Arab Street Worries: "The Jews Have Gone Crazy"

It's about time they started becoming nervous about our responses to their rage.

Israel may have reached a deterrent moment in its war in Gaza against Iranian-backed Hamas. I spoke with a senior Arab diplomat last night. He told me that the Arab street is afraid that "the Jews have gone crazy."

Yes, it's true. He noted, "Israel has begun to restore its deterrence" in the Arab world. "Hamas miscalculated," he added. They had thought Israel would not attack, but would merely accede to tougher Hamas demands for an improved "Tahdiya," their version of a temporary calm.

This is perhaps one of the more optimistic assessments I have heard from Arab colleagues recently. There is supporting documentation. Hizbullah's immediate public denial yesterday of the Katusha rocket attack from Southern Lebanon against Israel's North and the reports on Lebanese TV of convoys of Lebanese (read: Hizbullah) vehicles moving north in expectation of a major Israeli reprisal strengthens this sense.

It's also notable that Al Jazeera's reportage yesterday avoided interviewing ordinary Gazans. Arab sources in Gaza confided that the public anger is not directed at Israel any more than it is at Hamas.

Via Instapundit. Unrelated, but: This just in -- bureaucrats make for awful businessmen. California state pension money was invested largely in real estate, at the peak of the market.

Brilliant.

Oh, and the result is perfectly predictable: Increase taxes on employers.

I'm so glad that Democrats beat back Bush's effort to allow workers' ownership in their own Social Security. That sort of idea would never work. Better to have slacker civil servants making the big decisions.

In related news, Obama, who hasn't even run an office in his life, will be making all the big decisions about the economy for at least four years.

posted by Ace at 03:29 PM

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