Catching my eye: morning A through Z

Here’s what’s caught my eye this morning:

• Abu Aardvark has an excellent analysis of the intra-Islamist politics of the Israeli-Hezbollah hostilities.
• Calculated Risk has a post on the employment and unemployment figures that deserves consideration.
• Speaking of deserving consideration, take a look at this post by Jeff Medcalf of Caerdroia.  Jeff reflects on the likelihood that the lack of ability (for whatever reason) to wage war decisively will not end war but will make it continue forever.  Add to that my own concern—that the rise of non-governmental actors that wage war and the weakening of nation-states will eliminate the constraints on war—and you arrive at the prospect of war without limits and war without end.  Not an appealing vision of the future.
• This post from Stubborn Facts on the Clinton/Rumsfeld exchange yesterday, Iraq, and unintended consequences might well be a case study of the point I was making yesterday about the really intractable problems.
• Callimachus of Done With Mirrors reports some snippets of conversation overheard in a newsroom (presumably his).  It’s worse than you thought.  Or, if you thought things were intolerably bad, it’s about as bad as you thought.

That’s the lot.