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:

David Grossman / 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.

Bush Refuses To Interrupt His Final Vacation As Middle East Crisis Escalates  —  In an effort to “prevent Palestinians from attacking towns in southern Israel” with rockets, Israel today undertook its third day of offensive military airstrikes in the Palestinian territory of Gaza, raising the death toll to more than 300.

The Gaza War  —  If someone was sending rockets on my house where my daughters were sleeping at night, I would do everything to stop it, and I would expect Israelis to do the same thing.  —  These aren't my words — they're Barack Obama's.  But I attach myself to this sentiment.

So, What Next?  —  Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak wants “war to the bitter end.”  Hamas is on the run, its terrorist infrastructure and personnel being blown to bits as we speak.  All good, but at the end of the day, all that gets you is a pile of rubble and a bunch of dead terrorists …

Bristol Palin gives birth to healthy son  —  Gov.Sarah Palin is a grandmother.  The baby's name is Tripp, and he was born early Sunday morning, People magazine is reporting.  —  Palin's daughter, Bristol, gave birth to the healthy 7-pound, 4-ounce baby in the Valley, the magazine reported on its Web site.

Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol has a son, Tripp Easton Mitchell  —  Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol Palin and her boyfriend Levi Johnston are proud new parents of a baby boy, according to People.  —  His name is Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston, says Colleen Jones, Bristol's grandmother's sister.