I am compelled to provide some balance to the very well-written and insightful opinion article on INN.com ?Why George Bush Will Not Be Re-Elected?.
While it appears that President Bush may not be re-elected, the American electorate is fickle and a year is an eternity in US politics. ?Back-room? activity suggests that Hillary Clinton will be running for the presidency, and if she does, Bush?s re-election bid will be in greater jeopardy. Nevertheless, with a $220 million re-election war-chest, many things are possible.
Having said that, I believe the correlation of re-election to the finger of HaShem in US politics is overrated. HaShem?s own agenda will prevail regardless of who is occupying the White House and despite any goofy policies emanating therefrom.
Some of the issues raised may be tempered as follows:
1. All ?born-again? Christians I know believe in the eventual nationhood of greater Israel (from the Nile to the Euphrates), a notion that most Jews would not dare whisper. Ironically, there are also some anti-Semitic Christians who are Zionist. How is that possible? Well, they believe that they are New Israel. My point is that despite diverse dogmas within Christianity, even among Christians who hate Jews, practically all of them believe in the eventual restoration of Israel, with or without Jews. Therefore, within the ?born-again? Christian community, it is difficult to find anyone against the idea of a safe and secure Israel.
2. No person who does not believe in the secure statehood of Israel would ever rise to the office of president in our current political paradigm. In the future, this may change, but anyone with such a narrow worldview today would never make it to the presidency. Despite the ubiquitous satire about how stupid our presidents are, it takes a level of intelligence much above average to navigate through the vagaries of American politics, cultivating political, social and diplomatic capital. This requires intelligence, even if the political capital is inherited.
3. George W. Bush does not even pretend to solve the problems of Israel. I suspect, as a ?born-again? Christian, he believes his efforts to be only a temporary solution to enable Israel to re-group. The ?road map? has more to do with Bush?s own legacy as a president of the US than it has anything to do with saving Israel or creating a Palestinian state. ?Born-again? Christians do not believe a Palestinian state will ever happen. It?s only Jews who believe that. Christians believe in a triumphal hegemony of Israel in that region. They believe this hegemony to be HaShem?s work, not some goyish president?s work. George W. Bush?s reality does not betray tenets of Christian Fundamentalism. If anything, he might think that the establishment of a Palestinian state may hasten the ?second-coming? of Messiah.
4. ?And why did he allow 140 Saudis ? some close relatives of Osama Bin Laden ? to escape the U.S. by plane immediately after the September 11, 2001 disaster?? The Bushes have at least a three generation friendship with the Bedouin families. Friendships of mutual respect and trust that span over generations are a good thing? something for which we yearn in Yiddishkeit. In this regard, he is a good example. Our knowledge, after the fact, that some of them were Osama?s family is irrelevant. We are beyond condemning people for the crimes committed by their relatives.
5. Perhaps George Bush averted a possible invasion of Saudi Arabia, but he accomplished that while doing the same for Israel. He killed two birds with one stone, so to speak. I suspect Bush does not believe that his efforts or anyone else?s efforts can sabotage HaShem?s agenda. The ?born-again? Christian worldview is that we can only make a meager contribution the best we can, but ultimately, the battle is HaShem?s problem, not George Bush?s.
6. Every post-WWII US president has been fundamentally positive towards Israel. Some, like Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan had very strong convictions. Others had difficulty translating their convictions into policy, because of their political constraints. US presidents, George Bush included, do not function in a political vacuum. They are constantly trying to balance their primary mandate (US interests) with that of Israel. Only when the two converge do we benefit. After all, they are elected to be American presidents, not Israeli presidents.
7. Bush is not perfect, but for an American president, Israel cannot do much better in an ally, under the circumstances. It is not fair to expect Bush to be more Jewish than Jews or to be more Israeli than Israelis. Bush has anti-Torah Jews whispering in his ears and donating to his campaign, but we expect him to make policy decisions that reflect a Torah sage. We are the problem and Bush only follows our lead. He does not possess that Jewish kup.
If the vast majority of Jews are oblivious to Torah, the basis upon which we have a mandate to claim the land, how can some goyish potentate make a convincing case for us on the world stage? How can he fight our battles for us? Why should he even fight our battles for us? Contrary to popular wisdom, the US has always benefitted more from the relationship than has Israel. Reducing ourselves into some quasi-vassal state of the US has not fostered for us a better standing in the world community. In other words, we can improvise all we want, but ultimately we are responsible to the covenant.
In the goyish worldview, peace is the ?cessation of hostilities?. However, to the Jew, shalom is ?Eretz Yisrael; the way it?s meant to be?. The Jewish neshama does not look at the world the same way. This underscores why we cannot enlist goyim to solve our problems for us. They neither realize, nor understand, that the existence of the state of Israel is embedded in our Torah, which cannot be negotiated. The land of Israel is the only real estate on the planet bearing HaShem?s signature on it. He gave it to us in trust, within the covenant of Torah. Today, as a body politic, most of us regard Torah with disdain and we look to foreign potentates to solve our problems for us. Bush is not a member of the tribe, why must we make him responsible for something most Jews regard with disdain? I suspect that 3,000 years from now, the American hegemony will probably be a footnote in the annals of human history while Jews will be celebrating Rosh HaShana all over the world. The big question is whether the Temple will be standing in Jerusalem or not. That is our responsibility not George W. Bush?s.
While it appears that President Bush may not be re-elected, the American electorate is fickle and a year is an eternity in US politics. ?Back-room? activity suggests that Hillary Clinton will be running for the presidency, and if she does, Bush?s re-election bid will be in greater jeopardy. Nevertheless, with a $220 million re-election war-chest, many things are possible.
Having said that, I believe the correlation of re-election to the finger of HaShem in US politics is overrated. HaShem?s own agenda will prevail regardless of who is occupying the White House and despite any goofy policies emanating therefrom.
Some of the issues raised may be tempered as follows:
1. All ?born-again? Christians I know believe in the eventual nationhood of greater Israel (from the Nile to the Euphrates), a notion that most Jews would not dare whisper. Ironically, there are also some anti-Semitic Christians who are Zionist. How is that possible? Well, they believe that they are New Israel. My point is that despite diverse dogmas within Christianity, even among Christians who hate Jews, practically all of them believe in the eventual restoration of Israel, with or without Jews. Therefore, within the ?born-again? Christian community, it is difficult to find anyone against the idea of a safe and secure Israel.
2. No person who does not believe in the secure statehood of Israel would ever rise to the office of president in our current political paradigm. In the future, this may change, but anyone with such a narrow worldview today would never make it to the presidency. Despite the ubiquitous satire about how stupid our presidents are, it takes a level of intelligence much above average to navigate through the vagaries of American politics, cultivating political, social and diplomatic capital. This requires intelligence, even if the political capital is inherited.
3. George W. Bush does not even pretend to solve the problems of Israel. I suspect, as a ?born-again? Christian, he believes his efforts to be only a temporary solution to enable Israel to re-group. The ?road map? has more to do with Bush?s own legacy as a president of the US than it has anything to do with saving Israel or creating a Palestinian state. ?Born-again? Christians do not believe a Palestinian state will ever happen. It?s only Jews who believe that. Christians believe in a triumphal hegemony of Israel in that region. They believe this hegemony to be HaShem?s work, not some goyish president?s work. George W. Bush?s reality does not betray tenets of Christian Fundamentalism. If anything, he might think that the establishment of a Palestinian state may hasten the ?second-coming? of Messiah.
4. ?And why did he allow 140 Saudis ? some close relatives of Osama Bin Laden ? to escape the U.S. by plane immediately after the September 11, 2001 disaster?? The Bushes have at least a three generation friendship with the Bedouin families. Friendships of mutual respect and trust that span over generations are a good thing? something for which we yearn in Yiddishkeit. In this regard, he is a good example. Our knowledge, after the fact, that some of them were Osama?s family is irrelevant. We are beyond condemning people for the crimes committed by their relatives.
5. Perhaps George Bush averted a possible invasion of Saudi Arabia, but he accomplished that while doing the same for Israel. He killed two birds with one stone, so to speak. I suspect Bush does not believe that his efforts or anyone else?s efforts can sabotage HaShem?s agenda. The ?born-again? Christian worldview is that we can only make a meager contribution the best we can, but ultimately, the battle is HaShem?s problem, not George Bush?s.
6. Every post-WWII US president has been fundamentally positive towards Israel. Some, like Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan had very strong convictions. Others had difficulty translating their convictions into policy, because of their political constraints. US presidents, George Bush included, do not function in a political vacuum. They are constantly trying to balance their primary mandate (US interests) with that of Israel. Only when the two converge do we benefit. After all, they are elected to be American presidents, not Israeli presidents.
7. Bush is not perfect, but for an American president, Israel cannot do much better in an ally, under the circumstances. It is not fair to expect Bush to be more Jewish than Jews or to be more Israeli than Israelis. Bush has anti-Torah Jews whispering in his ears and donating to his campaign, but we expect him to make policy decisions that reflect a Torah sage. We are the problem and Bush only follows our lead. He does not possess that Jewish kup.
If the vast majority of Jews are oblivious to Torah, the basis upon which we have a mandate to claim the land, how can some goyish potentate make a convincing case for us on the world stage? How can he fight our battles for us? Why should he even fight our battles for us? Contrary to popular wisdom, the US has always benefitted more from the relationship than has Israel. Reducing ourselves into some quasi-vassal state of the US has not fostered for us a better standing in the world community. In other words, we can improvise all we want, but ultimately we are responsible to the covenant.
In the goyish worldview, peace is the ?cessation of hostilities?. However, to the Jew, shalom is ?Eretz Yisrael; the way it?s meant to be?. The Jewish neshama does not look at the world the same way. This underscores why we cannot enlist goyim to solve our problems for us. They neither realize, nor understand, that the existence of the state of Israel is embedded in our Torah, which cannot be negotiated. The land of Israel is the only real estate on the planet bearing HaShem?s signature on it. He gave it to us in trust, within the covenant of Torah. Today, as a body politic, most of us regard Torah with disdain and we look to foreign potentates to solve our problems for us. Bush is not a member of the tribe, why must we make him responsible for something most Jews regard with disdain? I suspect that 3,000 years from now, the American hegemony will probably be a footnote in the annals of human history while Jews will be celebrating Rosh HaShana all over the world. The big question is whether the Temple will be standing in Jerusalem or not. That is our responsibility not George W. Bush?s.