I'm only halfway through the letters but haven't seen the most obvious comment....

If you didn't believe the Iraq NIE, why should you believe this one? They're intelligence gold all of a sudden? Heh.

Bamage - You're a prosecutor? So KSM is a bad dude, and who cares about the legal niceties? Piss off.

Surprise J! Welcome to the reality of people living in a fantasy land. Abstract principle is more important than any possible consequences of following that principle.
This is exactly the kind of thinking that led to the tragedy of Willie Horton.

How could I leave this out:
WASHINGTON (AP) -- While eager to find out more about the Bush administration's harsh interrogation and detainee policies, Senate Democrats are hinting that spy agency veterans need not fear that the groundwork is being laid for punishing those who carried them out.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OBAMA_INTELLIGENCE?SITE=TNKNN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Keep up the good work.

The notion that Democrats must spurn their left-wing base and move to the "non-ideological" center is the most conventional of conventional Beltway wisdom

Perhaps, because like cliches, that notion is true? You're outside the mainstream precisely because left-wingers aren't a base at all? Could it be that your influence is just another lefty fantasy? Could it be that reality has a conservative bias? Heh.

Which is why the Israelis are going to meet aggression with overwhelming force. Except for us they are alone in the world.

The truly amazing part is that the Palestinians are in the same predicament, and don't seem to understand that. No other countries will accept them as refugees. Egypt won't let them out of Gaza either. They are being used and abused by all their "allies". In a word the Palestinians are expendable in the Muslim world. Keep up the good work.

Consider this. Ever watch that show on TV about how to tame one's children? The same principles there apply here. Name the result of the child's provocation: one rocket from Israel after each rocket from Gaza. Be consistent.

Even the residents of Gaza will finally get that being aggressive results in pain. Moreover, they will get, that the aggression/pain cycle emanates from Hamas. Ergo pressure on Hamas to negotiate in good faith, from the only source it will respect. It works in children, it will work in Gaza.

Better yet, Israel can do this all day with no border crossing, no injuries, and perfect proportionality....AND the near certainty that Hamas will suffer the consequence of it's aggression, not Israel. It's win-win. Hamas stops, no one gets hurt. It doesn't get better than that and is a place to begin negotiation.

Jeebus man, from your own reference...."Hamas will not recognise Israel"
Kinda, sorta, maybe, doesn't cut it. Tsk.

There's a price to be paid for stealing land and Israel's been ducking it for 60 years.

Too bad. Wherever one lives, it's a safe bet that the title to the property originates with a theft of that land from an indigenous group. That would include you.

So, unless you are willing to hand your property over to some indigenous group that held the land before you did... you have no room to talk without being a hypocrite.

The Dimwits of the Apocalypse. The Eye for an Eye Blind Brigade.-- rrheard

If Hamas fires no rockets, everyone keeps their eyes. And you're calling me dim? Which part of this are you not able to understand?

For creating more peace, the onus is on Israel (as the current victor of the conflict) to make painful concessions.

The only concession that matters is acknowledging Israels right to exist. That's the deal breaker.

Writing off the motivations of an entire nation as nothing more than the act of children under 10 is not going to result in any deeper understanding of the conflict.

So what. This is nothing more than some little kid saying "MINE", and punching the person holding the object of desire. They are acting like children, treat them as such.

And what force would ever compel the Israelis to negotiate in good faith?

Acknowledging their right to exist and stopping the bombs. It's that easy. Act like people interested in peace and progress. Here's an easy thought experiment.... What happens if Palestinians unilaterally drop their weapons? Peace. What happens if Israelis unilaterally drop their weapons? Dead Israelis. That's pretty much everything anyone needs to know.

There Is Someone Here so beneath contempt that I don't dare name it/him. But let me amend the following: - Timothy3

Tsk. You can Ad Hominum till the cows come home but the question still remains.... Why side with provocateurs that shelter behind said women and children? It seems your moral compass needs adjustment not mine. Should I lump you in with Hitler, and the Jewish solution?

By the way, have you given your house to a Native American yet?

That's about a 7:1 ratio, Shoots. Of course, when the numbers include the casualties of the current Israeli invasion of the occupied territory of Gaza, the difference between Israeli and Palestinian deaths, especially those of children, will grow even greater.-- Jebbie

Doctor: What seems to be the problem today?
Patient: It hurts when I do this.
Doctor: Then don't do that.
Duh.