Should Republicans go ahead and add Supreme Court Justices to head off Democrats

Getting serious with Syria, again

NY Times:

Bush administration officials asserted today that an international consensus had emerged that Syria had been stoking the violence in Lebanon and Iraq and against Israelis, and they said they are now certain that Syrian agents have been operating in Lebanon.

The comments represented an escalation of the campaign by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to isolate Syria diplomatically as the administration has faced mounting violence against its interests throughout the Middle East. Ms. Rice has not said what other forms of pressure might be applied.

A senior State Department official, briefing reporters under ground rules that he not be identified, said there was "widespread agreement" at a meeting of leading foreign ministers in London, and among the delegates at a conference on Iraq in Brussels on Wednesday, that Syria bore major responsibility for instability in the region.

Ms. Rice, speaking at the conclusion of the foreign ministers' meeting, accused Syria of supporting the Iraq insurgency.

"Let's not have more words about what they are prepared to do" she said, regarding Syrian promises to help Iraq with security on their mutual border. "Let's have action. If they're prepared to do it, they should just do it."

If the Damascus airport were shut down, it would significantly reduce the number of human bomb attacks in Iraq. That is the choke point or center of gravity for the human bomb campaign. It would be much easier to stop them there than trying to catch them at the border. If Syria were serious about stopping them, they could do it pretty easily at their airport. If they do not, the US should make it clear that we have the capacity to put that airport out of operation.