Tuesday digest

- Reports today suggest that the Canadian Arab Federation is blaming the Prime Minister of Canada for the deaths of eight Canadian civilians in Lebanon over the weekend because he supports Israel's right to react to attacks on its territory. (Note the US' contention that Hezbollah deliberately places targets in civilian areas.)

While civilian casualites are always unfortunate, I don't hear the Canadian Arab Federation condemning Palestinian suicide bombers who decide to blow themselves to bits in Tel Aviv discotheques and pizzerias in order to maximize the number of civilian casualties. Just by looking at the titles of their recent news releases, it's impossible to seriously claim that they've got any credibility speaking out against civilian casualties of any kind. While I'd like to say that I'm sure the Canadian Arab Federation wishes Hamas and Hezbollah would go away, I can't, but what I can say with infinitely more certainty is that they wish Israel would disappear.

Also appalling are the comments of Lloyd Axworthy in the story above who is urging more appeasement, more coddling of terrorists, and more moral relativism. Here's a little reality check for both Axworthy and the CAF, who clearly need reminding that Hamas in particular started the most recent conflict by provoking Israel through the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier even after Israel had ceded territory in Gaza. (More historial context here, an Israeli hawk weighs in here, and some common sense here.)

- A couple of good articles here and here which ask if the neoconservative project to transform the Middle East has really been worth it. I don't think we're going to know for twenty years or more, but the questions need to be asked. (Here at the Hammer, we're never afraid to look in the mirror.)

- Yesterday, I mentioned that Hillary is pro-Israel. With centrist candidates like Hillary and Mark Warner contending for the nomination, I have to wonder if the Deaniac wing of the Democratic party (conspiracy theorists, activists who don't care about the advance of radical Islamists, and those who think it's more important to keep an eye on the White House than on bin Laden, to take three examples) will nominate a third-party candidate. (Maybe Al Franken will be available once Air America closes up shop.)

- I'm as big a fan of Ronald Reagan as anyone, but I think that his admirers get away with sweeping a few things under the carpet a little too easily (like his record on spending, for example). Here's a comparison between Reagan and Dubya which shows that the current President is indeed Reagan's heir when it comes to big-government conservatism.

- And speaking of the 80s, a list of the greatest metal bands of all time.