Nahum Barnea, Israel's top newspaper columnist, has a column rich with insight in today's Yediot Achranot [Israel's leading newspaper], his weekend column. He describes behind the scenes goings-on between the Israeli Prime Minister's office and the bureau of the Palestinian president, Abu Mazen--it's a glass half full-half empty sort of discussion, the kind that the Middle East revels in and precisely the type that is nuanced in a manner that consistently eludes the Bush Administration.

But there is a line in the article, a quote from an unnamed top Palestinian official, presumeably someone from Fatah, from Abu Mazen's wing of the political leadership, that I found chilling in its simple formulation: "everyone is hostage to everyone," this Palestinian official told Barnea.

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Nahum Barnea, Israel's top newspaper columnist, has a column rich with insight in today's Yediot Achranot [Israel's leading newspaper], his weekend column. He describes behind the scenes goings-on between the Israeli Prime Minister's office and the bureau of the Palestinian president, Abu Mazen--it's a glass half full-half empty sort of discussion, the kind that the Middle East revels in and precisely the type that is nuanced in a manner that consistently eludes the Bush Administration.

But there is a line in the article, a quote from an unnamed top Palestinian official, presumeably someone from Fatah, from Abu Mazen's wing of the political leadership, that I found chilling in its simple formulation: "everyone is hostage to everyone," this Palestinian official told Barnea.

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Imagine my suprise when I got home tonight to hear a message on my answering machine from Robert DeNiro. Who wouldn't hope for such a thing? Of course, the message was pre-recorded-and as I heard his slight New York accent toned in my phone, I also heard the actor make a pre-done plea for my vote for Hillary Clinton for re-election to the Senate. Being a New Yorker, quite frankly, I could forego the general election, especially this year, as Hillary and everyone else is going to landslide their way into the victory they already earned in the Democratic primary, but nonetheless, my phone (and email) is stock full of pleas to vote. And I must say, that I was intrigued not only that DeNiro would be used as a gotv ploy-but moreso by his pitch, which was incredibly unconvincing--and depressing, even, if one is to consider how the Dems need to state their case--and especially that of the presidential frontrunner otherwise known as the junior senator from NY--

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