Sen. Chuck Hagel once again displays, in calling for an immediate ceasefire on the part of Israel, why he is not to be taken seriously should he seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.

Should such a ceasefire occur then Hezbollah's use of violence would be validated and the terrorist organization would be emboldened. Iran would confidently laugh at any future punitive declaration coming from the West with regard to its nuclear ambitions, as well as accelerate its shipments of deadly arms to Hezbollah to be used against Israel. Syria would come to believe that its support of Hezbollah would have no adverse consequences for it, and likely increase support for Hezbollah.

This would set up a much more dangerous situation than we have today, with a wider regional war in the Middle East a much more likely possibility. Iran and Syria would be much more likely to miscalculate how both Israel and the West would respond to further acts of aggression on both of their parts. Both Iran and Syria must come to understand that their are real and painful consequences to their continued support of Hezbollah, which would not exist without their influx of money and terror expertise.

Hagel's idea is the wrong one at the wrong time, and it would set up circumstances that would be very likely to lead to a catastrophe in the Middle East in the not-so-distant future. It would appease Iran and Syria, and feed nutritious food to the monstrous mouth of Islamofascism. When it comes to matters such as this, Chuck Hagel simply cannot be taken with a very high degree of seriousness.