My mom thinks I'm woefully selfish

Truth be told, I am. But she still raised hell over me being more concerned about the smoking ban in DC than issues such as Abramoff's plea bargain and Sharon's stroke. I don't disagree that these are important issues, and I am following them pretty closely (although you'll see much better coverage on Erin's website than you will probably ever see on mine), but this Blog is all about me. In other words, I've always intended this Blog as a way for friends and family to keep up with me over the long term, when I can't write so many personal emails and letters.

But just in case you've got a hard-on for world news and desperately need to know my ideas on these specific incidents, here you go:

1. I find it relatively amusing that the media pretends to be self-righteous about practices we all know have been occuring for years. Having once dated a state senator's son and also having lived in lovely, politically corrupt Philly (and worked for a political watchdog to boot!), I know pretty well how small gifts can add up to political favors. I have a hard time believing that only the 20 or so aides and politicians who will be implicated by Abramoff are the ONLY ones in Washington to have committed such sins against the public. And while I don't believe it is morally viable for anyone to engage in bribery (because, essentially, that is what Abramoff was engaged in), I am also pragmatic enough to recognize that this is a part of the political system. Money trumps everything, and so long as the votes are still there, those who are most well-funded will hold onto political clout. The deeply immoral underpinnings and self-serving attitudes that abound in politics are the reasons why I don't pursue a career as a politician.

2. Israel and the Palestinian state. What can I say that hasn't already been said? Sharon is an incredibly intuitive and gifted politician. He made a bold move with the Gaza Strip and, no matter the outcome, would come up smelling like a rose. He gave land back to the Palestinians to help them create a viable and peaceful state, and this allowed him the political leverage to look good to the international community no matter what the outcome. If the Palestinians continued to push violence, he now had the moral high ground to attack. If the Palestinians began to participate diplomatically and globally, then a sort of peace would be achieved in the most chaotic area of the Arab world. Yet now with the doctors indicating that Sharon will not be able to return to his duties, there is no one left with the vision to make a peaceful Israel a reality. Peace is still possible, but there is stubborness on both sides that needs to be overcome, and without the great political leadership of someone like Sharon (and also without a strong hold on the Palestinian people - something Abbas lacks), it is unlikely that a truce can be brokered. It is an absolute tragedy that this is occuring at such a vulnerable time for Israel and Palestine. Many, many years may pass before another opportunity to forage peacefully ahead presents itself to these people.

Are you happy now, mom? (Also, Yael, feel free to tell me what a jackass I am for any of my opinions - anything you have to say on the ground from Israel would be more informed than anything I can formulate here in the U.S.)