Lots of opinion about the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict in the newspapers today. Here is a piece in the Boston Globe that argues Hezbollah cannot be negotiated with since they advocate the destruction of Israel and the genocide of the Jews. Here is another piece that questions Israel's strategy.

George Will questions their strategy, as well. Speed is a factor, and Ralph Peters, who is on the front line with the IDF, agrees.

Could the only way out for Israel be to expand the war? This piece makes that argument.

I am getting a little tired of the analysis that I am seeing on television. Too often, due to the constraints of the medium (if not the outright bias of the producers and talent), the debate is framed as to be one between those who want an immediate cease fire and negotiations versus those who want to keep up the bombing and loss of innocent life. I wish every such discussion were preceded by a recitation of Hezbollah's founding principles and a smattering of the pronouncements of their leaders. As an organization dedicated to the "liberation" of all Palestine based on the 1948 borders of the Palestinian mandate, that is, the destruction of Israel, and an organization that wishes to create an Islamic state on that land, in the mold of Iran, all subsequent discussion could then follow from that standpoint. Should Israel be required to negotiate with those who openly advocate their destruction? If so, what exactly should they negotiate about? The terms of Israeli surrender? Ridiculous.

It is primary day in Connecticut. Lots of opinion about the Lieberman-Lamont contest. Jesse Jackson thinks a Lieberman loss would be good for the Democratic Party. Barry Casselman disagrees. Could it be a preview for November?

If Lamont wins, the only thing we can take from that fact is that those Connecticut Democrats who bothered to vote on a Summer day were energized because of their anti-war views. This still does not tell us about the national mood of a much larger slice of the electorate in November. While it still looks like the Democrats will gain this Fall, we cannot know until the last week before the polls open. If Americans are still dissatisfied with the economy, the war, and politics in Washington, we could see the kind of anti-incumbent backlash we last saw in 1994.