Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

The death toll of this Israeli campaign so far is over 500 Palestinians.  The rockets fired into Israel thus far in this war is four.

As the world watches this war it cannot help but be reminded of the beginning of World War II.  The well equipped Nazis overtook poorly prepared nations in Europe and celebrated.

When World War II had concluded, 50 million were dead and Nazi Germany was decimated.

At first it appeared that Czechoslovakia, Poland and France being overtaken so easily spelled ultimate victory for the highly militarized Nazi regime.

Similarly, it appears that to the 2 million Palestinians, 50% of whom are unemployed, 80% of whom are poverty stricken, the Hamas rockets attacking Israel represented an ill-advised way to deal with anger with Israel.

There are seldom any reasons given in the media why Hamas was fighting Israel with those rockets which they sent Israel's way and had been killing Israelis, but on a comparatively small scale.

With both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama during their political campaigns declaring in effect they would have the U.S. respond forcefully if Iran dared attack Israel, one wonders why they never would mention much about ending the endless clash going on with the Palestinians and Israelis and come up with some well thought out diplomatic political solutions which could stop the killing of even one Israeli or one Palestinian.

It is true that Israel did withdraw from Gaza 18 months ago.  Tragically Hamas smuggled in lethal weapons, tanks and troops.

Sadly Hamas has been launching long-range missile attacks into Israeli cities.

It is a political fact that Hamas considers Israeli terrorists who took over Palestine and won subsequently diplomatic recognition of both Great Britain and the United States.

Looking at what Hamas has been doing from their viewpoint, when they fight to take back Palestinian territory, the designation of Hamas as terrorists has little effect as in their view they insist that Israeli terrorists took over what had been their homeland for centuries.  

Tragically, both Israel and Hamas are at such a point now that it is impossible for them to comprehend the despair each side feels.  That is why an impartial arbitration, objectively, fairly must diplomatically end the constant killings.

Israel, representing one-half of 1% of the world's population, while the Arab world population so far outnumbers them, it would seem to make sense to generate every conceivable effort to achieve a mutually beneficial understanding.

Ever since George W. Bush launched the Iraq War, which Alan Greenspan, former Fed chief, claims in his memoir "Turbulent Times" was "largely about oil" a nuclear arms race is under way worldwide.  

Now with Egypt, India, Pakistan, North Korea and some claim even Iran either members of the nuclear club or well on the road to achieving such status, it is more important than ever for diplomacy to replace bloody war sagas.

The eventual outcome of the war in Iraq is far from decided, nor is the tragic Israel-Palestine Hamas war decided.  

With so many nations armed with nuclear power, could the Armageddon predicted centuries ago be just around the corner?