Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a dominant figure for decades in shaping the Middle East, was fighting for his life on Thursday after suffering a massive brain hemorrhage.
As I write this, whether Sharon even survives or not is still up in the air. If he does survive, the odds that he will again be active in politics are slim indeed.
A friend of mine pointed out this afternoon that whether Sharon's illness is bad news or not depends on whether you think that continuity of government in Israel is a good thing. I'm not so sure about that.
Regardless of what you think of Sharon or his government, political instability is not what Israel needs. A sudden transition of power with elections upcoming and with both Likud and Labor in transition thanks to Sharon's recent forming of Kadima, make for a very, very confusing time Israel this spring.
