memeorandum: Samuel Huntington, author, Harvard political scientist; at 81 (Adam J.V. Sell/Boston Globe)

11:05 AM ET, December 28, 2008

Top Items:

‘Hamas could have prevented massacre’ — Hamas could have prevented the “massacre” in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday in Cairo. — “We spoke to them and told them ‘Please, we ask you not to end the cease-fire. Let it continue,’” …

Discussion: Hot Air, Israel Matzav and Ynetnews

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

Marty Peretz and the American political consensus on Israel — Opinions about the Israeli-Palestinian dispute are so entrenched that any single outbreak of violence is automatically evaluated through a pre-existing lens, shaped by one's typically immovable beliefs about which side bears …

Discussion: Associated Press, Mondoweiss and J Street

Ynetnews:

Iran orders Muslims to defend Palestinians — Supreme leader issues religious decree in support of Palestinians; parliamentarian likens Israel's actions in Gaza to those of Hitler — Dudi Cohen — Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a religious decree to Muslims around the world on Sunday …

Discussion: Jihad Watch

New York Times:

Israeli Attacks in Gaza Strip Continue for Second Day — GAZA — Israeli airstrikes against Hamas facilities in Gaza continued for a second day on Sunday and the death toll rose to more than 280 as Israel retaliated for rocket fire from the area with its most severe campaign against Palestinian militants in decades.

Discussion: Think Progress, Haaretz, International Herald Tribune, Word on the Street, Booman Tribune and Mere Rhetoric

Greg Mitchell / The Huffington Post:

Attack on Gaza: As Usual, U.S. Media (And Most Liberals) Silent — As Israeli Newspaper Raises Doubts — In the usual process, the U.S. government, media here — and most liberal bloggers — are silent or playing down questions about whether Israel overreacted in its massive air strikes on Gaza …

Discussion: Mondoweiss

BBC:

Hamas ‘bars injured leaving Gaza’ — Egypt says the Hamas militant group, which controls Gaza, is preventing hundreds of wounded Palestinians from leaving for treatment in Egypt. — Cairo says dozens of empty ambulances are at the Rafah crossing - the only one to Gaza which avoids Israel.

Discussion: Harry's Place and Jihad Watch

BBC:
Israeli jets target Gaza tunnels

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, Xinhua News Agency, Agence France Presse, Global Voices Online, The Huffington Post, Jihad Watch, Atlas Shrugs, Israpundit and TalkLeft

Peter Beaumont / Guardian:
Peter Beaumont on what the latest attacks mean for the citizens of Gaza

Discussion: Mondoweiss, Associated Press and Soccer Dad

David Horovitz / Jerusalem Post:
Analysis: The policy of restraint is over

Discussion: Yourish.com, Israpundit, Israel Matzav, Ynetnews and Reuters

Michael Abramowitz / Washington Post:
Israeli Airstrikes on Gaza Strip Imperil Obama's Peace Chances

Discussion: Jerusalem Post, Power Line, Ynetnews, A Blog For All, New York Times, Augean Stables, Right Wing News, Commentary, Israel Matzav, Yourish.com, The New Republic and Haaretz

Barak Ravid / Haaretz:
Israel to mount emergency international PR effort in wake of Gaza campaign

Discussion: Mondoweiss, Telegraph, Associated Press and Ynetnews

Barak Ravid / Haaretz:
Disinformation, secrecy, deception: How the Gaza offensive came about

Discussion: Power Line, I*Consult, Jerusalem Post, Associated Press, The Huffington Post, Aljazeera, Jules Crittenden, Stop The ACLU, Mondoweiss, Ynetnews, english.ramattan.net, Firedoglake, kuna.net.kw, CNN, Macsmind, TPMCafe, Commentary and Israel Matzav

Bradley Burston / Haaretz:
Bradley Burston / The worst anti-Israel charges you'll hear in wartime

Discussion: Sean Rayment's blog listings, Harry's Place, Preemptive Karma, Ynetnews and Pajamas Media

Hana Levi Julian / Arutz Sheva:
IDF Releases Photos of Hamas Targets, Terror Training Facilities

Discussion: Haaretz, Jerusalem Post, Jihad Watch, Time, Ynetnews, Gateway Pundit and Israpundit

BBC:
Eyewitness: Chaos in Gaza

Discussion: Bloomberg, Times of London, Pajamas Media, CBS News, Xinhua News Agency, Buck Naked Politics, Firedoglake and Atlas Shrugs

Frank Rich / New York Times:

You're Likable Enough, Gay People — IN his first press conference after his re-election in 2004, President Bush memorably declared, “I earned capital in the campaign, political capital, and now I intend to spend it.” We all know how that turned out. — Barack Obama has little in common …

Discussion: ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Prairie Weather and TalkLeft

Michael D. Shear / Washington Post:

RNC Rivals Discuss Racial Song — Would-Be Chairman Who Sent CD With Parody Blames Media — Republicans who are vying to lead the national party offered a mix of reactions yesterday to the decision by one candidate for the job to mail out a music CD including the song “Barack the Magic Negro.”

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, TPM Election Central, bastard.logic and CNN

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Blackwell defends Saltsman

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Political Machine, New York Times, Commentary, Raleigh News & Observer, Associated Press, AMERICAblog News, La Figa and RedState

Christopher Booker / Telegraph:

2008 was the year manmade global warming was disproved — Looking back over my columns of the past 12 months, one of their major themes was neatly encapsulated by two recent items from The Daily Telegraph. — The first, on May 21, headed “Climate change threat to Alpine ski resorts” …

Discussion: Power Line, The Strata-Sphere, Deltoid, EU Referendum, Scared Monkeys, NewsBusters.org, Wake up America, Don Surber and Ed Driscoll.com

Steve Connor / The Independent:

Scientific illiteracy all the rage among the glitterati — When it comes to science, Barack Obama is no better than many of us. Today he joins the list of shame of those in public life who made scientifically unsupportable statements in 2008. — Closer to home, Nigella Lawson …

Adam J.V. Sell / Boston Globe:

Samuel Huntington, author, Harvard political scientist; at 81 — Dr. Samuel Huntington's first book, “The Soldier and the State: the Theory and Politics of Civil-Military Relations,” was such an influential book that it merited a 50th anniversary symposium at West Point last year …

Discussion: PoliBlog, The Atlantic Online, danieldrezner.com, Outside The Beltway and Harvard University Gazette

Andie Coller / The Politico:

After Bush, will MoveOn live up to its name? — After more than a decade spent railing against the Republican machine, MoveOn wants to move on —even if it means leaving some of its high-minded ideals behind. — Last week, the group's members chose their top four priorities for the organization …

Discussion: Open Left and Patterico's Pontifications