The US State Department 'news' release template: Secretary Condoleeza Rice demanded that “[Hamas/Fatah/Iran/Pakistan/Russia/Sudan] must [withdraw/retreat/reverse] their [occupation/invasion/meddling/terrorism/whatever they already did] immediately. This [move/act/whatever it was] will not stand.”
Maybe she should stamp her foot when she makes her demands. [No, it would be sexist only if I said 'stamp her little foot'.] Apparently she does not realize how ridiculous is her insisting, repeatedly, on things that just don't ever happen. Why add humiliation to futility? Sure, a rare rhetorical flourish that sounds like a demand might actually come to pass (e.g., "tear down this wall"), but prepare to wait a decade. For quicker results, try anticipation and diplomacy.
In the Georgia-Russia crisis, this administration boasts not one but two 'experts', Rice and SecDef Gates. Gates replaces demands and finger wagging with 'regret' and a slight shake of his head, which is about as effective. They constitute a real spectrum of approaches if you think diplomacy is only a good cop-bad cop routine. They are excellent representatives of the "errorist" tendencies of the failed Bush regime.
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