As much as I admire Hansen (which is quite a bit), he neglected to mention what the US Army did in Aachen, Germany in 1945. We had a big problem with snipers, so the Ajaxes of that army came up with a solution: level the city. Any sniper detected was blown to bits with 155mm howitzers, along with the block he was on. Approximately 80% of the city was destroyed before Aachen was pacified. I am sure that the civilian casualties were orders of magnitude greater than the "massacre" of Jenin. Mind you, I don't condemn this action - I merely present facts.
Sharon is clearly a tragic hero. From his heroic and masterful exploits against Arab terrorists in the 1950's, to his bold, Patton-esque moves in 1967 and (especially) 1973, to his strong actions against the Pallies in 1982 in Lebanon, to his present actions - Ariel Sharon has acted to save his country, to save the lives of innocents, to punish and defeat evil. And for sacrificing his preferred life (he'd rather have been a farmer), for exposing himself innumerable times to physical danger and more recently to political vilification - Sharon has been and will be rewarded in this world with nothing but condemnation and scorn.
But not from me. To me the man is a hero, albeit an imperfect one, as any human is. He has dedicated his life to that which is good, the protection of innocents and the preservation of his country, and has been forced by circumstances to utilize the harshest of means to effect those goals against the evil forces that surround (and even infect) his nation. The world needs more people like him, more people willing to do that which is necessary to preserve civilization against its latest (and former) enemy, radical Islam.
Not harsh enough. If Sharon was one-tenth as brutal as the hysterical reflexively anti-Israel Europeans contend he is, West Bank and Gaza would look like Dresden in the winter of 1945.
Excellent insight from you, and from Victor Davis Hanson. Sharon is Patton!