Today's Rationalisation of Death in Gaza

David Brooks in The New York Times:

In this game, violence doesn’t necessarily beget violence. It sometimes prevents it.

Anne Applebaum in The Washington Post:

There is no point in bemoaning the passivity of the Bush administration, the silence of Barack Obama, the powerlessness of Arab leaders or the weakness of Europe, as so many, predictably, have begun to do. It's no outsider's "fault" that the fighting continues, and pretending otherwise merely obscures the real issues. Diplomats might be able to slow its progress, but this war won't be over until someone has won.