Jimmy Carter is old enough to say what he thinks, and what he thinks is that the current Israeli-Gaza conflict is an "unnecessary war." LGF derides Carter's description of Hamas's "defensive tunnels," and Political Machine says "Jimmy got conned." The QandO Blog says that Carter is "much more subtle in his accusations than usual." Meanwhile, the war seems to be widening as missiles from Lebanon strike northern Israel (via AlertNet). Fire Dog Lake reminds us that "extremism has its own logic."

In the Senate, Norm Coleman's name has been removed from the telephone directory, notes the MoJo blog. TPM snarks, "Joe Biden is going to resign his seat within the next two weeks, and even he's still in the Senate phonebook." Although Mitch McConnell urges Coleman to "fight on" (via Think Progress). Conservatives are unhappy with McConnell, not for his defense of Coleman, but for his apparent softening in regard to the bailout doctrine, causing Michelle Malkin to bang her head against the wall.

As the Senate continues its downward spiral, Kit Bond announces he will not seek reelection in 2010 (via The Fix). The Moderate Voice hopes the seat stays Republican due to the "merit in balance," but Town Hall says the news "should make Republicans nervous." Real Clear Politics says the announcement guarantees that Missouri will become "one of the hottest battlefields in 2010." Politico points out that Bond's announcement raises the total of retiring GOP senators to four, signalling "another tough cycle for the weakened GOP minority." MyDD speculates on potential Democratic candidates for the job, and TPM notes that the GOP has "a deep bench" in Missouri.

In transition news, Obama has tapped U of Chicago law prof Cass Sunstein to head financial market regulations. Matthew Yglasias says Sunstein seems like "an unusually high-wattage person for this somewhat obscure job." Ben Smith reports that Sunstein is married to longtime Obama supporter Samatha Powers. The Washington Independent mentions that Sunstein had been mentioned as a potential SCOTUS nominee, too. NRO's Bench Notes concedes that Sunstein is "extremely well qualified" for the job, despite his anti-right-wing publishing record. Pajama Media's Volokh Conspiracy gushes over the appointment, noting that it's "really terrific news," and The Corner calls it "a good pick." WSJ's Law Blog says Sunstein will bring "law and behavioral economics to Washington."