How bad is it?

I've taken a lot of tips to the Tim Grieve well lately, but that's because he's doing a fantastic job with Salon's War Room. I've been overwhelmed with the news this week-- and unable to keep up with everything because of personal matters. (Have you noticed that I've never fished for donations or ad revenue on the site? I take a small amount of pride in that fact.)

But his latest post is a link-filled wonderland/horror show of the latest news from the Middle East. He even uncharacteristically includes a graphic-- of young Israeli girls scribbling messages on bombs before they're dropped on Lebanon. A must-read.

Remember how the war in Iraq was going to "begin a new stage for Middle Eastern peace" by "bringing hope and progress into the lives of millions"? Those were the words George W. Bush used to sell the war during a speech to the American Enterprise Institute in February 2003. Well, those, and a few more about how Saddam Hussein was "building and hiding weapons that could enable him to dominate the Middle East and intimidate the civilized world."

Those weapons were never found, of course. As for the transforming-the-Middle East stuff? Here's where we stand today: Iraq is such a mess that even an ardent war supporter says it's time to start getting out. Israel, Hezbollah and Hamas are at war; several hundred people are dead, yet Hezbollah is still vowing to "humiliate" Israel, and -- as shown in the photograph above -- Israeli girls are still writing messages on shells destined for southern Lebanon. Beirut is under siege. U.S. troops are under attack from Taliban forces in southern Afghanistan. The president is warning that Syria is trying to reassert control over Lebanon. Iran is hoping -- successfully, so far -- that the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel will distract attention from its nuclear plans. And now Turkey is signaling that it's ready to send troops into Iraq to fight Turkish Kurdish guerrillas there.

That's just the beginning. Read it.