Olmert Resigns

Well, this puts a different spin on the Middle East peace process:

Beleaguered Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Wednesday he will not take part in his party's leadership contest in two months, and will step down to battle a corruption investigation against him once a new leader is in place.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is currently contending with a fifth major corruption case against him since he took office in 2006. (Ronen Zvulun/Associated Press)Olmert, who stands accused of accepting thousands of dollars in cash from an American businessman to fund a lavish lifestyle, again denied any wrongdoing, but said he was beset by the criminal probe into his alleged dealings.

"After I step down, I will prove my innocence," Olmert said in a nationally televised address Wednesday evening from outside his official residence in Jerusalem.

It would be very difficult for Israel to carry off an airstrike on Iran while in the middle of political turmoil. That said, it is CRUCIAL that the Likudniks, particularly Benjamin Netanyahu, don't return to power. That would be destabilizing for the peace process and the greater Middle East and would actually endanger our own security. It's frightening to even think about.