More quickies

Haretz has the latest election results in Israel while Jo-Ann Mort provides some analysis which is helpful. Israel is part of the key to finding stability in the Middle East, so it's good to get some insight into their political state right now. From Mort's piece:

Fifth, the American darling Bibi Netanyahu is no more. He brought in a disgraceful showing, with the Likud dropping to fourth place. It wasn't simply Sharon's creation of Kadimah that did in the Likud. The narrative of the religious/right wing settlement policy is dead. It is finished--and the U.S. Administration and the supporters of the settlers need to understand that. (Even though Lieberman is a settler- supporter and resident, he more represents the Russian vote than a vote for the settlements).

The NY Times reports on FISA judges having a disagreement with Bush over the authority of the executive to conduct warrantless searches.

Judge Harold A. Baker, a sitting federal judge in Illinois who served on the intelligence court until last year, said the president was bound by the law "like everyone else." If a law like the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is duly enacted by Congress and considered constitutional, Judge Baker said, "the president ignores it at the president's peril."

This hearing by Arlen Spector is ridiculous and Democrats should clearly state that. Republicans are fond of saying things like, "We don't need a new law. We just need to enforce the ones already on the books." You know, some times they are right in saying that. They would be right in saying that this time if they had the balls to confront the President, but they don't. They are more interested in party power than they are in the citizens that they are supposed to be representing or the democracy that they are supposed to be upholding.