Bloomberg the Shtarker

We have always been rather less than kind to Mike Bloomberg-but his statements on Hamas reveal real moral clarity. As Liz B points out, the mayor was steadfast in his view of the situation: "Israel has been attacked by Hamas since 2005 when the Israelis pulled out of Gaza, and I think I speak for an awful lot of - almost all - Americans who think that Israel is doing the right thing in defending itself. It has a responsibility to defend the citizens. President Bush has said that and President-Elect Obama has said exactly the same thing."

We just came back from seeing Defiance, and nothing has changed in our view: If Jews aren't able to defend themselves, no one else is going to step up on their behalf. When it appeared as if the Arab armies were going to overrun Israel in June of 1967, the whole world wept with sympathy; but all were quickly made uncomfortable by the military success of Jews fighting back successfully.

As far as we're concerned, the entire Palestinian dispossessed meme is totally out of synch with any reality on the ground-the suffering in Gaza is Hamas' doing, and it would be nice if all of the hand wringers for the poor Gazans would take a real close look at just who Hamas is; and what it represents. AS Blomberg told the NY Times: "Asked about the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza, Mr. Bloomberg replied sharply: “That they are putting people at risk is an outrage. If Hamas would focus on building a country instead of trying to destroy another one, then those people would not be getting injured or killed.”