Oh captain, my captain. I was once typical of Michael Clarke's detractors but now I'm one of the Australian skipper's new legion of fans.

The world's gone crazy with Israel's attacks on Gaza, and the rockets that are being fired into Southern Israel. "Operation Pillar of Defense", though, is going to be a disaster. I've put six points together -- reactions on how the war was declared, via Twitter, and in English; how the IDF is liveblogging the war; how the assassination of Ahmed al-Jabari was a strategic error; a few suggestions on other ways to end rocket fire; and, what we'd feel if the shoe was on the other foot.

B'tselem: "The barrier’s location within the territory of the West Bank and the imposition of a rigid permit regime infringe on a long list of Palestinians’ human rights... Given that construction of the Separation Barrier along its present route violates human rights of Palestinians, the government of Israel must dismantle all the sections built inside the territory of the West Bank and stop further construction there."

Larry Derfner writes that Bibi could be done, having backed the wrong horse and been humiliated in Israel. The questions are: to what degree, and can the centre-left take advantage? He thinks Olmert and Livni, who will announce their election plans this week, are the way to go. He has no love for them post-Gaza, something I share, but perhaps an Olmert-Livni-Lapid-Yachimovich centre-left coalition could do something good? Plus, a suggestion that Obama select Bill Clinton as his Mideast envoy could really add some heat to the peace process. Now that's what I call an idea.

Great new Obama ad by "Schlep Labs". To the tune of "Call Me Maybe"...

My article in the Daily Beast/Open Zion about Hagai El-Ad's visit here for NIF Australia, and how we're beginning anew a conversation about Israel, Zionism and Judaism in Australia.

Tom Friedman: "The term “pro-life” should be a shorthand for respect for the sanctity of life. But I will not let that label apply to people for whom sanctity for life begins at conception and ends at birth. What about the rest of life? Respect for the sanctity of life, if you believe that it begins at conception, cannot end at birth. That radical narrowing of our concern for the sanctity of life is leading to terrible distortions in our society."

Great College Humour parody of Gangnam Style about Mitt Romney.

Watch this segment from today's debate. The best bit, where President Obama opens a can of whoop-ass, is at 11m 52s, for about two minutes. If you only watch one clip, make it this one.

Israel's former ambassador to the UN, Gabriella Shalev, told Haaretz, "Today I couldn’t be there. I couldn’t represent Israel now."