Quo vadis?

As news of the Israeli/Hezbollah/Lebanese cease fire...

Hold it.

Can we pause, please?

Thanks.

Someone please tell CNN that settling on "Middle East Cease Fire" as the phrase du jour when there is still drama in the region outside of the conflict in question is fucked up. Having a time clock countdown to that cease fire all weekend long is downright FOXish.

Oh, fuck it to hell and back again.

Where was I?

As news of the Israeli/Lebanese cease fire broke a bitch couldn't help but pause and reflect.

Pax?

Uh, no.

A bitch studied Latin for 5 years and that's a lot of Latin (wink). Some of it stuck. So when this latest conflict between Hezbollah and Israel began...and a certain Condi Rice decided to flex her verbal accuracy on Meet the Press, Face the Nation, This Week and Wolfie B.'s Sunday CNN-based festival of fear by saying 'we can not have a return to the status quo ante' over and over and over again...well, it made me rather hostile.

With the cease fire in place...sorta, kinda and maybe...a bitch has to give it to Ms. Rice. We may not have achieved a lasting pax, but we sure as shit do not have a return to the status quo ante.

I think it's safe to say that some shit has changed.

Hezbollah has survived. Argue about how degraded they are if you must, but they still exist. Hezbollah are limping away from this conflict all but singing Elton John's I'm Still Standing.

Israel now has to spin this shit and spin it hard and fast. They must create the perception of victory, which is doable if they pull out their Rovian Political Spin for Dummies Handbook.

First they will have to make certain that the foundation of pseudo reality required for a successful Rovian spin fest is in place. It looks like it is. Mercy, the definition of victory has changed so many times that a bitch was almost convinced that a return to the status quo ante was the goal from day one! All Israel needs to do is distract from and discourage any mention of hostages or disarming militias...oh, and the unaddressed Palestinian portion of the conflict.

If my Rovian Political Spin for Dummies Handbook is up to date, they should start rotating in phrases like 'not going to play the blame game' and 'we are on the side of enduring freedom' with 'bringing the evil doers to justice' as soon as possible.

What? I've seen that shit work before...twice.

Anyhoo...

This feels like two steps backwards after a month of dancing in place for both parties involved.

A return to the status quo ante?

No.

But quo vadis?

Sigh.

You're guess is as good as mine.

This sure as shit is a fucked up way to teach Latin.