What it takes to get Iraq off the front pages.

Another war is what it takes to get Iraq off the front pages.

By allowing our client state, Israel, to attack Lebanon with impunity and to kill innocent Lebanese at will, we've gotten Iraq out of the headlines. We've also been able to sneak in Iraqi news under the radar. Like we're going to put more troops in Baghdad.

Hezbollah is bad news. But so is Israel. I'm 65 years old. All my life, the headlines have been about Israel "defending" Israel. As comedian Susie Esman used to say in her comedy act: "It's Jew, Jew, Jew, Jew, Jew, Jew." Our media and government never acknowledge the fact that Israel routinely commits aggression "defending" Israel.

I suppose I shouldn't complain. As a publisher of military history, the Middle East is again supplying another gold mine of material for me.

One regret: I recently passed on a manuscript by a Dutchman about his experiences as a "Peacekeeper" in southern Lebanon. Looked interesting but at the time I didn't think it would interest Americans. It still might not given our unyielding, blind support of anything that Israel does.

One last thought. Bill Clinton, that great draft dodger, was in Connecticut yesterday to shore up his buddy Joe Lieberman's faltering senate primary campaign. He told us Connecticut voters we should ignore the war in Iraq and Joe's support of it. That is vintage Clinton. As a young man he ignored the war in Vietnam, did everything possible to make sure he wasn't drafted, making sure that some poorer, less educated young man with less opportunities would have to take his place in the military. And perhaps die in Vietnam in his place.---Walter Haan, www.war-books.com