The situation in the Middle East seems to be going from bad to worse as Ehud Olmert demonstrates that to him everything is a big nail to be hit with his military hammer, and the militants in Palestine and Lebanon show that that’s their preferred state of affairs.

Here in the US we have the joy of receiving the news about the situation from such bastions of newstainment as CNN, who bring us this remarkably poorly written story (via Ed). In the midst of a story that does very little to explain much of anything, preferring to remind us that both sides are using threatening language, is this little treat of a link description:

“Watch gunfire and smoke as Israeli troops enter southern Lebanon – 2:55”

The article may not give us much useful information, but it does remind us once again that 24-hour televised news is a bad thing. To survive it relies on feeding us war porn, rather than actually trying to work out who invaded whom first, why they might have done that, or which strategy is likely to bring about a peaceful settlement.

Those three minutes may be better spent here or here.