Tom Cole - (R) OK

I don't make a habit of giving advice to congressional Republicans (at least nothing longer than three to five words – including the f-bomb).  And I am enjoying the clown car thing they've been doing ... 

But, there are serious issues that need to be addressed promptly, and maturely; so I suggest that they close the doors to the clown-car, ignore the fools and the fire-eaters, and select Tom Cole to lead them until the next election.  

I'm not saying that I agree with Representative Cole on much.  I've heard him speak on a couple of occasions, and we differ on most issues.  But he is educated, intelligent, moderate (at least by the standards of the current crop of elected Republicans).  He speaks in complete sentences, and doesn't lean on derogatory insults of his opponents to make his point.  

Sadly, most of these characteristics probably make him unelectable to  leadership in the Republican caucus.  And I'm sure he would prefer to remain upwind from this anyway, so it would be a feat to even get him to toss his hat into the ring.  

Courage, instead of Fire

The most powerful thing, the most courageous action Netanyahu can take at this point is to not invade Gaza – to NOT take the most crowded real estate on Earth, and collectively punish the residents there by compressing them into an area half its size.  

I wish there were a possibility that Netanyahu had the courage to take that step – but he won't.  His ruling coalition relies on partners who will settle for nothing less than total ethnic cleansing – the utter annihilation, or removal, of the Palestinians in the captive territories of Gaza and the West Bank.  And, if his ruling coalition falls, Netanyahu returns to the reach of the long arm of the law, and would face the corruption trial he barely dodged a few months ago, when he formed this ruling coalition to escape it.