Will the real George W. Bush please stand up? "Our war on terror begins with al-Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated," Mr Bush declared in his September 20 2001 speech to a joint session of Congress.

This call to arms states an unequivocal and honourable policy - the US will not deal with or reward terrorists. It is with some dismay, therefore, that one learns of the president's equivocation regarding Hizbollah, the Lebanese terrorist group that before the al-Qaeda attacks of September 11 2001 was responsible for the death of more Americans than any other group. This is an ominous move toward appeasement.