Hard?

This is coolbert:

"Lebanon takes control of refugee camp"

Finally, it is over. A siege of a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon has ended. The forces of the Lebanese "central government" have finally been able to defeat a rag-tag group of "militants" supposedly Al-Qaeda affiliated, that were occupying the Nahr el-Bared camp.

"Militants", Palestinians [?], of Islamic fundamentalist persuasion, were able to hold off the attacks by Lebanese army troops FOR THREE MONTHS.

This Lebanese army commander was on the radio talking about the siege. "Of course, we cannot defeat these militants", "we do not have armor", "we do not have aircraft".

"Two soldiers were killed in the fray, bringing to 155 the number of troops killed since May 20, when the standoff with the militants began."

SINCE MAY 20 THIS SIEGE HAS BEEN GOING ON!! AND VICTORY NOT UNTIL NOW!!

"A Lebanese Army source said 37 militants were killed and an unknown number were captured"

"The Bush administration has supplied the Lebanese army with ammunition, body armor and night-vision goggles during its three-month battle with Fatah al-Islam militants."

Right! What we need is tanks! What we need is planes! What we need is more ammunition, more body armor, more night-vision goggles. Then we can beat the militants.

Sounds like the story you used to hear in Vietnam. If the South Vietnamese [ARVN] just had M-16's, if they just had more M113 and M-48 tanks. If they just had more F-5 fighter planes, then the ARVN could win the war.

"The moral is to the physical as three is to one" - - Napoleon.

Of course, at the same time, I also realize that the ruins of that camp, combined with determined fighters, tunnels, fighting positions of strength, greatly complicate the task. BUT, SINCE MAY 20??!!

Am I being excessively harsh here??!!

coolbert.