Always - always with this crew in the White House, you have to pay attention to their actions rather than just listening to their words:

Then, the State Department made a point of making it known on Wednesday that it had called on Israel to use "caution and restraint" towards the flotilla prior to the Israeli operation. As none other than Vice President Joe Biden told Charlie Rose, "You can argue whether Israel should have dropped people onto that ship or not."

Now, this morning, Doyle McManus writes in the Los Angeles Times that "Obama aides hope that backing Israel now will pay off on issues that are more important than the immediate controversy, and the administration has already begun using its support to press a broader agenda."

What exactly is that agenda? According to McManus:

The first, short-term goal is to contain the diplomatic damage from the ferry debacle and to make sure the next boat that tries to run the blockade doesn't prompt another round of gunfire.

The second is to persuade Israel to relax the Gaza blockade, something the administration has been demanding for months. Right now, Israel allows food and medicine into Gaza (although aid agencies charge not enough) but bars most building material and industrial supplies, crippling the area's economy. The aim was to hurt Hamas, but instead it is Israel that has been blamed.

Well of course Israel is being blamed. When its most powerful ally sits on the sidelines and does little to back Israel's moves, the world will notice this and act accordingly.

What a tragedy to have this bunch of starry eyed amateurs running our foreign policy as the enemies of the US and Israel are strengthened by one misstep after another.