JTA’s Uriel Heilman outlines the difficult choice facing Tzipi LIvni over whether or not to join Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu’s coalition government:

On the one hand, Livni wants no part of a government that is not committed to peacemaking with the Palestinians, which has been her primary focus for the last year and a half. She fears that any coalition with the likes of Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu would make pursuing peace impossible, and Kadima’s presence in the government would serve as little more than a fig leaf for hawkish policy. Moreover, staying in the opposition would give Livni a chance to build Kadima from the outside as a party devoted to peace, and an alternative to a government that could be on a collision course with Washington — not to mention the Arab world. Such a government, she must figure, would be unlikely to last a full term.

However, if Livni refuses to partner with Bibi in a coalition government, she pretty much guarantees Israel’s next government will be unabashadly right wing. Instead, she could join Likud and possibly mitigate the government’s hawkishness and give Netanyahu more room to maneuver when it comes to Arab-Israel peacemaking. That would be the case especially if Labor joined the government, too. Furthermore, given the unique threats Israel faces — especially from Iran — the country could use a national unity government.

For Livni, the choice may be between party and country.

What will Bibi’s government look like? (JTA)

I suddenly have an urge to attend my first basketball game. Though, something tells me I won’t see anything like this at Madison Square Garden these days. (Via jdickerson. Soundtrack NSFW.)

Has anyone made a comparable compilation for players of the greatest game– rugby league?

The Guardian’s Michael Tomasky says that now infamous New York Post cartoon was a clear dig at Obama. I’m not so sure. When I flicked through the paper yesterday morning and saw the cartoon it never occurred to me that it referred to the president. I thought it was a little more than groan-worthy attempt to label House Democrats as monkeys, which is just the explanation the Post’s editor-in-chief, Col Allan, gave yesterday.

Of course, the fact that it never occurred to me that cartoonist Sean Delonas was referring to Obama doesn’t make it so. The New York Times found a handful of experts who concur with Tomasky that it was indeed racist. But I just find it very hard to believe that a cartoonist would really try to portray America’s first black president as a chimpanzee and hope to get away with it. (Last night, CNN’s Jack Cafferty said he thought Roland Burris should resign and “go back to where he came from.” But I didn’t think he was being racist either. It’s just a figure of speech. (Sorry, I can’t find the video anywhere.))

I suppose it all boils down to how low you believe Delonas, and the Post, are willing to go.

Strange that leaders of the Westboro Baptist Church have been banned from entering the UK. Loathsome (and nutty) as they are, I don’t remember ever reading about Westboro members physically assaulting anyone or calling for their death.

Rather, they seem to much prefer offending people by picketing US soldier’s funerals with banners claiming that American deaths are god’s punishment for tolerating homosexuality. Or worse, by releasing song parodies on YouTube.

But in the UK, where people can march down the street carrying banners supporting terrorist organizations like Hamas, where they can throw bollards at police and shout “wipe out Israel,” you would think there would be room for a small bunch of nutjobs waving placards reading: “God Hates Fags.”

(Via Dave Lee)