Brace yourselves. Last week, Charles Krauthammer wrote an article entitled ?Bracing for the Apocalypse?, in which he declares, ?Before our eyes, in a flash, politics has gone cosmic.?
When I go cosmic, folks think that Ellen?s just trippin? again on the pure mineral water and fresh air of the Golan Heights. But Charles Krauthammer, Mr. Rational, gone cosmic? Well, this is a sure sign that ?the times, they are a-changin?.?
However, Krauthammer is not quite there yet. Why, he still thinks that the mess we?re in has something to do with partisan politics and he places the blame for our predicament squarely on the Clinton administration. According to Krauthammer?s line of thinking, ?the Clinton administration solved the rogue-state problem by abolishing the term and replacing it with ?states of concern?... the rogues prospered, arming and girding themselves for big wars.? Open your eyes, Charles. The Democrats may be out-of-control slobs, but although the Republicans appear to be obsessive compulsive control freaks, they have done more than their share of bringing chaos to our modern world.
Let?s not forget that George Bush the First and his Arabist/oil-loving colleagues laid the faulty groundwork for this disaster by a) neglecting to decisively finish the war with Saddam, b) coercing Israel into negotiations with PLO representatives in Madrid, c) bringing Rabin?s Labor government into power by withholding $10 billion in loan guarantees to Shamir?s Likud government (even though, in George?s words, Israel showed ?remarkable restraint? by staying out of the Gulf War). Talk about the sins of the fathers - now a rather sincere and devout George, Jr. has to try and clean up Daddy?s mess.
Let?s face it, Charles, on September 13, 1993, George Bush Sr. and James Baker were eating their hearts out. What they would have given to be the ones doing the dirty deed on the White House lawn. They would have sold their very souls for a hand-shaking photo opportunity with Mr. Arafat.
Now here?s a really depressing thought: even the most moral among us would give all for a taste of political glory and a footnote in the history books. I?m talking to you, Joe Lieberman. Yes, even Sabbath-observant Mr. Morality would have difficulty standing the test.
If Lieberman takes the Democratic presidential nomination, dual loyalty issues that, up until now, have been simmering just below the surface, would come spewing forth and American Jews would be up to their necks in not only partisan, but religious political issues as well. Would Jewish America be coerced into voting for a Jewish candidate even though their guts tell them that a Jewish president would bend over backwards and over-compensate in order to prove his loyalty to the United States of America? That could mean eventually making decisions that go against Israel?s best interests. That would mean betraying your own people - would a well-intentioned Senator Lieberman really want to stand that test? Is Jewish America up for that kind of trial?
The path to hell is paved with good guys like Joe Lieberman. Why don?t you spare us all the unnecessary pain, Joe, and pack up Hadassah and the kids and come home to Israel. We?re always in the market for a clean politician.
So, Charles Krauthammer, you?re on the right track and things are taking a cosmic turn. But fasten your seat belt, as the ride we?re on will take us way above and beyond the partisan political arena. So stay tuned for the next article, when we address ?What?s it really all about, Charles??
[Part 1 of 2]
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Ellen Horowitz lives in the Golan Heights with her husband and six children. She is a painter and writer and can be reached at ilan-acu@netvision.net.il.
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Spend Passover with Arutz Sheva at a resort in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Kfar Pines (near Hadera). Click here for info.
When I go cosmic, folks think that Ellen?s just trippin? again on the pure mineral water and fresh air of the Golan Heights. But Charles Krauthammer, Mr. Rational, gone cosmic? Well, this is a sure sign that ?the times, they are a-changin?.?
However, Krauthammer is not quite there yet. Why, he still thinks that the mess we?re in has something to do with partisan politics and he places the blame for our predicament squarely on the Clinton administration. According to Krauthammer?s line of thinking, ?the Clinton administration solved the rogue-state problem by abolishing the term and replacing it with ?states of concern?... the rogues prospered, arming and girding themselves for big wars.? Open your eyes, Charles. The Democrats may be out-of-control slobs, but although the Republicans appear to be obsessive compulsive control freaks, they have done more than their share of bringing chaos to our modern world.
Let?s not forget that George Bush the First and his Arabist/oil-loving colleagues laid the faulty groundwork for this disaster by a) neglecting to decisively finish the war with Saddam, b) coercing Israel into negotiations with PLO representatives in Madrid, c) bringing Rabin?s Labor government into power by withholding $10 billion in loan guarantees to Shamir?s Likud government (even though, in George?s words, Israel showed ?remarkable restraint? by staying out of the Gulf War). Talk about the sins of the fathers - now a rather sincere and devout George, Jr. has to try and clean up Daddy?s mess.
Let?s face it, Charles, on September 13, 1993, George Bush Sr. and James Baker were eating their hearts out. What they would have given to be the ones doing the dirty deed on the White House lawn. They would have sold their very souls for a hand-shaking photo opportunity with Mr. Arafat.
Now here?s a really depressing thought: even the most moral among us would give all for a taste of political glory and a footnote in the history books. I?m talking to you, Joe Lieberman. Yes, even Sabbath-observant Mr. Morality would have difficulty standing the test.
If Lieberman takes the Democratic presidential nomination, dual loyalty issues that, up until now, have been simmering just below the surface, would come spewing forth and American Jews would be up to their necks in not only partisan, but religious political issues as well. Would Jewish America be coerced into voting for a Jewish candidate even though their guts tell them that a Jewish president would bend over backwards and over-compensate in order to prove his loyalty to the United States of America? That could mean eventually making decisions that go against Israel?s best interests. That would mean betraying your own people - would a well-intentioned Senator Lieberman really want to stand that test? Is Jewish America up for that kind of trial?
The path to hell is paved with good guys like Joe Lieberman. Why don?t you spare us all the unnecessary pain, Joe, and pack up Hadassah and the kids and come home to Israel. We?re always in the market for a clean politician.
So, Charles Krauthammer, you?re on the right track and things are taking a cosmic turn. But fasten your seat belt, as the ride we?re on will take us way above and beyond the partisan political arena. So stay tuned for the next article, when we address ?What?s it really all about, Charles??
[Part 1 of 2]
--------------------------------------------------------
Ellen Horowitz lives in the Golan Heights with her husband and six children. She is a painter and writer and can be reached at ilan-acu@netvision.net.il.
--------------------------------------------------------
Spend Passover with Arutz Sheva at a resort in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Kfar Pines (near Hadera). Click here for info.