Continued bad news out of Israel.

It's president looks headed to indictment on charges of rape.

More importantly, the army chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz has resigned over losses in the recent war with Hezbollah.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who is facing increased calls for his own resignation, held a conference including hardline Likud leader Bibby Netanyahu, Republican candidates for prez, and neocons--up for possible discussion: a war with Iran?

An important piece of Israel is that the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister (Peretz) are both civilians, with no military past. The Prime Ministers of the past: Barak, Rabin, Sharon, all were defense ministers before taking command.

Peretz in his own Labour party is fighting off an insurgency from within from former PM Ehud Barak on precisely this point.

Israel, as Barnett says, is headed towards its own Cold War moment. The Iranians will have a nuclear weapon; a government that calls for their downfall and extermination. Just like the US &West and the Soviets.

Israel is weakened and faces like many other nations globalization as putting pressure on post-racial post-ethnic post-religious futures. Unfortunately for Israel the groups whom would be entering the land are pre-nationalistic, pre-modernist, many of whom desire the overthrow of the government and the destruction of the state of Israel.

I'm very worried that the Israelis would get to the point that they would launch air strikes against Iran--especially as Olmert needs a victory to shore up political favor--and the US would call them off and do it ourselves.