Here's my Rashid Khalidi story:

In around '99 or 2000, Prof. Khalidi's daughter and I turned a bunch of double plays together for the Cambridge University Baseball Society (CUBS, get it?). She played shortstop and I was on second base.  At the time, I was a graduate student studying Hebrew Literature and also the Executive Director of one of the two main Jewish student groups on campus, the Cambridge University L'Chaim Society.

She was a great girl and a heckuva ballplayer, one of the best players on the team (and the only female). When her dad came for a visit, I took advantage of the situation to have him come to our student center for a debate with a Hebrew University scholar on the 'Future of Jerusalem.'

I picked up Prof. Khalidi from Heathrow and drove with him up to Cambridge. We had a good, intense discussion about the peace process, Arafat, the War of Indepence vs. the 'Nakba', etc... At no time during our private conversation or during his public debate did Prof. Khalidi ever condone the use of violence to achieve political ends, nor did he ever resort to anti-semitic attacks against the Jewish State or ad hominen attacks against Jews. And he was absolutely more critical of Arafat than even some of my yeshiva buddies. To be sure, I vehemently disagreed with much of what he said, but that's exactly why he was invited - to offer an alternative viewpoint on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He debated it, defended it, took questions from the mainly Jewish audience, and that was that.  He was very kind to accept our invitation and has my gratitude and respect. 

And if you're out there, Khalidi daughter (I don't want to bring her name into this) - Do you think we had any success bringing the American pastime to the cricket-loving Brits?

    I don't remember where I saw it, but at the height of the Palin  euphoria a couple of weeks ago (was it really that short a time ago?), someone commented that the pick was like Wile E. Coyote going off the cliff.  At some point, the bottom was sure to fall out of such a scandal-plagued, inexperienced candidate who lacks even a shred of a record on issues of national significance.  I didn't believe it at the time because I was spiraling downward in a fit of pessimistic despair, but maybe s/he was on to something?  I hesitate to be too optimistic at this point, but I'm starting to believe...

    Imagine what it would like if the media did their jobs.  Imagine a headline that read "McCain and Palin Lying in their Speeches."

Unfortunately, it's not going to happen, because that would be real journalism.  If CNN were covering Belarus and Lukashenko lied in his stump speeches (elections later this month), you'd read about.  But not here.

Pathetic.

Forget about Alaskan secessionism. My reaction to the latest polls is that the Northeast and Left Coast (and whomever else wants to join) should just stop allowing themselves to be governed by the latest xenophic, religious, incompetent panderer that the rest of the nation thrusts upon us.

For all the right-wing hysteria over Democratic 'identity politics,' they always outdo us. Their supporters will always choose their candidate based on ethno-tribal-religio affiliation, rather than policy, competence or intelligence. I mean, I'm a Dem, but I'd be happy to have the Olympia Snowes of the world represent me in government.

Who's with me?