Our daily look at stories and topics that are lighting up the Internets:
Debate Update, Middle East
The debate rages about the ideological divide said to run through the Middle East all the way to the media—taking a shortcut through Facebook. "Gaza is where the dream of Palestinian statehood goes to die," writes Jeffrey Goldberg, breaking his self-imposed silence on the conflict. "Gaza is where the Zionist dream might yet die." Others comment on Obama's first words about the crisis as "an early indication that perhaps he doesn't really believe his campaign's overtures to the pro-Israel community." Returning, however, to the heavily one-sided political views that we've come to associate with the Middle East, one blogger succinctly sums up the entire history of "the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: if the Palestinians laid down their weapons, there would be no war, but if the Israelis laid down their weapons, there would be no Israel." Others meanwhile, take umbrage at the umbrage-worthy comparisons to Nazism bandied about the Internet. And in his own little corner of the blogosphere, Stephen Walt conducts this little thought experiment. Hmmm.
Leon Panetta, a Concession to the Right?
Either the entire blogosphere has lice or Obama's nomination of Leon Panetta to head the CIA is a mega-headscratcher. And while some Democrats are praising the inexperienced-within-the-intelligence-community nominee, others, like Feinstein and Rockefeller, are puzzled. Neocons, on the other hand, like what they see. Writes one conservative blogger: "So let's get this straight: Robert Gates will be the Defense Secretary, we're ramping up U.S. forces in Afghanistan . . . there isn ' t going to be a windfall oil profits tax or income tax hike but there is going to be a huge set of business tax cuts—and Rick Warren is giving the invocation at the Inauguration. Who won in November?" Good question. That being said, no one seems to be objecting to Obama's insistence—and Panetta's views—on the immorality of torture.
Burris Barred From the Senate and Other Senatorial News
The scandalously nominated and possibly legitimate senator Roland Burris tried to attend the senatorial swearing-in ceremony on Capital Hill today. Unfortunately for him—but not for the blogosphere—access was denied. A comprise is possibly in the works: Democrats are floating a proposal to open the gates to the Senate as long as Burris promises not to run in 2010. Some bloggers examined the motivations behind a potential deal between the Democratic Senate leadership and Burris and don't like what they see. "Remember all that talk by the Democrats about how they were worried about the 'tainted' appointment process for Barack Obama's Senate seat," asks a cynical Doug Bandow. "It appears that they have other considerations in mind—like holding the seat in the next election." Other bloggers, at least the conservative ones, reveled in the drama. "No dramatic standoff at the chamber door," writes one blogger, "alas." Michelle Malkin made no secret of her delight: "Stay tuned. I'm laughing. I'm crying. This is better than Cats." In other news from the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada declared Al Franken victorious in his drawn-out race and called on Norm Coleman to concede defeat. And Dick Cheney swears Joe Biden in to the Senate, "the first time since 1961 that a sitting vice president will swear in his successor."
Meanwhile . . .
First lady Laura Bush snags a $1.6 million advance on a book deal. . . . Ann Coulter generates controversy for publicity's sake (say some). . . . Terri Schiavo case revived. . . . Apple's MacWorld keynote feed hacked. . . . And quasi-bad publicity again, gosh darn it, for Sarah Palin and family.
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