Cluster bombs and hypocrisy

From Billmon:

The US is investigating whether Israel's use of American-made cluster bombs in Lebanon violated an agreement that the weapons not be used in populated areas, officials said yesterday . . . "We've heard the allegations that these munitions were used in Lebanon and we're looking into it," a State Department spokesman said yesterday.
Another official confirmed that the sale of cluster bombs was conditional on Israel using them only against military targets in the open, away from civilian areas.

--The GuardianUS investigates whether Israelviolated deal on cluster bombs August 26,

2006 On March 31, 2003, a United States cluster munition attack on al-Hilla in central Iraq killed at least thirty-three civilians and injured 109. While an egregious incident, this was not an anomaly in the conflict in Iraq, or in Afghanistan in 2001 and 2002, or in Yugoslavia in 1999. In all of these recent conflicts, and others as well, cluster munition strikes caused significant civilian casualties — casualties that could have been avoided had greater care been taken. Worse still, the vast number of explosive “duds” these weapons left behind have continued to kill and maim civilians long after the attacks, and the conflicts, have ended.

--Human Rights Watch Cluster Munitions: Toward a Global Solution January 2004

"Having the U.S. government investigate Israel's use of cluster bombs is like having the Unibomber investigate the London subway bombings."
--Billmon
Or I would add:
Like having John Negroponte investigate U.S. government involvement in death squads.