Delusion is on the march

White House spokesman Tony Snow assures us that it's really no big deal that Hezbollah is achieving popular legitimacy in the wake of its war with Israel. He spoke in response to reports that the group, supported by Iranian cash, is assisting Lebanese citizens in rebuilding their homes and lives.

Not to worry, says the Bush administration.

In Washington, President Bush’s press aide is shrugging off reports Hezbollah is offering cash to help the Lebanese people rebuild after the war with Israel.

Press Secretary Tony Snow said the Lebanese won't be fooled even though he calls it part of a "masterful" public relations campaign by the militant group.

The Lebanese people "won't be fooled?" What does that even mean? The Lebanese people know that their homes were destroyed, and that people they loved were killed by Israeli/American bombs. They know also that Hezbollah is stepping up with offers of money for rebuilding. What's not to understand? In the eyes of people desperate for a return to normalcy, this all means Israel/America = BAD, Hezbollah = GOOD. The reality is that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization, but that isn't going to matter at the end of the day. The Lebanese citizenry was not attacked by Hezbollah.

Snow's remarks are obviously informed by the same calculus informing Bush's belief that dropping bombs on Iran will cause Iranians to turn against their own government. I defy any Bush follower to provide a single historical example of this ever having happened.

The Lebanese people whose lives were destroyed by Israeli bombs hate Israel. The Iraqi people whose homes were destroyed, and whose loved ones were killed by American bombs and bullets hate America. Nobody is standing at his child's gravesite in the 100+ degree heat in Baghdad today thinking, "Damn that Saddam! Why did he make them do this to us?" Likewise, nobody in Beirut is thinking, "Thank God for Israel! Hezbollah had it coming!"