DEAN BARNETT HERE, briefly spanning the globe.

1)    I GUESS IT’S OVER – The self proclaimed pope of American Jewry, Abe Foxman, has accepted Mel Gibson’s apology.  In a statement this afternoon, Foxman indicated just how much he’s enjoying Gibson’s predicament, saying, “Once he completes his rehabilitation for alcohol abuse, we will be ready and willing to help him with his second rehabilitation to combat this disease of prejudice.”

I should note for the record, just in case Mel is reading, Abe Foxman is not the leader of American Jewry in any sense.  But whatever.  Maybe Foxman’s acceptance of Gibson’s apology means Andrew Sullivan can now stand down.  Perhaps at last Sullivan’s seemingly endless Gibson Marathon can conclude and Andrew can devote his attention to something else like an Abu Ghraib retrospective. 

And maybe Frank Rich can now avoid writing about Gibson on Sunday, and instead do something really creative like compare the Bush administration to a movie.

2)    YIKES! – The Mystery Pollster has some excellent analysis of a bipartisan poll that looks at the 50 most competitive races coming up in November.  In case you’re thinking of following the link, let me offer a strong content advisory.  As of today (a key caveat, admittedly), we’re looking at a bloodbath for the GOP.

For what it’s worth, I don’t think it will turn out that way.  As election day nears and the stakes become evident, the Republican base will get motivated.  A nation at war cannot afford two years of the 21st century Democratic Party running Congress. 

3)    IN A SHOCKINGLY IGNORANT OP-ED PIECE, Harvard lecturer Jessica Stern identifies Jihad as a fad.  Honestly, even at their most ridiculous, Juan Cole and John Esposito couldn’t produce such a spectacular display of idiocy.  A brief snippet:

“Jihad has become a global fad, rather like gangsta rap… Jihad has become a millenarian movement with mass appeal, similar, in many ways, to earlier global movements such as the anarchists of the 19th century or even the peace movement of the 1960s and '70s. But today's radical youth are expressing their dissatisfaction with the status quo by making war, not love. They are seduced by Thanatos rather than Eros. Newly-wed pro-jihadi youths spend their wedding nights watching today's ghoulish pornography: the beheadings of foreigners held hostage in Iraq.”

Strictly speaking, I’m not sure that you can describe something that’s been around for 14 centuries as a fad.  But if gangsta rap is still popular in the 35th century, I’ll eat my words.

August is still young, but Ms. Stern has leapt out to a commanding lead in the contest for the most ridiculous op-ed of the month.  (In an off-season special, the author of August’s most ridiculous op-ed piece will win a free corned beef sandwich at the Palm Beach Gardens Toojay’s, tax, tip, beverage and transportation not included.  So good luck, Ms. Stern! Not that you’ll need it.)

4)    THIS CAN’T HAPPEN – The Wall Street Journal’s Bret Stephens has a provocative piece in which he argues that Israel is losing the war.  This is a meme that is sweeping the mainstream media – Israel hasn’t scored the first round knockout so therefore it’s losing.

Rather than leave you in despair, I instead refer you to Ehud Olmert’s comments of yesterday.  The struggle won’t be easy; it will be painful.  Although Olmert didn’t say so, it won’t end until Hezbollah’s bloodthirsty state sponsors are dealt with harshly and definitively.

The American way of looking at war involves peering through the prism of the Powell Doctrine – war should only be entered into if the opponent can be defeated quickly, completely and overwhelmingly.  Alas, this time it’s different.  Israel (and America) are in a war for survival with the Jihadists.  Either we destroy them, or they’ll destroy us.  In other words, regardless of the consequences, this is a battle that must be fought.

Olmert made this clear to his people yesterday.  When it will become clear to the American people, God only knows.   

5) INSTEAD OF A “READ THE WHOLE THING” PRIZE, today I’m giving a first-ever “watch the whole thing” prize.  A couple of weeks ago, Stephen Colbert interviewed Washington DC’s shadow member of Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton.  I know Colbert has a bad name with conservatives, but trust me – you will laugh.  A lot.  You’ll thank me for this.  (The part where Colbert argues with Norton that she’s not an American because DC isn’t a state and Norton gets really annoyed is simply priceless.)

6) UNBIASED MEDIA AWARD – My friend who’s the creative genius behind the Don’t Trust Snakes blog points out the propaganda efforts of a war photographer:

“Today and yesterday we ended up at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Hospital. Their morgue is tiny. In some drawers, two bodies share one gurney, curled up like brothers or lovers, something I have never seen before. The morgue attendant is reluctant to open the doors, but he relents for me after Mahdi convinces him that it is the only way to show Americans how many people are dying here. I photograph these bodies every morning, knowing that the chances of one of these pictures running anywhere are pretty slim: Most readers have no interest in being confronted by a corpse while eating their cornflakes.”

Yes, cruel Americans, indifferent to human suffering.  Thank goodness we have enlightened media types to show us the way.

(Not that it’s really relevant, but I’ve had my share of health woes and I’ve always made it a rule to avoid hospitals that exalt martyrdom.  Just seemed prudent.)

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