Democrat Joe Biden was on CNN’s Larry King Live tonight stating that Hezbollah is “unequivocally” the villain in this current tragedy. The Senator from Delaware was, thankfully, unconvinced by the gloomy divination of World War III eagerly purported by Newt Gingrich, among others (Of course, it is true the Bush administration fancies such a broader war).

Still, Biden reaffirmed comments by other leading Democrats like Hillary Clinton and the Republicans by reinforcing the myth that only Hezbollah is guilty of terrorism and only Hezbollah is the problem and only Israel’s security is of concern. And what to do with those terrorist states Syria and Iran?

We must believe, then, that only Hezbollah and Syria and Iran can commit terrorist acts—certainly not Israel or America. Instead, in truth, Israel is committing acts of terrorism when it attacks civilians and civilian infrastructure (i.e. over 200 dead Lebanese, mostly civilians); and the US–in its wanton destruction of cities like Fallujah and Haditha, use of depleted uranium weaponry and cluster bombs on civilians, use of snipers that indiscriminately murder non-combatants, as well as countless other acts of terror—is equally guilty.

Professor Richard Falk argues that limiting terrorism to non-state actors is: “ethically unacceptable, politically manipulative and decidedly unhistorical. It is important to recall that the usage of the word ‘terrorism’ to describe political violence derives from the government excesses that spun out of control during the French Revolution.” More precisely, the US and Israel are unacceptably limiting terrorism to those they wish to subjugate. Meanwhile, the US and Israel are merely defending themselves, while Hezbollah and Hamas are vile terrorists.

This unspeak—“the War on Terror”– cannot stand.

Justifying our murder in the name of fighting terrorism reaches the very bottom of loathsome hypocrisy.

But is it any wonder Democrats are mirroring Republicans? Can we will really expect anything more from the “second” party, who only occasionally stray from pro-corporate, pro-Israel, pro-war policy? The future seems bleak for Lebanese security, along with the state of America politics.

by Rob Gregory