Next Year In Jerusalem*

*All images courtesy of AP Images.

With the tremendous uncertainty faced by Americans at this point in our history, it is little wonder that further upheaval in the Middle East tends to create a peculiar nauseousness that even the hardest political wonks are wont to relieve into the closest ballot box. Really, there is so much change that one wonders if anything recognizable will be left. But gastric perturbations and voter regret aside, difficult decisions must be made, here and in Israel. Clearly, the nature of future American power and Israeli security are on the line.

So if you haven't heard yet, elections in the latter country have largely been tallied and the winner is ambiguous at best with Livni taking 28 seats in the Knesset and Netanyahu coming in closely behind with 27--in other words, each will have to scramble to extract a working coalition from a very disparate set of interests after President Shimon Peres decides who can best lead in the midst of a growing nuclear threat from Iran and unending rocket attacks from Hamas. Add in the gushing overtures of peace by the Obama administration in answer to Iranian flexing, and a reasonable resolution to the Middle East conflict seems more uncertain now than ever before.

Significantly, some view Netanyahu as an experienced, ultra-right hawk who will not cede an inch of Israeli soil--a sure bet for further conflict in the region--while Livni is generally viewed as a center-left devotee of peacemaking interests with the backbone to wage a war with Hamas, if not Iran. Really, who knows?

I am not sure Netanyahu is the irrational burr under Obama's saddle that he is usually described to be, or that Livni would have the guts to stand up militarily to at least two major enemies while under pressure from our own Commander-in-Chief. Both popular analyses seem to take considerable comfort in nailing down just two variables in a very complex political environment. We might be wise to remember that these politicians are not static factors, but cunning, creative individuals with a very personal stake in the problems at hand. Each could surprise us.

Whatever philosophy ultimately wins out in the end, some have suggested a power sharing scheme might be best. Maybe this will happen. And maybe indecision is the worst possible scenario right now for Israel. What is certain is that unified purpose and gritty determination are desperately needed if Israelis are to maintain their way of life. No one else can perform that task for them. I hope they commit wholeheartedly to whatever they choose as firm support from even America may not be forthcoming under the current administration. And that's unfortunate, to say the least.

On the home front, everyone's favorite Enforcer of Al Capone Style Politics--Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel--is reportedly looking to take over Census duties from the supposedly inept Commerce Department. Savvy Republicans such as Rep. Jason Chaffetz and Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah are rightly protesting this blatant attempt at wholesale gerrymandering. Can you recall such an obvious partisan power grab? The chutzpah of the whole thing. And have I mentioned that these next four years are going to drag on like mandatory bed rest with nothing to do but toil through arcane calculus problems with only an abacus short a few beads? Perhaps that is overstating the nature of our circumstances, but not by much. Sheesh.

In other news, creepy-terrorist-turned-equally-creepy-professor Bill Ayers mocked Sarah Palin with a post-election suggestion for a joint talk show. Maybe he should have offered the reality show "Bill Ayers' Detention in Gitmo: The Early Years." What an absolute loser. And why haven't we put him through the full list of judicial services available in this country? President Obama would be wise to continue putting distance between himself and Ayers. . .and Rev. Wright. . .and Blagojevich. . .and, well, the list goes down pretty deep into the black heart of Chicago politics. I suppose it's a good thing Number 44 has loaded his privileged White House press corps with so many far left disciples of hope.

DEPRESSING NEWS: Some poor rancher in Arizona strangely finds himself in a legal battle after turning in some low life illegal aliens. And this after suffering damages to his property and a break-in at his home. I hope this ends much sooner than it did for those two long-suffering border patrol agents recently set loose by "W." By the way, he's being slapped for $32 Million.

MORE DEPRESSING NEWS: A-Rod and Michael Phelps act like morons and damage their nearly perfect athletic bodies and reputations for vanity, stupidity, or some pre-Galilean view of the universe in which each is the axis of a constellation composed of other laudatory but lesser bits of celestial material. Of course, it could be a combination of all three. The consequences of the entitlement culture so ingrained in the world of sports, I suppose.