memeorandum: A SOLUTION WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM (Scott/Power Line)

9:55 AM ET, December 30, 2008

Top Items:

Ghetto Blasters — In angry retaliation for the house arrest of Bernie Madoff, Israel has launched a hellacious air assault against Hamas in Gaza that errs so far on the side of disproportionality that its running up the fatality score may become self-defeating. Johann Hari in The Independent:

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy, The Independent, QandO, My Right Word, Commentary and Wall Street Journal

David Grossman / Haaretz:

Is Israel too imprisoned in the familiar ceremony of war? — After its severe strike on Gaza, Israel would do well to stop, turn to Hamas' leaders and say: Until Saturday Israel held its fire in the face of thousands of Qassams from the Gaza Strip. Now you know how harsh its response can be.

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Washington Post:

Israel Rejects Truce, Presses on With Gaza Strikes — Israel continued airstrikes against Gaza Strip targets for a fourth day on Tuesday, destroying civic and other buildings linked to the militant Hamas movement in a campaign Israeli leaders say will continue until the group is crippled.

Discussion: Jerusalem Post, Israel Matzav, MSNBC and Commentary

Haaretz:

ANALYSIS / Hamas is hoping for an IDF ground operation — Three days into Operation Cast Lead, Israel is proposing a diplomatic exit. A ground operation likely looms in an effort to increase the pressure on Hamas. At the same time, however, others argue that the air force is close …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, CBS News, Commentary, The Moderate Voice, Informed Comment and Mirror.co.uk

James Hider / Times of London:

Israel vows to sweep Hamas from power — Israel vowed yesterday to sweep Hamas from power in Gaza, pledging “all-out” war and promising to smash every building linked to the Islamist movement. — Hamas continued to lob rockets at the Jewish state as Israeli forces carried out a third …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns and Money and Harry's Place

Daoud Kuttab / Washington Post:
Has Israel Revived Hamas?

Discussion: New York Times, Change.org's Blog Network, My Right Word and Random Thoughts

New York Times:
Death Toll Surpasses 350 in Fourth Day of Conflict

Discussion: The Caucus, On Deadline, Los Angeles Times, Tikun Olam, TIME.com and Associated Press

Jules Crittenden:
So, What Next? — Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak wants “war to the bitter end.”

Discussion: Jerusalem Post, A Blog For All, New York Times, MEMRI, Ynetnews and The New Republic

Pamela Geller / Atlas Shrugs:
WOE IS ME ... PITY THOSE POOR DEAD ANNIHILATIONISTS

Discussion: The Other McCain, the “silent&rdquo …, CAMERA, Jihad Watch and The New Republic

CNN:
World rallies around Palestinians amid Gaza offensive

Discussion: NO QUARTER, Commentary, Maggie's Farm, Ynetnews, Buck Naked Politics, MSNBC, Gateway Pundit, Moonbattery, The Washington Note, Wizbang, Guardian, American Power, JammieWearingFool and NewsBusters.org

CNN:
Barak: Israel in ‘all-out war’ with Hamas

Discussion: Israpundit, The Mahatma X Files and Wizbang

Jeffrey Goldberg:
The Gaza War — If someone was sending rockets on my house …

Discussion: Salon, CQ Politics, New York Times, Washington Post, Commentary, ‘Just World News&rsquo …, Israellycool, Yourish.com, The Muqata, J Street, Hot Air, Mondoweiss, JammieWearingFool and Weekly Standard

Nir Rosen / Guardian:
Gaza: Israel, Hamas and the logic of colonial power

Discussion: Harry's Place, Chris Floyd, Mondoweiss and Firedoglake

Lorenzo Benet / People.com:

Bristol Palin Welcomes a Son — Levi Johnston and Bristol Palin — Bristol Palin, the 18-year-old daughter of former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, gave birth on Sunday to a healthy 7 lb., 4 oz., baby boy in Palmer, Alaska. — “We think it's wonderful,” …

Discussion: NY Daily News, On Deadline, THE WEEK - Online, Gawker, Political Machine, The Other McCain, Hot Air, Washington Wire, TigerHawk and Dependable Renegade

Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Bristol Palin's baby makes Sarah Palin a grandma. And he's a Republican

Discussion: MSNBC, Guardian, Tabloid Edition, BBC, BizzyBlog and The Dish Rag

Anchorage Daily News:
Bristol Palin gives birth to healthy son

Discussion: TalkLeft, Brilliant at Breakfast and AMERICAblog News

Esnead / The Dish Rag:
Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol has a son, Tripp Easton Mitchell

Discussion: Top of the Ticket and Don Surber

Mark Silva / The Swamp: Sarah Palin's grandson: What a Tripp

John Vinocur / International Herald Tribune:

From the left, a call to end the current Dutch notion of tolerance — AMSTERDAM: Two years ago, the Dutch could quietly congratulate themselves on having brought what seemed to be a fair measure of consensus and reason to the meanest intersection in their national political life …

Discussion: Vox Popoli, Maggie's Farm and Gates of Vienna

Vanity Fair:

Farewell to All That: An Oral History of the Bush White House — The threat of 9/11 ignored. The threat of Iraq hyped and manipulated. Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib. Hurricane Katrina. The shredding of civil liberties. The rise of Iran. Global warming. Economic disaster.

Discussion: Associated Press, Political Machine, NewsBusters.org, danieldrezner.com and No More Mister Nice Blog

Richard Cohen / Washington Post:

Reading Into Bush's Book List — In what without a doubt is the most astounding op-ed piece of the year, Karl Rove reveals that his friend and former boss, George W. Bush, has read probably hundreds of books over the course of his presidency. One of them was Albert Camus' “The Stranger,” …

Discussion: The Corner

Scott / Power Line:

A SOLUTION WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM — RealClearPolitics has posted a column proposing a solution to “Minnesota's recount fiasco” by AEI director of economic studies Kevin Hassett. Hassett observes the inconsistent rulings on disputed ballots made by the Board of Canvassers.

Little Green Footballs:

‘Death to All Juice’ — A classic picture of numb-skulled hatred from the pro-Palestinian demonstration in Manhattan yesterday. (Larger image here.) — (Hat tips: NoSubmission and zombie.) — 237 — Cicero05 :: 4 seconds ago

Discussion: TigerHawk

Bob Herbert / New York Times:

Add Up the Damage — Does anyone know where George W. Bush is? — You don't hear much from him anymore. The last image most of us remember is of the president ducking a pair of size 10s that were hurled at him in Baghdad. — We're still at war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Discussion: WTF Is It Now?!?

Roy Edroso / Village Voice:

The Top 10 Rightblogger Stories of 2008 — Excited (not to say deranged) by the long Presidential campaign, conservative bloggers — rightbloggers, in our affectionate parlance — were in top form this year, and outstripped the sleepy Main Stream Media in every way.

Discussion: Fausta's Blog, alicublog, Democracy in America and Ghost of a flea