October 22, 2004
THEY WERE EXPENDABLE:
Sacrificing Israel (Charles Krauthammer, October 22, 2004, Washington Post)
The centerpiece of John Kerry's foreign policy is to rebuild our alliances so the world will come to our aid, especially in Iraq. He repeats this endlessly because it is the only foreign policy idea he has to offer. The problem for Kerry is that he cannot explain just how he proposes to do this. [...]Think about it: What do the Europeans and the Arab states endlessly rail about in the Middle East? What (outside of Iraq) is the area of most friction with U.S. policy? What single issue most isolates America from the overwhelming majority of countries at the United Nations?
The answer is obvious: Israel.
In what currency, therefore, would we pay the rest of the world in exchange for their support in places such as Iraq? The answer is obvious: giving in to them on Israel.
The Senator has cast himself as a hard-headed Realist on foreign policy and at the heart of Realism lies selling other peoples out to serve your own national interest. Posted by Orrin Judd at October 22, 2004 1:41 PM
Realism's flaw is not only in its lack of moral guidance but also in thinking it is being realistic (cunning, practical) by excluding morality. Hence reality blows up in the face of the Realist and the Realist always asks "Why?".
Posted by: luciferous at October 22, 2004 2:29 PMWell at least this explains why the Roman Catholic Church hasn't excommunicated Kerry yet.
Posted by: Bart at October 22, 2004 3:39 PMThe realist would probably sell them out only in odd-numbered years, while showing his support for Israel in the evened-numbered ones, when campaign donations from Jewish Americans were more critical (though I suppose that would bode well for Republicans in the New York mayoral and New Jersey gubernatorial elections in 2005).
Posted by: John at October 22, 2004 5:33 PM