U.S. Hopes to Rival Hezbollah With Rebuilding Effort ( Bush scrambles)

[rodeodance]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-usmideast17aug17,1,7685307.story?coll=la-headlines-world

U.S. Hopes to Rival Hezbollah With Rebuilding Effort

Administration officials say quick action is needed in response to the militant group's reconstruction plans.
By Paul Richter, Times Staff Writer

August 17, 2006

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is scrambling to assemble a plan to help rebuild Lebanon, hoping that by competing with Hezbollah for the public's favor it can undo the damage the war has inflicted on its image and goals for the Middle East.

Administration officials fear that unless they move quickly to demonstrate U.S. commitment, the Lebanese will turn more fully to the militant group, which has begun rolling out an ambitious reconstruction program that Washington believes is bankrolled by Iran.


American officials also believe that the administration must restore its influence to keep a newly assertive Syria from undermining U.S.-supported reformers in Lebanon.

A major rebuilding investment would put the United States in the position of subsidizing both the Israeli munitions that caused the damage and the reconstruction work that will repair it. Such a proposal could meet with resistance from Congress, but administration officials said that the need for action was urgent.....

URGENT? HE WANTS the taxpayers to bail him out of HIS MESS!!

[RoseMead]

1. Never mind all that stuff in Iraq

that we are supposed to be building/rebuilding.

[rodeodance]

3. Biden seems to be onboard with this crap as does Lugar

.......With Congress on its August break, lawmakers have not explicitly taken positions on funding for rebuilding. But some influential members have given indications.

Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has said he would like the United States to take a lead role in the rebuilding by giving generously and organizing meetings of donors. He has argued that the U.S. missed an opportunity by failing to do more in Lebanon last year, as Syria withdrew its troops from the country, leaving a partial vacuum.

Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, voted for a resolution that called for a postwar donors conference. But he made it clear that there should be careful planning before the U.S. committed large sums, an aide noted.

Alterman, the analyst, said providing aid posed complicated challenges in Lebanon, and that the money could easily be wasted without the United States getting any advantage from it.

"Lebanon is a tough commercial environment…. It's tough coming from the outside, trying to identify reliable people," he said. "We could end up getting no credit — or, worse yet, it could end up in the bank accounts of the very people who are trying to get us out."

[saigon68]

25. Joe Biden Pisses away $$$$ with impunity

He loved the Bankruptcy Bill as the Senator from MBNA,

Following orders from his Corporate Masters

[Nostradammit]

35. Or the Gulf Coast

Though I'm glad to see the Bush administration scrambling to rebuild something instead of destroying it for a change.

On Edit: I see about a thousand other posters had the same reaction!

[elliswyatt]

2. so we have a hand in destroying it

and then rebuilding it. We can't provide half the social services to our citizens that Hizbollah provides to its own. Impossible. مستحيل

[rodeodance]

5. I also head a few days ago that Bush wants to ask Congress for supple

menatal spending for this mess! damm.

[atreides1]

4. And all this while

Our very own infrastructure is falling into disrepair, and the rebuilding effort along the Gulf Coast
is completely ignored by this sociopathic imbecile and his butt monkey cabinet!!!!

[rodeodance]

7. Bush would like us to forget about our own Gulf Coast!

[saigon68]

20. ignored by this sociopathic imbecile and his butt monkey cabinet

COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER!!!!

[Az_lefty]

6. How about rebuilding New Orleans?

:shrug:

[truthisfreedom]

15. we're going to rub their noses in this. what a great political position...

[godai]

19. New Orleans comes 1st. Let Hezbollah/Iran repair Lebanon

Of course, this makes Hezzbollah and Iran even more popular, so * needs to try to prevent this. It's absurd that we might increase funds for Israel or Lebanon before sufficient funds are made available for New Orleans. I predict about $1B for Lebanon and, buried in there, another $1B for Israel.

[cyberpj]

23. Oh they'll rebuild NO alright... as investors with for-profit ventures.

There will be a new, richer New Orleans where the majority of the poor used tob be. You wait and see.

[Supersedeas]

42. what, no primetime Photo-op in front of a brightly lit Lebanese historic

site -- with the Prezeldent butchering a speech about compassion conservative foreign policy

[madrchsod]

8. it will not happen

the lebanese government has everything it needs to rebuild. money from iran and the saudi arabia and plenty of european construction firms to do the job...

[rodeodance]

12. i think the WH will try and try hard poring money into Lebanon in the hope

of increasing our credibility!

[Trajan]

9. The WH "Gang That Couldnt Shoot Straight".....

What a cluster fuck this has become ....

They lose influence, because they support an Israeli incursion that destroys the public infrastructure of a small nation, and then whine in the aftermath about 'losing influence' ?

WTF did they think would happen ? .... MORE roses and candy ?

SHEEESH ... WHO the FUCK is steering this Ship Of State ? ...

Hey >> I have an idea ! .... Let the RNC/AEI/PNAC/LIKUD cabal pay for it .... THEY did it ! .....

[donkeyotay]

16. The chimperor thought it was fine to use US taxes to bomb Lebanon

So, we'll have to re-arm Israel for the next round. Now he wants us to fork over a few billion so that Halliburton can do as fine a job there as they've done in Iraq ... and working Americans, and their children, grandchildren, etc., get the bill. It's worse than corporate welfare. It's slavery to the military state, and we are made complicit to war crimes.

Republican economic policy is a wealth conveyor belt to bush's base, the Haves and the Have Mores, and war is one of their best businesses.

[underpants]

24. I remember all the snickers and giggling about the Clinton administration

how unorganized they were
how undisciplined they were
how they HAD to bring David Gergen in to clean up things

Compare that to this. Yeah they might have had piles of pizza boxes lying around and the Allman brothers jamming out in the middle of the day but they didn't get us into this kind of truly mad policy decisions.

Conversely for a group of "street wise" button down business types from a "the party of ideas" who have their agenda neatly planned out they sure as hell look like they woke up from last night's kegger when the final exam was starting now don't they?

[rodeodance]

10. "the administration faces an uphill effort trying to outdo Hezbollah,"

"People have been seized by the need to do more, in a tangible way, and they're working feverishly on this," said a senior administration official who asked to remain unidentified because he was speaking about plans still in development. "They know we're in a race against time to turn around these perceptions."

U.S. officials and private experts agree that the administration faces an uphill effort trying to outdo Hezbollah, which has a broad local base, well-developed social service programs and the confidence of many Lebanese.

"Hezbollah is deeply integrated into Lebanese society," said Jon Alterman, a former State Department official who is head of Middle East studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

"We're coming in when there's a sense that we stood by the destruction of Lebanon by an ally, with U.S. weapons, and didn't complain. So we may be too late."

[Missy M]

11. Urgent, why wasn't New Orleans urgent.....

why is the Middle East so much more important than our own country. His hand is in the destruction of the Middle East and now he wants to rebuild it in his image. How can there be 36% still supporting this total mad man?

[rodeodance]

13. Afgan, Irag, New Orleans, and now Lebanon. all a mess.

[Missy M]

14. With two more years left with this mad man he has time to...

destroy at least two or three more countries to add to that list. Let's see, will it be Venezuela and Cuba?

[saigon68]

33. Maybe both with Bolivia thrown in too.

[gratuitous]

17. GOP again trying to be the daddy

In this instance, "weekend daddy," the guy who dumped his first wife for a newer model and who is trying to show everyone that he's not a scummy pig by being the everything for the kids from the first wife. That means his every other weekend is jam-packed full of excess as he tries to compensate for walking out on his marriage, and persuade the kids that he really, really, "loves them and--what's that, Honey? You wanted to go to Palm Springs this weekend? Well kids, Daddy is really sorry, but he's got an important commitment. Lucinda here will take care of you; there's your favorite peanut butter in the cupboard (Peter Pan, right? No, Skippy? Really?) and the XBox 360 is all ready to go. Oops, let me get GTA San Andreas out of there. Now, no playing this one, okay? I'll see you Sunday night and take you back to Mom's (the bitch). Gotta go. I love you." {Slam}

[leesa]

18. I'm sure pouring money into your friend's pockets is going to impress

Lebanon and the world. You frickin' planned the slaughter you sick fuck!

[angstlessk]

21. Papa bush's friends used to bail him out, now it is WE THE TAXPAYERS

job to bail out his macaca butt!

[underpants]

22. since the first two tries at national building are going so well....

:eyes:

[Solly Mack]

26. deductive reasoning just isn't a strong point of that regime

Cause no doubt they couldn't anticipate the aftermath...

[endarkenment]

27. Here is a clue: hezbollah has the infrastructure to deliver.

We have squat. If the funding even shows up it will all get diverted into the usual graft and corruption and not end up on the ground providing services. Halliburton will be greatful and will continue to support our government.

[Tracer]

28. Call me crazy, but ...

I think that Israel should repair the damage it caused to Lebanon --- and Hizbollah (Iran) should repair the damage they caused to Israel.

The whole war was pointless.

[rodeodance]

29. Bush will just ask for another supplemental for national security!

[Norquist Nemesis]

30. Well, if they don't the US should take it from the aid

given to Israel then.

[Barrett808]

31. Nation building -- who'd have thought? n/t

[FlaGranny]

32. Intereting that it would

take Hezbollah to teach Mr. Bush the way to win the hearts and minds of people is to help them, hmmm?

[confludemocrat]

34. Who would you trust: Bush no-bid contracts to cronies or Hezbollah for

rebuilding? Who's got the best real results track record? Hezbollah, hands down. Otherwise biggest scam ever, we blow bucks to Bush supporters for the goods to blow up a place and now blow more to Bush supporters to rebuild it. Only in America!

[Robbien]

36. US tries to counter Hizbollah rebuilding efforts

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Concerned that Hizbollah has an early advantage in rebuilding shattered south Lebanon, the Bush administration is trying to speed up aid and encouraging Arab states to step in quickly, U.S. officials said this week.

The White House is "cracking the whip" on rebuilding efforts so Iranian-backed Hizbollah is not seen taking the lead and winning any more support among the local population, said a senior State Department official.

"I've said we have got to get with this. These guys (Hizbollah) are out there with their own bulldozers and what are we doing? It takes forever for us to start up rebuilding projects," said the senior official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.

. . .

A donors conference on humanitarian aid is set for August 31 in Stockholm and a later one may be held to deal directly with repairing Lebanon's shattered infrastructure. Bridges and roads took a pounding in the conflict.

Any large-scale U.S.-funded rebuilding effort could take months, just as it did in Iraq where the Bush administration's efforts are still faltering.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-08-17T230029Z_01_N17430166_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST-USA-REBUILDING.xml

[3waygeek]

37. Yeah, just like the

bang-up job we did in Iraq. :sarcasm:

[Jazzgirl]

38. And just like the bang-up job we did in the Gulf.

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[bvar22]

39. Lebanon should reply, "Thanks, but No Thanks".

"We would rather do it ourselves before opening the door to US Corporations and Corruption."

[Robbien]

40. I believe Lebanon has already said it.

BushCo is playing catchup here.

[bemildred]

41. These assholes are so lame.

Never ahead of the game, always playing catchup, always trotting out some new bullshit to fix the mess created by the previous bullshit.

[SoCalDem]

43. He's always so generous with OUR MONEY, isn;t he?

It's a shame he wasn't as interested in stopping this mess when they had only destroyed the airport...

Or maybe after Katrina...