Israel, Hamas, and moral idiocy  —  Much of the world's response is a false moral equivalence that simply encourages the terrorists.  —  Israel's decision to take military action against Hamas rocket attacks targeting its civilian population has been long in coming.

Roland Burris Almost Certain To Be Seated, Legal Scholars Say  —  Rod Blagojevich's decision to appoint Roland Burris to Illinois' vacant Senate seat, even as the governor faces intense criminal scrutiny, is being treated as a crazy political power grab.  It also seems very likely to be permanent.

Lobbyist Sues Times, Citing Report of McCain Ties  —  WASHINGTON — A Washington lobbyist sued The New York Times and several of its reporters and editors Tuesday, charging that the newspaper had falsely created an impression that she had engaged in an improper romantic relationship with Senator John McCain.

FLORIDASTAN: ISLAMIC ANTI JEW, PRO-HAMAS RALLY - THE HATRED OF THE GOOD  —  Federal building Broward Blvd. Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Muslims rally against the Jewish state.  —  It was pandemonium.  Muslims dress in full jihad garb juiced with .... hate.It looked like Halloween in Gaza.

Village Voice Lays Off Nat Hentoff and 2 Others  —  The troubled Village Voice laid off three employees Tuesday, including Nat Hentoff, the prominent columnist who has worked for the paper since 1958, contributing opinionated columns about jazz, civil liberties and politics.

Gonzales Defends Role in Antiterror Policies  —  WASHINGTON — Alberto Gonzales, who has kept a low profile since resigning as attorney general nearly 16 months ago, said he is writing a book to set the record straight about his controversial tenure as a senior official in the Bush administration.

Pyrrhic Torture Trials  —  Should Bush administration officials be put on trial for crimes such as authorizing torture?  —  Personally, I'm just relieved to have this crowd heading out of office and its policies — on torture, on indefinite detention, on warrantless wiretapping …

Influx of black renters raises tension in Bay Area  —  ANTIOCH, Calif. (AP) - As more and more black renters began moving into this mostly white San Francisco Bay Area suburb a few years ago, neighbors started complaining about loud parties, mean pit bulls, blaring car radios, prostitution, drug dealing and muggings of schoolchildren.

Obama's Â'One President' Philosophy Is Not One-Fit-All  —  Democrat Defers to Bush on Foreign Policy but Not on Economy  —  When it comes to repairing the faltering U.S. economy, Barack Obama offers vision, numbers and detail.  But as Israeli bombs and Palestinian rockets explode in the Middle East …

For Some Culprits In Financial Meltdown, Life Is Still Pretty Good  —  This probably won't come as a surprise.  But some of the major culprits in the financial crash — former CEOs or top execs at banks whose billion-dollar losses helped precipitate the turmoil — don't seem to be paying …

Downgrades And Downfall  —  How could a single unit of AIG cause the giant company's near-ruin and become a fulcrum of the global financial crisis?  By straying from its own rules for managing risk and then failing to anticipate the consequences.  —  Third of three parts