Welcome Home, Barack!

And Barack Obama thought he had everything under control before he went on vacation. The walks were shoveled, the front porch light was set, and even the kids' rooms were picked up. Just wait til he sees the mess that's waiting for him when he gets back home! Remember, the upstairs bathroom with the finicky hot water? There's now water all over the bathroom floor, down the hallway, and even downstairs dripping through the ceiling onto the new living room carpet.

Israel and the Palestinians are at it again - at least Hamas in the Gaza strip. I can understand that the Israelis would eventually get fed up with the rockets sent their way by Hamas, again and again and again. It's, in fact, what I worried about when,a few days ago, Hamas ended the truce brokered by Egypt.

On the other hand, I can also understand how the Palestinians have gotten tired of living in abject poverty - no trade, little external communication, few opportunities for work, and excluded from virtually any political process beyond their tight borders. Gaza is one of the poorest regions in the world, with few resources available to lift themselves out.

What concerns me is how innocent civilians - on both sides - have suffered while the rest of the world stands by. The Bush administration is useless for anything right now - let alone negotiating a cease fire between Israel and Hamas (whom Bush indirectly helped gain power through democratic elections). The U.N. has threatened to go in - but what can they actually do? The Europeans don't want to put their hands in this hornet's nest. So, everyone waits...while innocent people die.

Remember Georgia this past summer? Immediately, French President Nicholas Sarkozy rolled up his sleeves, flexed his negotiating muscles, and worked out a deal. Months later it remains fragile, but it's held. I ask, "Where are the Europeans? Where are the Americans? Where are the Middle Eastern leaders, who might be able to bring a close to this violence?"

Ironically for Israel, Hamas is bound to gain the most from this tragedy - especially if the Israeli military goes into Gaza and occupies the territory. As long as Hamas survives, they will declare themselves the victors and Arabs and dispossessed people around them around the world will cheer them on. In some ways this is reminiscent of the recent situation between Israel and Hebollah in Lebanon. Israel will, again, only lose in world opinion when they use disproportionate force. But, perhaps that doesn't matter...

So, what will be the ultimate outcome of this disaster? How long will it last? I'm not sure anyone can say, including Hamas forces and the Israeli military, since their job is not to build the peace. Egypt must get involved, and Jordan and Fattah, and, yes, Europe and the United States in order to broker a multilateral deal with both parties. But, since the leadership for such a deal will ultimately come from either the U.S. or Europe, it doesn't seem that anything tangible will be forthcoming soon.

And Obama must have thought he had a lot on his plate with getting his new government up and running, commandeering two wars, bailing out banks, and staunching skyrocketing unemployment.

We know that he has greatness in him, but that doesn't mean he won't have to deal with an unforeseen mess - kind of like the water that now lies on the carpet.

So, Happy New Year, Barack. Welcome Home ;-)

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3:30 pm update::: It actually appears that Europe (especially France and Germany), the U.N. and the U.S. have put forward a potential truce that could last 48 hours to give Hamas a chance to retreat. Evidently, their response has been to continue bombing until Israel removes the blockade of Gaza strip and withdraws its forces from the border. Israel has remained firm that they may invade on the ground.

Read here::: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/30/egypt-refuses-full-openin_n_154162.html We'll continue to follow the story. If a deal is brokered, I will need to post tomorrow with a lot of egg yolk on my face.
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