This week was supposed to be the week in Dubya and Condi's plan when they'd stop faking diplomacy - in a transparent effort to give the Israeli military time to finish its missions - and start working towards a cease-fire.

But, as it turns out, you can't schedule a war that easily.

France decided it wasn't playing by Bush's rules, and announced it is boycotting a UN meeting on the crisis.

And Israeli officials are pressuring them too, saying they still need "weeks" to reach their military objectives.

So faced with complicated cross-pressures and escalating violence, what did Condi do last night to get her plan on track and bring about that belated cease-fire?

Booked herself on The O'Reilly Factor.

Somehow speaking to an audience of two million cranky American right-wingers is a better way to hammer out a cease-fire agreement than it is to directly negotiate with other high-ranking diplomats, or appear on actual news shows watched by international officials.

Even better, she proceeded to tell O'Reilly that:

There are a lot problems with Syria and France, there's no doubt about that.

Now, that's diplomacy! Way to get France back to the table. Almost as good as a piano recital.

Before now, while the violence was escalating, Dubya & Condi could still tell themselves they were on schedule.

Of course, it was easy to say that during the "do nothing" phase of the plan.

But now, the "do something" phase has unraveled rather quickly. The schedule is shredded. Time to improv.

Which means either Condi is going to try to learn creative diplomacy on the fly.

Or the Bushies are going to "cut and bolt" from diplomacy altogether.

And go back to doing nothing, letting the war continue unabated, clinging to the fantasy that Hezbollah can be defeated by military force alone (despite what Bush himself has argued).

While resentment fuels more militancy in the Arab/Muslim world, and moderates are hung out to dry.