Former Bush State Dept Official Speaks Out Against US Response

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Wayne White.....was Deputy Director of the State Department's Office of Middle East and South Asia Analysis until March 2005....

Here are snips from some of his replies to Silverstein's questions

...Despite (Rice's) meetings in New York at the UN, back in Washington, and her upcoming trip to the region, I believe her activities have been tailored to give the impression of action while not designed to make any real progress toward the urgent ceasefire that should be everyone's highest priority.
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Israel's civilian and military leadership appears to believe that it can destroy Hezbollah, not only by attacking Hezbollah itself, but also by showing Lebanese in general what the price will be for allowing Hezbollah to operate on Lebanese territory......In fact, not learning from the American experience in Iraq that trying to crush a guerrilla movement with conventional military force involving significant—and in this case, even deliberate—collateral casualties and damage might only generate thousands of other potential fighters bearing various grievances, the IDF could find itself mired in the same sort of seemingly open-ended confrontation.

...This crisis will further erode U.S. credibility in the Middle East—and beyond. Despite clearly siding with Israel, Washington used to be regarded as a party quite often useful for intercession with the Israelis, but in this case the Bush Administration has seemingly given Israel a blank check to do whatever it wants for as long as it wants......I find scenes of devastated Lebanese urban areas not only appalling, but frightening.

http://harpers.org/sb-six-questions-for-wayne-white-2308402183.html