Robert Novak is usually a sanguine columnist, but when it comes to Israel, he often dives off the deep end of an empty pool and hits his head on the bottom. Case in point is his column today:

Reports of Israeli air attacks on Qana in Lebanon, killing at least 28 people including 19 children July 30, threatened Israel with a American public relations calamity. But this soon was eclipsed on cable television and front pages of many newspapers by actor Mel Gibson’s drunken anti-Semitic rant.

The attention by much of the news media turned from Lebanon to Gibson attempting an apology sufficiently abject to satisfy the Anti-Defamation League. Only a conspiracy theorist might claim this was an intentional escape route for American politicians to avoid a possible Israeli atrocity, but it certainly served that purpose. Washington remains largely a bipartisan, criticism-free zone for Israel.

Maybe Washington is an criticism-free zone for Israel (I doubt it), but what about much of the press? Heck, Reuters has gone so far as to doctor photos.

As for the “Gibson-not-a-conspiracy-conspiracy” that’s just (expletive deleted) loony. Gibson, who has never been too hot on Jews, suddenly decides to take one for Israel by getting drunk and mouthing off to a cop. Or maybe Gibson’s anti-semitism was just an act all these years. It was part of a grand plan; he was just waiting for the right moment to help keep Israel off the front page. In fact, it was probably a plan hatched by Hollywood producers, wealthy New York bankers, and Mossad.

Boy, those Jews are clever!