"The Genius of Israeli Evil: It Poses as Concern"

Dempsey made his remarks at a Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs conference in New York on Thursday of this week...

"In response to General Dempsey, a State Department spokesperson, Jen Psaki, said Friday during a daily press briefing in Washington that the administration still believes 'Israel could have done more to prevent civilian casualties' during the offensive on the Gaza Strip.

"Her remarks were in response, according to Mondoweiss, to a question that referenced both the general's declaration and the State Department's condemnation of Israel's August 3 shelling of a United Nations Reliefs and Works Agency school in Rafah.

Psaki issued a statement after that attack, saying that the US was "appalled." She described it as "disgraceful." Psaki added:

"The coordinates of the school, like all UN facilities in Gaza, have been repeatedly communicated to the Israeli Defense Forces, The suspicion that militants are operating nearby does not justify strikes that put at risk the lives of so many innocent civilians. We call for a full and prompt investigation of this incident as well as the recent shelling of other UNRWA schools."

Israel's right wing Jerusalem-based news outlet, Times of Israe l, praised Dempsey for his remarks, reporting that in his speech General Dempsey praised Israel, who, according to the general, "went to 'extraordinary lengths' to prevent civilian casualties during this summer's conflict in the Gaza Strip."

The Times of Israel also reported (via Reuters), that Dempsey defended Israel by saying, "In this kind of conflict, where you are held to a standard that your enemy is not held to, you're going to be criticized for civilian casualties."

The general is following the Israeli script to the letter, which is not a surprise. But as the politicians kept telling us during the just-completed national election, "We can do better."

President Obama has two years left to start "doing better." He could start by finding a new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with a better understanding of evil.