VoxOp

BILL RICHARDSON

"Anyone who thinks that the only thing better than one Democratic governor embroiled in a pay-to-play scandal is two Democratic governors embroiled in pay-to-play scandals received a big treat Sunday when another federal investigation that had been flying under the national radar suddenly came to light.

"The twist? This scandal involves New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, whom President-elect Barack Obama tapped as his choice for commerce secretary . . . Even if Obama's team didn't know about the investigation before Obama made the nomination, Richardson certainly did. Cynics can be forgiven for speculating that Richardson's decision might be indicative that the tenor of the probe has become more serious and Richardson could be withdrawing now to spare the new administration a larger headache in the future."
MATTHEW DeLONG, washingtonindependent.com

"Perhaps due to especially notable failures, the concept of an 'epic fail' has now entered into the lexicon . . . May I posit that the withdrawal of Governor Bill Richardson's name as the nominee to serve as commerce secretary . . . qualifies as an 'epic fail'? Anytime a presidential transition is disrupted by the need to withdraw the name of a nominee for a high-profile Cabinet post, the transition process suffers. Given the nature of the withdrawal and the reasons behind it, the Obama transition has suffered an especially tough blow. Of course, Richardson is not the only symbol of an epic fail around here; the bulk of Barack Obama's economic program is swiftly moving into epic fail territory as well."
PEJMAN YOUSEFZADEH, pajamasmedia.com

UNREST IN GAZA
"If Israel successfully overthrows Hamas in Gaza, it would strengthen anti-Iranian forces throughout the Mideast and signal the region that Iranian momentum can be reversed. The Israeli military operation could begin the process that topples a terrorist regime that seized power in the Gaza Strip in 2007 and has fired thousands of rockets and mortar shells into Israeli neighborhoods.

"Whether or not Hamas is ultimately overthrown, Israel can achieve substantial goals. The first is an absolute cease-fire. . . . To obtain a cease-fire now, the international community should recognize Israel's right to respond to any aggression over its international border and monitor the closure of Hamas's weapons-smuggling tunnels. Above all, the goal is to ensure that Hamas is unable to proclaim victory and thereby enhance Iranian prestige in the Arab world."

YOSSI KLEIN HALEVI and MICHAEL B. OREN, www.latimes.com

There are few concepts more elastic and subject to exploitation than 'terrorism,' the all-purpose justifying and fear-mongering term. But if it means anything, it means . . . slaughtering innocent civilians in order to 'send a message,' to 'deter' political actors by making them fear that continuing on the same course will result in the deaths of civilians and . . . even their own children and other family members."

"That, of course, is the very same logic that leads Hamas to send suicide bombers to slaughter Israeli teenagers in pizza parlors and on buses and to shoot rockets into their homes. It's the logic that leads Al Qaeda to fly civilian-filled airplanes into civilian-filled office buildings."

"Those who defend American actions in every case, or find justification in attacks on Israeli civilians, or find simplistic moral clarity in a whole range of other complex and protracted disputes where all sides share infinite blame, are often guilty of the same refusal to at least try to minimize this sort of ingrained tribalistic blindness."

GLENN GREENWALD, www.salon.com