Arik Sharon, Praying for the Lion

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday hailed gravely ill Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as a "gigantic figure" in Middle Eastern politics and said the desire for peace ran deep in Israeli society.

Praying for Sharon, whatever your politics. Like a true warrior he is a man of peace.

Surgeons fight to save Sharon's life

Sharon will remain under heavy sedation and on a respirator for at least 24 more hours, and continues to be in serious but stable condition, the director of Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Karem, Jerusalem said Thursday.

Neurosurgeons had fought to stabilize Sharon's condition and stop new bleeding detected in his brain Thursday morning, more than eight hours after the prime minister was rushed into emergency surgery having suffered an "extensive" stroke and a massive brain hemorrhage.

"The situation is still serious, but it's stable," Mor-Yosef said, as Sharon lay in intensive care. More here

And of this moment, Israel is in a state of political uncertainty such as it has never known in its 58-year-old history.

Israel´s Neighbors Warned "Not to Take Advantage" By Hillel Fendel

Raanan Gissin, a close advisor to Prime Minister Sharon, said he would not advise any of Israel's neighbors to take advantage of the emergency situation Israel faces.

There is no vacuum here," Gissin told reporters at the hospital. "Ehud Olmert is the Acting Prime Minister, and the IDF is ready and strong."

UPDATE:Iran launches verbal attack This spineless, dickless despot must go. Jihad, my ass

IRAN'S hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has launched a new verbal attack against Israel as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon battles for survival in a Jerusalem hospital.
"Why would you impose such a bold and corrupt regime on the nations of the region unless it (the Holocaust) is a big historical lie," Mr Ahmadinejad said, addressing Western nations.

World scholars back Iran's denial of Holocaust

UPDATE From Vital Perspectives, Test of Hospital Briefing on Sharon:

Shlomo Mor-Yoseff, Hadassah Medical Centre: Good evening. I'm standing here to report about the condition of Prime Minister Sharon. Prime Minister Sharon is still in the neurosurgical intensive care unit. All his vital signs are within normal limits: blood pressure, pulse, urine and intracranial pressure. Mr. Sharon is under sedation, anesthesia and ventilation. This is the main treatment he received. And the purpose of this treatment is to reduce the intracranial pressure in the prime minister's brain. This treatment will last for the next 48, 72 hours, depending upon his condition. And then they, gradually, we'll try to awake the prime minister in order to see his response and his brain activity. Thank you.

UPDATE:  5PM Is this man crazy?!? Hat tip Never Forget

Technorati Tags: Ariel, Sharon, politics, blog, news, iran, Israel

Comments

[lilrepubgirl]

dear gd, please let him live.

[Major Mike]

Pamela. I emailed this to you yesterday, but I would like to share my feelings with your devoted readers.
Beat the Drums Slowly, and Play the Pipes Lowly - I'm so sorry. I thought Sharon was painting Israeli politics with masterful strokes, bold and farsighted, he was a mensch for the whole world to reckon with. I thought President Bush's revived energy and resolve was inspired by Sharon's boldness. The world needs lions like Sharon. Everyone loves the pussycats, but you never worry about dealing with pussycats.

I'm sad, but when lions like Sharon, Reagan, Pope John Paul leave us, I also feel proud. The world pays attention when a lion passes, and marks his passage. Even the Main Stream Media have to remark about what made him a lion, and all the world sees and hears. No one notices or marks the passage of the pussycats. They get lumped in with the actors and other entertainers in the end-of-year retrospectives of celebrity mortality.

My prayers are with his people. They're my people now. I pray we will find another like him.

[Major Mike]

Pat Robertson is crazy, and is a total embarrassment. Not an embarrassment to Christians. They have great men who speak eloquently and authoritatively for them. He is an embarrassment to the human race, and brings into question the idea that mankind is progressing, whether you believe in the theory of evolution or intellegent design. People like Pat Robertson cast doubts on both theories.

[Thomas Carney]

I don't even consider Pat Robertson to be a preacher, a minister nor a prophet of any sort. Pat Robertson is a huckster, a shyster and the "National Enquirer" of so-called televangelists.

Now, have you heard that the President of Iran is hoping Ariel Sharon perishes???

[Macker]

Pam: perhaps Iran's President is such a despot because his manhood is micro-sized, not necessarily lacking such!

As far as Robertson goes: perhaps instead God is TESTING all of us. That is how I look at it.

[Rudolph Carrera]

I pray that either Sharon lives, or God's hand guides him home and Israel finds another capable leader.