Bush is delighted by the Israelis' attack on the Hamas cleric

because it has ignited Hamas against the US and has therefore given us a new enemy. This is implicit in Bush's latest pronouncement on the subject.

Believe me, as much as I would like to think that Bush is sincere about bringing terrorism to an end, and that his failure to succeed plays into the hands of those of us who want to address the causes of terrorism rather than making "war on terr'r," I now appreciate that the opposite is true. Bush has no interest in having terror cease. It feeds his presidency, it justifies his calls for common defense and cements his role as a "war president" and so to keep a handle on his re-election.