Nine days?

The jury in the Scooter Libby case has been out now for nine days. This, I think, does not bode well for a conviction. It seemed to me, from what I could follow on tv and elsewhere, that the case against Libby was pretty clear cut. With nine (I think it was nine) people testifying against Libby's account of the affair it would seem pretty obvious that he lied. So what are they deliberating about for so long? Having served on juries in the past I realize they can be totally irrational, but really, this case seems so obvious to me I cannot understand the problem. At this point I would not be surprised to see a hung jury (which would not make me at all happy). Of course the most interesting part of this trial has little to do with Libby's innocent or guilt, but rather, with the behavior of Cheney and even Bush. Unfortunately, they are not on trial (even though they certainly should be). Is it not perfectly obvious there was a conspiracy on the part of Cheney, Libby, and others to "out" Valerie Plame in order to punish her husband for daring to challenge their blatant lies about going to "war" (and perhaps other reasons as well)? Or have I just missed something?

There is one issue that gets very little attention in this ridiculously long Presidential campaign. Israel. It is perfectly obvious that Hillary is a strong supporter of Israel. Obama recently made a speech that indicates he, too, is a pretty much uncritical supporter of Israel. As far as I know all of the candidates for the Presidency, both Democrats and Republicans, are ardent supporters of Israel. As the Israeli/Palestinian problem is the most important problem of the Middle East, and absolutely critical to any eventual solution, the blatantly partisan (I would say even racist) postition of the U.S. on this issue will insure that no solution will ever be possible. Both Carter and Clinton at least tried to be honest brokers between the two parties, but Bush/Cheney and the neocons have so obviously promoted only Israeli interests, the situation is now pretty much hopeless. I want a President who will honestly try to reach some kind of decent agreement, recognizing that the Palestinians are equal human beings with rights every bit as basic and important as those of the Israelis, who will in fact curb the repeated and consistent abuses of the Israelis with respect to the Palestinians. No more two or three billion dollar handouts to Israel year after year to pursue their basically genocidal policies. As Israel has been wantonly stealing more and more Palestinian land and water for all these years (in blatant violation of UN strictures - far more violations than any other country) it will not be easy to now settle on any agreement about boundaries, borders, or whatever. This may mean that the problems are in fact insolvable. If they are then it is clear there will never be peace in the Middle East - not ever. Will we ever have a President willing to stand up to the powerful Israeli lobby, a President with the moral authority to demand an end to the repeated Israeli violations of UN resolutions and the basic human rights of Palestinians? As it appears no one can be elected President of the United States without the permission of the Israelis I guess the answer is obvious. Our permanent bases in Iraq will help insure the hopeless status quo, as well as insuring the safety of Exxon, Shell, and the other rapacious oil companies that will now take over the management of the Iraqi oilfields with terms guaranteeing them outrageous profits. "To the victors go the spoils." Except remember, "it ain't over 'til its over," and it certainly won't be over until "the fat lady sings."