Lebanon = "birth pangs"

I was disturbed to read that Israeli air strikes had killed 57 civilians, 37 children. I thought it was wrong to bomb a residential building, where 2 extended families, who couldn't afford to evacuate, were seeking refuge.

But then I remembered that what is happening in Lebanon is a natural birthing process. As secretary of state and midwifery, Condoleeza Rice pointed out last week, "What we're seeing here, in a sense, is the growing -- the birth pangs of a new Middle East. And whatever we do, we have to be certain that we are pushing forward to the new Middle East, not going back to the old one."

Condy won't call for a cease-fire until her lamaze coaching duties are over, until the Middle East "push[es] forward" a baby democracy called "Lebanon". Condy's 2 other democratic offspring, promising problem child "Iraq", 3 years old, and cute but hyper-active 6-moth old "Palestine" are excited to have a new sibling to play with. Because the 2 siblings were getting on each others' nerves.