Saturday digest

- Let's review what's going on here.

Less than a year ago, Israel pulled out of Gaza, giving the Palestinians more autonomy than they've ever had in that territory. After a few skirmishes, earlier this month Hamas decides to build a tunnel and kidnap an Israeli soldier. The Israeli beast starts to awaken and takes action against Hamas' leadership, and then Syrian and Iranian-backed Hezbollah decides to capture two more soldiers just because. Israel decides that it's going to respond accordingly by bombing Hezbollah and Hamas' outposts in Gaza and south Lebanon. And this is somehow Israel's fault? Listen to the Syrian ambassador to the US:

Look, let me say this: Syria has never, ever had any hand with any terrorists or violent, or anything that is happening in the occupied territories. What's happening in the occupied territories, a vicious circle of violence and counter violence, has everything to do with the Israeli policies there. You know, they build their walls deep into the Palestinian territories, they demolish houses there, they expropriate territories, they assassinate Palestinian leaders and people. Syria has nothing to do whatsoever-- nothing-- in what's happening in the occupied territories.

By pointing fingers at Syria and trying to blame Syria for the catastrophic events that are happening there and the tragic events, I think they're just trying to shift the blame.

The bottom line as I've said many times before is that this has little to do with anything other than the fact that in just over 50 years, Israel has built a successful, modern, secular, liberal, egalitarian, democratic, capitalist state in the heart of a region where (most of) the leadership has repeatedly shown that it detests all of those values. As Krauthammer points out, rhetoric about occupation etcetera is just covering up the real issue which is the very existence of Israel itself.

Thumbs down to Condi this week for calling for Israel to show "restraint" while thumbs up goes to our PM for unequivocally standing by Israel.

I hope that Israel completely destroys Hamas and Hezbollah.

More analysis here, here, here and here.

Meanwhile, over on the Left, the netroots are imagining a world without Israel and suggesting that Iran was right to suggest that Israel cease to be a sovreign state. I believe the exact words were, "wiped off the face of the Earth" or something to that effect. And as the Middle East moves towards total chaos, we have Wilson/Plame deciding to file a frivolous lawsuit, reportedly on the same day they were on the way home from a meeting with congressional Dems. If there was ever any doubt, ideas really don't matter in that party these days. Here's some video commentary on the Sheehan fast (note the lampooning of our hero's attempt at prose), and even Slick Willie is incredulous at his party's stupidity these days.

- I have to hand it to Belindy for having the guts to challenge the Liberal party. These are good suggestions as that party that needs to reinvigorate itself through debate around inventive and creative ideas, (even if they'll never fly).

- I also have to hand it to Strombo for finally realizing that economics and geopolitics should best be left to the experts, and he should focus on something he's more qualified to do for a change: reality TV.

- Finally, this is the loony left play of the day (subscription required). Bureaucrats with nothing to do have decided that it's time for the state to ensure that faucets won't run too warm, because little kids might burnt.

I thought that was mom and dad's job, but perhaps I'm just stuck in the Stone Age.

Is this really what government should be doing?

Give me a frickin' break.