gaza

PORKBUSTERS UPDATE: Veterans need care, politicians want money -- can't somebody cut a deal?

The dedication of the West Virginia Veterans Nursing Facility in Clarksburg took place last November with Sen. Jay Rockefeller, Congressman Alan Mollohan and Gov. Joe Manchin in attendance, but the home has yet to house any patients.

Okay, it's because the approval process isn't done yet. But why is it taking so long? Basically "ordinary construction delays." Um, okay.

Don Surber comments: "Notice the lack of any sense of urgency? . . . Meanwhile, 30 Clarksburg area vets are waiting for someone to get off his can, inspect the joint and open it up. But no one cares. The politicians got their photo op out of the deal."

How about this rule: Politicians don't get their photo-op until the thing's actually operating. Just a thought.Gaza was on the brink of civil war last night as violent clashes between Palestinian factions spiralled out of control."

Question: Do you need a civil society to have a civil war? However, this doesn't sound bad:

Some Palestinian analysts predict that a collapse of the Palestinian Authority would pave the way for Jordanian custodial rule in the West Bank and a similar arrangement for Egypt in Gaza.

“The message is the Palestinians cannot rule themselves. This fighting will only end if a third party takes over,” said Ibrahim Abrash, a political analyst in Gaza.

Well, not bad except maybe for Jordan and Egypt. Why they would want custody of those areas, given the Palestinians' behavior, is hard to fathom.

UPDATE: Rick Richman points out that Wretchard of The Belmont Club predicted this in 2005: "The Gaza withdrawal may turn out to be far more dangerous to the Palestinian Authority than to Israel because it unleashed powerful forces which Abbas has been unable to control. It now threatens to drag him like a man whose foot has been caught in the traces of runaway horses.":