Mort speaks much sense here, but he's wrong that it was a mistake to let the Palestinians vote for whom they wanted. Mort must be a Democrat, thinking democracy allows for big shot to decide when votes will be counted or who everybody else is allowed to vote for.

Hamas winning an election was a bad thing. A worse thing would have have been pretending to hold election but not allowing the people most voters wanted to vote for from standing for office.

Perhaps the Palestinians will vote with more maturity next time--you know they are new at it. Maybe, given the option to moderate to hold political power Hamas will be encouraged to do so. None of that could happen without holding a real democratic election.

What Mort? Is democracy only OK for some people?

Please Mr Zukerman! Have you and your fellow neocons really no sense of shame or decency? Israel, with its US funded high tech military pounds women and children and bombs the UN again and again. You make no mention of the suffering endured by 1.5 million humans due to the cruel and stupid economic blocade imposed by Israel and of course there are the illegal settlements! Please be aware how the world now views Israel and how the abused becomes the abuse,

Rice is the most incompetent Secretary of State in decades. Senator Clinton is going to have her hands full, cleaning up the mess; however, Senator Clinton is supremely qualified person to take it on.

I agree with Issywise -- the most difficult part of a Democratic movement is that you must put up with the choices of the majority (I can tell you for the last 8 years I have not been happy!) but if the election was fair then all must be allowed to participate.....

You miss the point, Issywise. An election is not democracy. Without free speech, a free press, civil rights & protections for all citizens and separation of powers, there is very little to prevent an election from being anything better than an armed (or threat-of-violence) exercise in manipulation of the populace and propaganda for outsiders.

Do you know for certain Hamas candidates were the ones most voters wanted to vote for, in a first-time election floating free of any of the under-pinnings of democracy?

Hamas cynically pulled a fast one in Gaza. And they did it by regurgitating democratic rhetoric sufficient to make the Bush Administration feel complacent ... accomplished ... gratified ... self-congratulatory.

The "long view" for Rice may well have been in another direction entirely; perhaps playing piano for the Queen of England.

IIt's a curious democracy that throws its opponents off the top of buildings and goes into hospitals now to drag out suspected Fatah supporters so as to "execute' them on the spot. Cherylmc8508 is right in a democracy you have to put up with the choice of the majority but in a democracy, as we understand it, the majority doesn't set out to murder the opposition; doesnt suppress criticism, etc. Whether a vote in an election produces a democracy is a moot point.

jenny4hill & Johnnorth:

Ouch! That hurt! You shouldn't treat a know-it-all with such abrupt and brutal correction! Mercy?

Hamas' charter purpose is the wipe secularism off every grain of sand ever once ruled by a Muslim authority: destruction of Israel is just a step on the way in their larger goal of wiping out all apostasy and establishing a fundamentalist theocracy in the entire Islamic world (and beyond).

Still, I nonetheless cannot see how holding an election wherein people are not allowed to vote for whom they want to vote can still be seen a democratic activity. Are you saying we should support PRETEND democracy?

If democracy is going to overcome the historic habit of changing government by force of arms, then it has to be given a chance.

It is doubtful that Hamas will allow free elections in Gaza, which they took by armed rebellion against the Palestinian Authority's constitution, but it is still possible for another free election to happen in the West Bank and if Hamas is repudiated, it will be a good thing.

After your previous posts, I'm guessing I'm in over my head, but I kind of think democracy should be given a chance.

I'm not sure what Rice was qualified for when taking the SOS position. I understand she had some knowledge of Russian matters, but I doubt that she knew what she was doing in the Middle East. It is unfortunate that now Israel has had to resort to this type of violence, but when terrorists are constantly at your door, there is no other choice. I am sure Palestinians and Israelis would like to live in peace, but as long as you have barbarians like Hamas in existence, they will always trigger violence for their own power wants. To train Palestinian five year olds to shoot and kill Israelis has no rhyme and reason - Hamas consists of some very bad, psychologically violent people and they should be destroyed and the Palestinian children re-educated before it is too late for them.

Such clarity about the evil nature of Hamas. Wish it were reflected among the rent-a-crowd

I respect Mr. Zukerman and he makes some valid points, not surprisingly all from Israel's point of view not from a point of view of what is best for America's interests in the region.

When mentioning the "coup" Hamas staged, he neglects to mention that the U.S. and Israel funded and armed the Fatah strongman, Dahlan, to stage a coup in Gaza and eliminate Hamas. Hamas heard about it and executed their pre-emptive coup. So much for respecting a democracy.

Yes, the rockets provoked Israel; however, that was exactly what Israel wanted. There is ample evidence that the ceasefire that was working could have been extended if that was Israel's desire. Read the recent article by Jimmy Carter for more insight. Israel needed a casus belli to unleash its reign of terror.

He talks about the ceaseless terror possibly making Israel uninhabitable. The siege, which started before the Hamas elections, has made Gaza uninhabitable and pushed the population into the open arms of the radicals. Slaughtering more civilians will not solve the problem.

And finally, we now know who decides what UN resolutions are acceptable for the US to vote for. Certainly not our Secretary of State, that decision should be left to the Prime Minister of Israel. One call from Olmert and the puppet dances to the tune.

Mort is absolutely right. All the blame should rest on Hamas. Israel is just a poor little sliver of a country trying to survive the murderous Arabs. The only solution is the elimination of Hamas, while we are at it let's eliminate them all so that Israel can live in peace and continue to live a moral life.

Since my comments that were mildly critical of Mort's point of view were not accepted I hope my fawning comments will be. Heaven forbid that the macher's views should be challenged.

Those who will not be heard are inclined to shout louder. Had Israel shown greater respect for the needs and hopes of the Palestinians, Hamas would not, tragically, have gained power.

The Mideast is composed of petulent nations whose extreme positions are only tolerated due to their oil production. My entire adult life (21-62) has been reading about their squabbles, wars, etc., and we Americans have put too much money into the projects and wars. It is time for non-American nations to take the diplomatic lead to resolve the issues around Palestine and Israel.If we are out of the equation because other nations step up to the plate, the rhetoric will calm down and their true purposes may be observed. Arafat was a stumbling block for years and walked out on a solution;
he craved continuing hostility and we westerners are all too history ignorant to recognize it.

I don't give a good goddam how they do it, the killing of women and children has got to STOP. Three strikes. Are you nuts. How many Presidents have tried to make peace in the Middle East?It's as easy as 1,2,3.