ISRAEL POISED FOR GROUND WAR

From the story: Israel appears to have decided that a large-scale incursion across the border was the only way to push Hezbollah back after 10 days of the heaviest bombardment of Lebanon in 24 years failed to do so. But mounting civilian casualties and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese could limit the amount of time Israel has to achieve its goals, as international tolerance for the bloodshed and destruction runs out. (CBS News) Another story claims the plan is over a year old. From the story: In his talks, the officer described a three-week campaign: The first week concentrated on destroying Hezbollah's heavier long-range missiles, bombing its command-and-control centers, and disrupting transportation and communication arteries. In the second week, the focus shifted to attacks on individual sites of rocket launchers or weapons stores. In the third week, ground forces in large numbers would be introduced, but only in order to knock out targets discovered during reconnaissance missions as the campaign unfolded. (San Francisco Chronicle) A Poll shows Republicans more than Democrats seem to back Israel’s continued effort to stop Hezbollah. The story also shows Democrats are clearly trying to pin the word “Katrina” on the evacuation of Americans from Lebanon. (CNN)