Like everybody else, I think John Stewart is terrific. I also think he is brave. But I did not think he was this brave.

I know there are those who will say "what's brave about it. He's rich and famous. What can Israel's right-wing friends in America do to him?"

Who knows? We'll see. I'm pretty much of a nobody but back when I worked on the Hill, my boss Carl Levin wrote something mildly critical of Israel, and William Safire of the New York Times called me and threatened to destroy me. In pretty much those words. Levin backed me up but that wasn't pleasant (ironically, the mildly critical statement was Levin's idea, not mine).

It's only changed for the worse. So John Stewart should expect repercussions, especially because the right knows that if it has lost John Stewart, it's losing the kids. But Stewart knows what he is up against. And he doesn't care! Bravo.

Check this out on Politico.

Just as I thought, the President-Elect was holding back so he could fully address the issue after Jan. 20.

"The loss of civilian life in Gaza and in Israel is a source of deep concern to me, and after January 20th I'll have plenty to say about the issue."

Obama said he was "not backing away at all from what I said during the campaign" and that "starting at the beginning of our administration, we're going to engage effectively and consistently in trying to resolve the conflict in the Middle East."

Read between the lines. He is going to engage big-time, and not piece meal either. This is good news. (Note, he addresses the the loss of life in Gaza first, before mentioning Israel. That is how it should be considering that 98% of the deaths are Palestinians but, nonetheless, this is not how the issue is usually addressed in Washington, neither by Bush or by the Democratic Congress.

I'm a fan of Andrew Sullivan. I like him because he's brilliant, thoughtful, and because he paved the way for other openly gay men and women to play major roles in media. Without Sullivan, I doubt there would be a Rachel Maddow or even a Suze Orman.

What I have never liked about him was his position on Israel. His first big job was at the New Republic, where he was taken under the wing of Martin Peretz, who is fanatical on the subject of Israel. Sullivan, I think out of a feeling of debt to his mentor, never spoke out on the Palestinians because, I think he believed, it would hurt his old friend.

I never doubted where Sullivan's heart was. It is simply impossible that he'd be a hawk on Israel. That position simply did not fit with the rest of his worldview.

And now Sullivan tells us what he really thinks. And in my opinion, his thinking is brilliant. He examines the "just war" theory and concludes that by no standard is this a just war. It's a brave piece. He will lose friends but, I promise you this, Harvey Milk is looking down, very pleased. Can you imagine how Milk would have responded to this?

Harvey's Judaism

"All nationalists have the power of not seeing resemblances between similar sets of facts.
A British Tory will defend self-determination in Europe and oppose it in India with no feeling of inconsistency. Actions are held to be good or bad, not on their own merits, but according to who does them, and there is almost no kind of outrage -- torture, the use of hostages, forced labour, mass deportations, imprisonment without trial, forgery, assassination, the bombing of civilians -- which does not change its moral colour when it is committed by 'our' side ... The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them" -- George Orwell

These are terrible days for those of us who long to see Israel finally accepted by its neighbors. At a time when all 22 Arab states have offered Israel peace and normalization in exchange for the '67 territories, this war could destroy that possibility once and for all.

No, that does not mean that I question Israel's right to respond to the rocket onslaught from Gaza.

Of course, it has that right.

Any country has the right, even the obligation, to respond militarily to thugs who rain down thousands of rockets on its people, leaving its children quaking in terror. The question is not whether Israel has the right , but whether exercising it this way is right.

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The Bernie Madoff swindle teaches many lessons, most of which do not bear mentioning in this post which is devoted to United States dealings with the Middle East.

But one lesson does apply. Viewing the world through an ethnic lens produces serious visual distortions. It appears that many, if not most, of Madoff's investors trusted him because he was one of their community. He could be believed. He was one of them.

Madoff, understanding the power of the ethnic tie, used it to steal his kinsmen's money. Few non-Jews were caught in his web.

The lesson is simple. Don't invest ethnically. The religious or ethnic affiliation of your broker is about as relevant as that of your mechanic or obstetrician.

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The moaning continues.

Caroline Kennedy is only running on her name. We'd never know who she was if she wasn't JFK's daughter. She doesn't have her talking points memorized yet. She's never been to Poughkeepsie. And, horror of horrors, she will go to the Senate by appointment -- not (initially) after being elected.

What garbage. First of all, the law holds that a vacant Senate seat be filled by appointment. In 1968, when her uncle Bobby was assassinated, Governor Nelson Rockefeller, a Republican, appointed a fellow Republican to the seat. No one complained because that was the law even though New Yorkers had elected a Democrat to the seat four years earlier.

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The Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations is one of the most reactionary power centers in the American Jewish community. Nominally representative of all American Jews, it has been run for decades by its executive director Malcolm Hoenlein, a rightwing activist --Llikud and Republican -- full-throated backer of the occupation, and particularly of the settlers. He did everything he could to tip the Jewish community to McCain.

But he failed. Obama received 78% of the Jewish vote and suddenly Malcolm's position is rather shaky. Who does he represent? A percentage of the 22% who voted for McCain -- and not a large percentage either. Most of the 22% voted for McCain because they are Republicans not because they believed the lies circulated by Hoenlein's friends about Obama being "bad fo the Jews."

For Malcom, push had to come to shove. And now it has. A close Obama friend from Chicago, Alan Solow, is taking over the Presidents Conference. Hoenlein now works for a guy whose loyalty is to Barack Obama. In fact, that is why Solow is being elected.

What happens to Hoenlein now? Who knows? But the recent address he gave to the people of Iran indicates that he could have a future urging the Muslim masses to rise up and support Greater Israel. Check it out, its delightful.

I'm delighted Caroline Kennedy is seeking the soon-to-be-vacant junior senator seat in New York.

With Hillary Clinton's departure New York loses alot of juice in the Senate. Hillary came in to the Senate as a novice (like Caroline would) but had instant clout and credibility because of who she was -- and who she was connected to.

Same with Caroline who also, like Hillary, brings the aura of future President or Vice President. Who else in New York politics can match that?

As an Obama guy, I've never been impressed with the experience argument. I like brains, character, liberal politics and the ability to attract top staff. Yes, we've only heard of Caroline because of who her parents were. But the same applied to Hillary; she was Bill's wife and that made her First Lady and a credible candidate. Now she is going to be Secretary of State.

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This is something.

Steve Rosen, the top AIPAC honcho under indictment for espionage, is interviewed by the Jerusalem Post on US Mideast policy.

Frankly, I don't think the case against Rosen amounts to that much, although I'm not a lawyer. But he is under indictment for providing US secrets to Israel. He's not exactly a credible source on US policy toward that country.

Truly bizarre. But amusing. I guess an indicted for espionage guy is the best the Jewish right has got these days. And Rosen's new boss, the professional hatemonger, Daniel Pipes.

I love it.

Don't miss the New York Times expose on Chuck Schumer today. It will enrage folks who believe that all Democrats by definition are on the side of the angels. It raises some interesting questions. If you are a Senator from New York, it is your job to represent Wall Street and capitalist fat cats? Same question applies to Michigan Democrats. Is it their job to represent the auto industry and fight clean air mandates?

This is how these legislators see their jobs and the case can be made. The Times suggests that it's all too convenient.

It is becoming clear that Barack Obama understands that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the heart of virtually all of America's problems in the Middle East.

He also understands that, paradoxically, it is the Middle East problem most amenable to resolution by way of American leadership. Indians and Pakistanis care what the United States thinks, but neither depends on us the way Israelis and Palestinians do. Israelis and Palestinians need us, both for our aid and for political and moral support. Neither side can say "no" to an American President with impunity--especially when all he is demanding is that each live up to commitments they have already made.

He would not have told the Chicago Tribune this week that he will go to the Middle East this winter to tell the Arabs (and the Israelis) that the page has turned if he had not intended to abandon America's entirely one-sided policy in favor of playing the role of honest broker. We haven't played that role in decades.

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Read today's Washington Post story on how Barack Obama managed to distance himself from the corrupt governor of his state as if Blago was a stinking fish.

From their earliest dealings, Obama made clear his contempt for a politician he clearly believed was crooked. Blago hated Obama for looking down at him, but Obama did and the governor knew it. (It is in the tapes).

It is not easy for up-and-coming politicians to avoid contact with their own state's political machine and still rise to the top. I think Obama was able to do it the same way FDR avoided the stench that surrounded Tammany Hall. FDR had his own Blago case. At the very moment he was nominated for President, the Mayor of New York, Jimmy Walker, (FDR was governor) was exposed as a crook and FDR had to lead the effort to remove him while running for President.

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I never heard of Bill Ayers before this year. I learned his name thanks to the GOP campaign against Barack Obama. The whole thing was ridiculous. Worse than guilt by association, it was guilt by acquaintance.

But now I know who Ayers is and in today's Washington Post, Charles Lane (once played brilliantly by Peter Sarsgaard in the best Hollywood movie about the New Republic and one of the best, period) tells me more.

Bill Ayers is a terrible guy who, by any definition, spent his youth as a terrorist. He's the kind of guy who dedicates his book to, among others, Sirhan Sirhan.

And yet he is a pillar of the Chicago establishment.

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Some pre-holiday cheer. The neocon outfit, Freedom's Watch, has bitten the dust.

In the words of Monty Python, "This parrot is no more. It has ceased to be. It's expired and gone to meet its maker. This is a late parrot. It's a stiff. Bereft of life, it rests in peace. If you hadn't nailed it to the perch, it would be pushing up the daisies. It's rung down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. This is an ex-parrot."

And Freedom's Watch is an ex-warmongering organization.

It turns out that its sugar daddy, Sheldon Adelson, the casino magnate, lost a few billion in the recent Wall Street troubles. Down to his last dozen billion or so, he can no longer afford to feed the family and spend a fortune supporting escalation in Iraq, war with Iran, and the continued expansion of West Bank settlements.

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