Right now it's difficult to see things except through the lens of the election. So what will the biggest challenge facing whoever wins be?

It might not be Iraq.

My father reminded me in an e-mail that the real world is still out there:

I see Arafat is about to croak. This, like every other event in that area, will lead to even more insane violence.

The BBC reports that the Palestinian leader is flying to Paris for medical treatment. A blood disorder of some sort, the no one appears to know what the exact problem is. They do have a picture of him looking like an extra from Buffy.

Hamas will no doubt find a way to blame Israel for Arafat's death. The real whackos will say he was poisoned; the other real whackos will complain that Israel should have let Arafat out of Ramallah earlier. Sharon will respond with his usual tact and body count.

The BBC story also quotes Foggy Bottom as saying, "We hope that he gets the medical care that he needs to return to health." So much for my claims that Colin Powell is more honest than the rest of the Bushies.

The BBC's Lucy Williamson says that Arafat is "perhaps the only person capable of uniting the many different Palestinian groups" and "is seen by Palestinians as an irreplaceable figurehead." Because the BBC's Lucy Williamson is insane.

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