John (feck, I never thought I be guoting him) Bolton writes:

[W]e should look to a “three-state” approach, where Gaza is returned to Egyptian control and the West Bank in some configuration reverts to Jordanian sovereignty. Among many anomalies, today’s conflict lies within the boundaries of three states nominally at peace. Having the two Arab states re-extend their prior political authority is an authentic way to extend the zone of peace and, more important, build on governments that are providing peace and stability in their own countries. “International observers” or the like cannot come close to what is necessary; we need real states with real security forces.

I’ve been writing that we need to think the unthinkable, so please tell me why this doesn’t make sense.

Max Boot writes:

The essential dilemma Israel faces is this: It can’t ignore Hamas’s attacks, not only because of the damage they inflict, but also because of the terrible precedent they set. Israel has always been a state that is one battle away from destruction, and it cannot allow its enemies to think that it can be attacked with impunity. But at the same time Israel cannot do what it takes to wipe out the enemy, because of the constraints imposed by its own public, which is far less willing than in the past to suffer or inflict bloodletting.

So the Jewish state is forced to fight an unsatisfying war of attrition with Hamas, Hezbollah and other entities bent on its destruction. The current incursions are only one stage of this lengthy struggle. The odds are that once Israeli troops leave, Hamas will rebuild its infrastructure, forcing the Israelis to go back in the future.

This is the definition of a quagmire, yet Israel has no choice but to keep doing what it’s doing. Unlike the French in Algeria or the Americans in Vietnam, it cannot simply pack its bags and go home. If Israel is to continue to exist, it will have to continue to wage low-intensity war for a long time to come — definitely years, probably decades, possibly centuries.

Israelis have to discard Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s famous maxim: “War’s objective is victory — not prolonged indecision. In war there is no substitute for victory.” They will have to settle for a substitute because from their standpoint “prolonged indecision” is better than the alternatives — the annihilation of themselves, which would be unthinkable, or of their enemies, which would be unconscionable.

Because Israel, unlike many, many other nations, does have a national consciousness, it wrestles with itself and the World to find a middle ground that may not exist, but which it cannot abandon lest it lose everything.

0841: More Evidence That National City Got Screwed

1056: NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg is in Sderot right now [Update I]

Is Gaza to Iran as Spain was to WW II?

The attack on Gaza may be a test-run for Iran’s nuclear sites. In that case, what we may be witnessing is Israel’s initiation of full-scale war with Iran. That would certainly make as much sense as the current stated rationale for invading Gaza.

And what the feck does Israel need 1,000 GBU-39 bunker busters for?

Andrew Sullivan writes:

And it is on issues where intensity matters that special interest groups legitimately and openly have a role to play. I don’t see anything wrong or unethical about the passionate Cuban and Israeli lobbies in Washington. Intensity does matter in a nation’s politics. It’s just important to ensure that America’s national interests are always at the center of the debate, even if the debate is inevitably skewed in one direction or other.

And, I confess, that I’ve been pondering this thought as well:

I don’t see how Israel “wins” in Gaza any more than I can see how the US can “win” in Iraq. Maybe this current leap into the asymmetric abyss is a necessary proof before neoconservatism really does commit suicide. The danger is: the neocons may take Israel down with them.

0901: Gaza and Israel: Reflections and resources

Glenn Greenwald asks:

It’s one thing to argue that Israel is being both wise and just by bombing the densely populated Gaza Strip. It’s another thing entirely to argue that the U.S. should use all of its resources to support Israel as it does so. Those are two entirely separate questions.

Arguments insisting that the Gaza attack is good and right for Israel don’t mean that they are good and right for the U.S. Yet unstinting, unquestioning American support for whatever Israel does is just tacitly assumed in most of these discussions.

The core assumption is that if it can be established that this is the right thing for Israel to do, then it must be the right thing for the U.S. to support it. The notion that the two countries may have separate interests — that this may be good for Israel to do but not for the U.S. to support — is the one issue that, above all else, may never be examined.

Greenwald asks a lot of other very good questions.

Andrew Sullivan writes:

What renders the current awfulness particularly wrenching is that the immoral means Hamas uses are logical from the point of view of an entity that is committed to Israel’s destruction but not powerful enough to achieve it. And the response of Israel is logical from the point of view of a Western country enduring constant terrorist bombardment. Hence the never-ending argument in which both extremes reinforce themselves.

This is precisely why the only way to break out of this cycle is to defy logic and history and consider the unconsidered or perhaps even the unconsiderable.

1732: Gaza Israel, II

0651: On being named 2008 Most Influential Person of Pepper Pike…

0644: Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson learns of delay from…

Don’t ask why I did so well in March, I have no clue.

Any CPAs out there care to evaluate Chris Brunner’s list of American banks?

My bank, AmTrust (the old Ohio Savings) Bank, comes in at 86, which puts it on the high side of the vulnerable category.

AULD LANG SYNE 2009

It’s been a year that had to pass,
Of fixing leaks and smoking grass.
Guns on trains, and guns in parks.
Politicians out on larks.
Johnny Edwards missed his cues,
Found himself back in the news.
Tiger baby, he’s the man,
Had his personal stimulus plan.
Top ten quotes, the votes are in.
From SC, three out of the ten..
“Out of Order” screamed, “You lie.”
Rude and crude, Fee, Foe, and Fie.
“Ultra runners” sans toenails,
Surely, Shirley, they’re all males.
Defriend, the anti-social rage,
Helps privatize your Facebook page.
Pet Airlines for our dear, best pals,
Bonnet Books for Amish gals.
Air N.Z’s Love in the Air,
Found singles here and flew them there.
Carnival said, “Please excuse”
And launched the world’s first cougar cruise.
Werewolves ruled as worse the luck,
However cute, Vampires still suck.
The banks won out again this year.
Foreclosure is our biggest fear.
Peas in a pod,
Bees in a hive,
We stick together to survive.
If you find the joy you sought,
It’s not much fun if you get caught.
No jobs, no dough, no more to pawn,
We find our things out on the lawn.
Attempting to spice up his life,
Our governor has lost his wife.
He swaggered as he told his tale
Far from the Appalachian Trail.
Commercialism has no end.
Homeless dolls the latest trend.
Scientific breakthroughs of this ilk:
Name your cows and get more milk.
Octo Mom and Kate plus eight,
Went public to promote their fate.
Balloon Boy’s dad was flying high,
Across the Colorado sky.
People that we loved the best
Have left us for eternal rest.
Jacko lost his final chance,
To show the world he still could dance.
Goodbye Dominick and Teddy,
To lose you both, we just weren’t ready.
Sophia Loren at 75,
Still looks great and still alive.
H1N1 is a threat.
And rumours on the internet.
Bribes from pharmos filtered down,
To stage tea parties all around.
Healthcare reform is something new.
A tough old Byrd helped push it through.
Now headed for another test,
In the Senate’s hornet’s nest.
Copenhagen got real hot,
To cool the world though, it did not.
Eurostar got stuck in snow,
The Chunnel trains just couldn’t go.
We end the year with stacks and stacks
Of unsold stuff and bargain racks.
Much time was lost on vicious cracks,
On calling names and tiger tracks.
(Denying Dans and Wagging Sadies,
I guess that you forgot the ’80’s.)
Let’s start again, repair our cover,
In one year and out the other.
May brotherhood unite our land.
“A house divided….cannot stand.”
The U.S. won the prize for peace.
Let our uncivil wars now cease.
Let’s be gentle, let’s be strong,
And let’s all try to get along.

by

Betty Austin

If Karl Rove is to believed, in the last three years, President George Bush found time to read some 186 books: 95 in 2006, 51 in 2007 and 40 this year. I’m a fast reader — 20 pages an hour for dense material like science and math to a little more than double that for light fiction — but there’s no way, with my schedule and actually writing my own books, that I could find time to read a book a week; I do good to read two, sometimes three books a month.

Rove gives us a glimpse of Bush’s reading list (I list them after the jump) and I confess that there are only two titles included that I’ve read: The Stranger and Team of Rivals. The lament of the reader is So many books, so little time.

Ta-Nahisi Coates essentially calls bull shit on the list and a lively discussion has followed.

I currently have two books on my list for 2009: The Koran and Serena by Ron Rash (I met and sat in on Rash’s workshops at Wildacres this summer.) Continue Reading »

0839: That said… [Update I] [Update II] [Update III] [Update IV]

I received a forwarded email from Adi Friedan this morning.

From: Adi Friedman – Connections Israel
Subject: Operation “take-a-Break” day trip for Sderot families

Dear Friends,

Operation Cast Lead, Israel’s response to almost eight years of unending rocket attacks in Sderot and its surrounding environs, is in full gear. We must remember what affect this situation has on residents of the south.

Chanukah vacation, which was spent predominantly indoors, has now moved into bomb shelters for the foreseeable future; shopping malls are forbidden to open; schools are closed indefinitely – no school within 30 km of Gaza (This includes Ashkelon, Ashdod, Kiryat Gat, Kiryat Malachi, Rahat, Ofakim, Gan Yavne, Sderot, and Netivot. In addition, the regional councils of S”dot Negev, Eshkol, Chof Ashkelon, Shar HaNegev, Lachish, Yoav, Shafir, Merchavim and Yoav will remain closed).

The sounding of the Code Red alert now screams through additional communities on a constant basis, followed by loud booms, smoke and fire.

Children and adults, who have tolerated this situation for so long are at their wits end. Being cooped up in small spaces drains everyone of their coping abilities and adds new levels of stress.

If your relative or friend were living under these circumstances, you certainly would spare no expense to get them some relief. Kol Yisrael Achim – we are all brothers. Help us give our brothers some respite from their living conditions.

Operation Take-a-Break is underway. We are sponsoring full day respite trips for the residents of the south. Bus loads of individuals will be given a “day off” to engage in relaxing, fun and age appropriate activities out of the line of fire.

Each bus costs $500. In other words, for just $10 you can make a real difference in the life of an individual. Better yet, sponsor an entire bus and spare a community!

To sponsor this operation

Sincerely,

Adi Friedman
Managing Director
adi@connectionsisrael.com
Office: 972 2 6235266
Mobile: 972 54 3452566
www.connectionsisrael.com

Here’s a crazy idea. What if the buses were filled half with Israelis and half with Palestinians from Gaza?

Via Global Voices…

On Sunday, Tim Russo wrote:

A “movement” cannot be “led” online, or “created” by a “strategy”. It can only “occur”, like the evolution of a new species, beyond anyone”s control, based on authenticity. If it isn”t real, then real people will not put their real effort into it. And if something real does arise on its own, via the internet, to compete with the manufactured, the manufactured will disintegrate rapidly at the feet of the authentic.

Can the Authentic light an exit from the loop of kill-and-blame that is this part of the Middle East?

For a possible example of authenticity, check out the Israeli Consulates’ Tweeted News Conference at 1 p.m. EST today.