Five thoughts on Lebanon:

There were cultural(1) and economic(2) reasons for Israel to attack Lebanon. But there are several hints that the current attack is a premature ejaculation(3).  Disarming Hizbullah is only possible by rearranging the inner Lebanese political system(4). An effective UN force in Lebanon will need a tough air-defense and marine component. A new Lebanese political system has to evolve to secure that nation(5).

Billmon:

It appears our long national journey towards complete idiocy is over. We've arrived.
[...]
There simply isn't a precedent for the world's dominant superpower turning into a rogue state -- much less a rogue state willing to wage nuclear war against potential, even hypothetical, security threats. At that point, we'd truly be through the looking glass.
[...]

Today there was the first significant pan EU labor action. About 5,000 port workers rallied in Strasbourg where the EU parliament is assembled now.

Neoliberal forces within the European Union government are attempting some "liberation" of port workers.

The Port Package II law initiative would allow foreign companies and workers to load and unload ships in European ports. A job that is, naturally, done by locals.

Fear is, the big Chinese shipping companies in future would carry their own loading crews or buy up harbours or terminals, eliminating the local jobs of thousands and the benefit of those jobs for the local economy.

Workers clashed a bit with the police and did some superficial damage to EU buildings. The legislation is now headed to defeat.

For the EU optimist, like I am, this is a very positive sign. Concerted labor action on EU level is a big step needed to make a paneuropean police acceptable. So far the capital side was the sole one to use the EU leverage. That did change today.

Without the need to compromise between capital and labor the EU project would run into a longterm revolutionary defeat.

Congratulations to all workers involved in this struggle.

More post-election commentary from the diaries ~ whataboutbob

Some very uplifting thoughts on the German election:

• There is a majority left of center:
  SPD, Green and The Left have won 51.1% of the popular vote and 327 out of 613 parliament seats. Let us hope they will get their act together and join to form a government.

• The neo fascist (NPD) with some 2% of the votes are irrelevant.

• The neoliberal flat tax meal for the rich has been dumped. I don´t believe it will ever be back on the table.

There is danger that the rabbit media campaign of the business interests will further damage Germany.
Just one example: In a talking round on yesterdays "Christiansen" show there were party people from each party plus a business lobbyist lamenting about the "bad" outcome. Why is a business lobbyist part of a party discussion? And if there has to be one, where is the Union leader to balance him?

But for now, that danger has been muted - it may even go away. The German electorate understood what has been at stake and has declared its preference.

Thanks a lot to my fellow Germans. I am very relieved and happy to live here.

Two German TV stations each had correspondents on the ground in Biloxi and both reported that help efforts only started shortly before Bush came and stopped immediately after he passed.

Documented with video links and transcripts below the fold.