physical-violence sense. Israel is still bombing all over Lebanon, killing more people who have nothing to do with Hezbollah, and destroying trucks carrying donated medical supplies. Hezbollah is still firing at Israel, of course, though one would suspect that they will run out of missiles before Israel's military might is exhausted.

Israel has backed off its demand that Hezbollah disarm BEFORE a cease-fire agreement is reached - a provision they surely had to know they were not going to get. And the U.S. government came to its senses a day late, deciding now that the Blair/Annan multinational force plan may be a good one. However, all is not lost for Israel and the U.S., because the U.S. plans on letting Israel continue having its boom-boom fun for about one more week before sending Condi Rice out there to set up this "border patrol."

A lot can happen in a week, though. The president of Iran's Parliament is actively picking a fight with the U.S. and Israel, calling Israel a "filthy tumor... in the body of the Islamic world," and says that, as long as Israel exists, that "Muslims will always hate America." Turkey is planning on taking advantage of the Israel/Lebanon conflict by invading (at least) the Kurdish part of Iraq. Other Arab neighbors, including Hamas and the Palestinians, may join the fray on the side of Hezbollah as well.

Read today's latest here.

Oh, and the U.S. government, in all its concern for the safety of its citizens in Lebanon, had considered CHARGING American citizens money for the "privilege" of being rescued from the war zone. Fortunately for them, the government rescinded that demand.