A low turn out [about 63.2%] and new major party have led to confused results for the Israeli election. With 75% of the vote counted Ariel Sharon’s Kadima party appears to have won 28 of 120 seats in the Knesset which gives them the opportunity to attempt to form a governing majority with the other Israeli parties.

There is no natural fit with the other parties, and no clear direction from the voters.

I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for creative policies, and expect the voters will be given another chance to express their wishes in the near future.

Blogger does not play favorites. During the recent “troubles” they managed to delete the Google blog.

This was assumed to have been a hack at the time, but no, their blog was erased on their site by their software and personnel.

Given what Google pays for Blogger, I feel better about the service I received.

Thanks to Steve M. at No More Mr. Nice Blog I don’t have to go looking for NPR’s interview with Karen Hughes, Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy yesterday on All Things Considered.

Hughes says she’s trying to convince foreigners about the positive aspects of U.S. policy.

“One of my frustrations as a communicator is that a lot of times people don’t even know what we’ve done.”

Au contraire, Ms. Hughes, the problem is that people do know what the US has done in their area for more than a half century during the Cold War, and while the actions may have been in accord with the goals of the US at the time, they have not been universally beneficial to the local inhabitants.

The local people know:

The US and UK removed a democratically elected government in Iran with Operation Ajax;

The US supplied Saddam Hussein with weapons and helped him create WMDs during the Iran-Iraq War; and

Most of today’s “terrorists” were created by the US financed Mujahideen during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

Painting schools or rosy verbal scenarios are not going to negate what people know.

Echidne has a moving tribute to her friend, Hank the Lab, who died last evening.

It is always hard to lose a living thing that shares in your life and makes it better.

My condolences and sympathy go out to her and Henrietta.