That was the question which sprang to mind after reading about US President George Bush's offer to strengthen the Lebanese army this morning. Yeah, let's paint the only stabilising force in the country as a US-backed puppet! In a part of the world where the US is deeply unpopular (to put it mildly), that's a stunningly stupid and counterproductive move.
America should condemn Hizbollah for bringing out the guns. But if it wants to avoid making the situation worse (and to be honest, I'm not sure that they do), then a little subtlety would help.
