memeorandum: Israel Rejects Truce, Presses on With Gaza Strikes (Washington Post)

12:20 PM ET, December 30, 2008

Top Items:

Craig Schneider / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

McKinney relief boat rammed by Israeli navy — A boat carrying international peace activists, including former Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, and medical supplies to the embattled Gaza Strip sailed back into a Lebanese port on Tuesday after being turned back and damaged by the Israeli navy, organizers of the trip said.

Discussion: Jules Crittenden, Booman Tribune, Gateway Pundit, Don Surber and Daily Pundit

Jeffrey Goldberg:

A Fatah Friend Writes: I'm Supporting the Israeli Air Force — It's a strange world, but there you have it. I've been talking to friends of mine, former Palestinian Authority intelligence officials (ejected from power by the Hamas coup), and they tell me that not only are they rooting …

Discussion: Hot Air

Max Socol / Jerusalem Post:

IDF launches YouTube Gaza channel — In the midst of its Gaza operations, the IDF is entering yet another conflict zone: the Internet. The Israeli army announced yesterday the creation of its own YouTube channel, through which it will disseminate footage of precision bombing operations in the Gaza Strip …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, CNN, Commentary, NewsBusters.org, Power Line, Yourish.com, Ynetnews and Atlas Shrugs

Washington Post:

Israel Rejects Truce, Presses on With Gaza Strikes — Israel continued airstrikes against Gaza Strip targets for a fourth day on Tuesday, destroying civic and other buildings linked to the militant Hamas movement in a campaign Israeli leaders say will continue until the group is crippled.

Discussion: NO QUARTER, theheretik.us, Jerusalem Post, Israel Matzav, Los Angeles Times, Commentary, MSNBC, Pirate's Cove, Atlas Shrugs, Elder of Ziyon, Yourish.com, Buck Naked Politics and Associated Press

Daoud Kuttab / Washington Post:

Has Israel Revived Hamas? — JERUSALEM — In its efforts to stop amateur rockets from nagging the residents of some of its southern cities, Israel appears to have given new life to the fledging Islamic movement in Palestine. — For two years, the Islamic Resistance Movement …

Discussion: New York Times, Commentary, The Nation, Soccer Dad, Change.org's Blog Network, My Right Word, pmw.org.il, Jeffrey Goldberg and Seraphic Secret

Vanity Fair:

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:

Discussion: Firedoglake, Commentary, The Independent, The Volokh Conspiracy, QandO and My Right Word

David Grossman / Haaretz:
Is Israel too imprisoned in the familiar ceremony of war?

Discussion: The Huffington Post and Taylor Marsh

Wall Street Journal:
Hamas Knows One Big Thing

Discussion: New York Times

Haaretz:
ANALYSIS / Hamas is hoping for an IDF ground operation

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Guardian, ABCNEWS, CBS News, Harry's Place, War and Piece, Commentary, Maggie's Farm and The Moderate Voice

Benny Morris / New York Times:
Why Israel Feels Threatened

Discussion: Washington Post, Times of London, Jerusalem Post, Mondoweiss, The Moderate Voice, ‘Just World News&rsquo …, Yourish.com and Random Thoughts

New York Times:
On Fourth Day of Gaza Battle, No End in Sight

Discussion: CQ Politics, The Reaction, The Caucus, ATTACKERMAN, Tikun Olam, TIME.com, On Deadline, Los Angeles Times, Gateway Pundit, Associated Press and CNN

Jules Crittenden:
So, What Next? — Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak wants “war to the bitter end.”

Discussion: Jerusalem Post, Ynetnews, Soccer Dad, A Blog For All, The New Republic and MEMRI

James Hider / Times of London:
Israel vows to sweep Hamas from power

Discussion: Harry's Place and Lawyers, Guns and Money

Andy Barr / The Politico:

‘Magic Negro’ flap might help Saltsman — The controversy surrounding a comedy CD distributed by Republican National Committee chair candidate Chip Saltsman has not torpedoed his bid and might have inadvertently helped it. — Four days after news broke that the former Tennessee GOP chairman …

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, Washington Monthly, The New Republic, Talking Points Memo, Wonkette, Political Machine, Washington Times, PoliPundit.com, The Campaign Spot, TPM Election Central, Democracy in America and Shakesville

John Vinocur / International Herald Tribune:

From the left, a call to end the current Dutch notion of tolerance — AMSTERDAM: Two years ago, the Dutch could quietly congratulate themselves on having brought what seemed to be a fair measure of consensus and reason to the meanest intersection in their national political life …

Discussion: Gates of Vienna, Vox Popoli, Maggie's Farm and Neptunus Lex

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

GOP warns against stimulus rush — Congressional Republicans on Monday criticized a $1 trillion stimulus as wasteful spending and signaled they will oppose having the bill ready by President-elect Obama's inauguration on Jan. 20. — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) …

Discussion: Think Progress

Ben Pershing / Washington Post:
Stimulus Will Test Remaining GOP Clout

Discussion: New York Times, The Crypt's Blogs and Democracy in America

Laura Litvan / Bloomberg: McConnell Urges Caution in Debate on Economic Stimulus Measure

Paul Kane / Washington Post:
GOP Leaders Seek Extensive Vetting of Stimulus Plan

Discussion: Washington Monthly, PBD and TPM Election Central

Bob Herbert / New York Times:

Add Up the Damage — Does anyone know where George W. Bush is? — You don't hear much from him anymore. The last image most of us remember is of the president ducking a pair of size 10s that were hurled at him in Baghdad. — We're still at war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and WTF Is It Now?!?

Richard Cohen / Washington Post:

Reading Into Bush's Book List — In what without a doubt is the most astounding op-ed piece of the year, Karl Rove reveals that his friend and former boss, George W. Bush, has read probably hundreds of books over the course of his presidency. One of them was Albert Camus' “The Stranger,” …

Discussion: Althouse, JammieWearingFool and The Corner

Amanda Hill / The 2008 Weblog Awards:

2008 Weblog Awards Finalists — Here is a complete list of the finalists for The 2008 Weblog Awards. Finalists badges (hosted by Imageshack) will be available Wednesday. Voting is scheduled to begin on January 5, 2009. — Please note that the names of the Technorati Autority categories have changed …

Discussion: Shakesville, TransGriot, Elder of Ziyon, Atlas Shrugs and JammieWearingFool

Associated Press:

Newdow to join legal challenge to inauguration prayer — A California physician and attorney whose legal fight against the words “under God” in the pledge of allegiance has drawn national attention now says he will join a lawsuit seeking the removal of all references to God and religion …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Don Surber

Vanity Fair:

Farewell to All That: An Oral History of the Bush White House — The threat of 9/11 ignored. The threat of Iraq hyped and manipulated. Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib. Hurricane Katrina. The shredding of civil liberties. The rise of Iran. Global warming. Economic disaster.

Discussion: Associated Press, Kevin Drum, Washington Monthly, Connecting.the.Dots, Facing South, Political Machine, NewsBusters.org, danieldrezner.com and No More Mister Nice Blog

Associated Press:

Fallout begins after dismal holiday season — ‘The downturn has been catastrophic,’ according to one retail analyst — Fallout from the dismal holiday sales season promises to have a lasting impact on how the retail industry operates. — Retailers slash prices

Discussion: Riehl World View and AMERICAblog News