I cannot express how much I admire Condi Rice and thank the stars she is our Secretary of State. Today she came out and blasted Syria:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accused Syria of contributing to the “atmosphere” that led to the assassination of an anti-Syrian politician in Lebanon yesterday, telling Damascus to “knock it off.”

Although she said she did not know who killed George Hawi, a former leader of the Lebanese Communist Party whose car was ripped by a bomb in Beirut, Miss Rice had no qualms about pointing the finger at Damascus.

“There is a context and an atmosphere of instability” in Lebanon, she told reporters on her plane as she wrapped up a four-day trip in the Middle East. “Syria’s activities are part of that context and a part of that atmosphere, and they need to knock it off.”

Note to liberals, the UN and the EU: This how you do ‘aggressive diplomacy’ to make sure everyone is clear about what is unacceptable international behavior. Way to go Condi!