A clever set of commercials advertises a new cell phone with black humor about the inconvenience of death at this time. I think a lot of people concluded this in the case of Ariel Sharon, although at 77 and grossly overweight, he really did live under Damocles sword.

Stephen Green has written what I think is the best thing I've read on the political ramifications of Sharon's incapacity and/or imminent death.

Known as "The Bulldozer," Prime Minister Sharon remade Israeli life using the same operational genius (and disregard for casualties) that General Sharon used against the Egyptian Army in 1973. Since assuming office in 2001, Sharon has completely remodeled Israel's defensive situation – by putting the Palestinian Authority on the defensive, militarily, politically, and morally. Typically, Sharon acted unilaterally and, at least in his mind, in the best interests of his country.

Still fighting new battles at the age of 77, Sharon's most recent project was to remake Israel's domestic situation. By forcing Jewish settlers out of Gaza, Sharon angered many of his rightwing allies in the Likud Party. By doing so without a formal treaty with the PA, Sharon completely alienated Israel's leftwing Labor Party. Trapped in the center – much like his division was once trapped behind Egyptian lines – Sharon came up with a creative solution: last November, he founded a new political party, Kadima. The goal was to create a centrist party to formally pursue Sharon's security goals, without being beholden to crazies on the left or the right.

Read the whole thing...