If there's any question, the Israelis failed.

Amir Taheri argues that Hezbollah didn't win after all.

By controlling the flow of information from Lebanon throughout the conflict, and help from all those who disagree with U.S. policies for different reasons, Hezbollah may have won the information war in the West. In Lebanon, the Middle East and the broader Muslim space, however, the picture is rather different.

This is one of the catches when you have a superior military--if you clobber the enemy with your whole strength, you'll be accused of "disproportionate response," or bullying, but if you limit your efforts to avoid too many civilian casualties, you've lost the battle.

I favor swift and massive response, without limiting the fight just to Lebanon. At least, Syria should have been bombed. I suspect that, given the tendency of these groups to claim victory while running for cover and pleading for a cease fire, the voters of Israel agree.