The Week's News

++A-Rod managed to get only one year suspension from major league baseball.

++The Huffington Post kept reporting that Ariel Sharon's health was deteriorating. What could that mean since he was in a vegetative state for the last 8 years. Today, he did die at the age of 85 so I guess I found out what they meant.

++The Unemployment rate fell to 6.7% and like most news during the Obama years it was considered a negative. The economy only grew 74,000 jobs the last month but I expect the number to be revised since ADP, the payroll service, had the best month, some 230,000 in years. The jobs report was considered the worst in three years.

++The White House is furious with the Senate on pushing a new sanctions bill against Iran. The bill sponsored by Bob Menendez now has reached a number where it is veto-proof. The problem is that it would wreck the negotiations and doom the situation to war. The EU reported that the Iranian negotiations concerning the implementation of the interim agreement has made significant progress. Russia is already negotiating an oil for goods deal to alleviate the Iranian sanctions regime.

++Bob Gates' memoir sparked off a flurry of comments in Washington about Obama's commitment to Afghanistan and the Iraq war. House Democrats thought it sounds like Obama had the right idea about not being fooled by the demands of generals. Gates wrote that Obama was committed to the fighting men and women but not to the mission in Afghanistan. It seems Obama's mistrust of Karzai is well-deserved. Karzai has released prisoners against American advice and is stalling about reaching a security agreement.

++The Administration wants to ship arms to Iraq along with Apache helicopters. Congress is leery about Prime Minister Malicki because they suspect he will use the arms to go against his Sunni opponents.

++The Economist writes that for all the noise about Al Qaeda in Fallujah and Syria, it actually looks like they peaked. As always,the local tribes are rising up against them because they resist Al Qaeda's hamfisted style of governance.