If it was a boxing match, they’d stop it. Two Jewish octogenarians, Sheldon Adelson and Rupert Murdoch, are beating the jack crap out of decades of American policy and tradition that has had the US pursuing peace as a first option, keeping commitments, and supporting those that have supported us.
In its place, Adelson and Murdoch are substituting an Israel-centric screw our-real allies, no peace with any mideast country without Israel’s permission “policy” that makes the US position in the world a shadow of what presidents of both parties have created and maintained since World War ll.
But Adelson and Murdoch are not President you say. Trump is. True, but without Adelson and Murdoch, Trump cannot survive. Tump knows it and Adelson and Murdoch know it. They are in the catbird seat. They’ve turned Trump into their useful idiot.
First, lets be clear on who is an ally and who isn’t. Scripture tells us, “no greater love hath a man than he lay down his life for his friends.” If Scripture is not your cup of tea, try common sense. Those who will fight and die for you are your allies those who won’t aren’t. The proposition speaks for itself.
When we were hit on 9/11 our allies joined us as we pursued the perpetrators in Afghanistan. Twenty nine countries put troops on the ground and suffered fatalities helping us. Major contributions were made by the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, New Zealand, and Australia. Even little Belgium had troops on the ground and lost a soldier. Jordan, an Arab country, lost two. Unknown to most, even Iran helped us right after 9/11 laying the foundation for our installing Hamid Karzai as Afghanistan president.
As usual, Israel was of no help. Since the country’s formation in 1948, Israel has received more money from the US than any other country and has never put a soldier at risk with us. Israel’s excuse for non-participation is that the Arabs would be upset if the Jewish state were to join in battle with or against them.
Interesting. One might counter that argument by suggesting that with battle deaths in the thousands the combatants have already demonstrated their displeasure, up to and including anger, with each other. Don’t you think?
Summing it up, the countries that fought and died with us are our allies. Israel is not one of them. They have made themselves a dependency. A noisy dependency that always wants more money from us and has one more country for us to fight.
Second, a bit about Adelson and Murdoch.
Sheldon Adelson is a force of nature. Rather short in stature, he likes to remind one and all that when “he sits on his wallet he’s the tallest man in the room.” He’s got about $35 Billion in his wallet so he’s probably right. He’s married to an Israeli woman and, for the last 25 years, Israel has been his passion.
Adelson is willing to support candidates and causes, in 100 million dollar increments, that share his passion for Israel. When it comes to Israel, he simply will not be outspent. There are scores of politicians and journalists, well and not so well known, who will never say or do anything that will disqualify themselves from a future Sheldon Adelson funded think tank job or campaign contribution.
Like, for instance: Senators Tom Cotton and Ted Cruz (the Creep Caucus), Secretary of State Pompeo, National Security Advisor John Bolton, Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Lindsey Graham, Former NJ Governor Chris Christie, NY Times Columnist Bret Stephens, and Bush ll aide Elliott Abrams. Oh, and one more…Donald Trump.
I’ve watched a lot of video of Adelson speaking before groups. He’s cheerfully blunt. (Nuke Iran in the desert to get their attention. What about the problem of an Israel without a two state solution? Can it be Jewish and Democratic? Adelson’s answer, “so it won’t be democratic.”) Have you noticed that Rs rarely, if ever, talk about a two state solution now? That’s Adelson… it’s a disqualifier with him.
If you are an R and you aspire to public office you make the pilgrimage to Las Vegas and Adelson’s home inside the Venetian Hotel. You can leave your position papers on good government at home. He wants to know if you’re for Israel. You might get some walking around money to get you started…a million or two…depending upon Sheldon’s view of your potential.
Now that you got a little money you better show him something. In 2016, Gingrich thought he had the situation figured out. He established a relationship with Adelson and went out and said “the Palestinians are an invented people.” Adelson loved it. About $15 mil worth.
Interesting technique. Adelson locked Gingrich in on a position that he couldn’t back off of without being known as a flip-flopper. If Newt wanted more money, he would have to say something even more idiotic. That’s how Sheldon Adelson moved the Republican party to the right on Israel and that’s how, with John Bolton and Mike Pompeo’s help, and the Creep Caucus cheering them on he may get us into a war with Iran.
How about Murdoch? Unlike Adelson, Murdoch was born into money and power and, unlike Adelson, Murdoch treats the fact that he is Jewish like a state secret. Sheldon Adelson has no problem telling anyone and everyone that he’s for Jews and he’s for Israel. Murdoch, who likes to chastise others about excessive political correctness, is strangely secretive about the fact that he is the son of an Orthodox Jewish mother and, therefore, Jewish.
Hey, if you’re going to talk about policy towards Israel, the Jewish State, it matters. As they say, where you sit often dictates where you stand. In other words, tribalism exists.
Murdoch’s ability to help (or hurt) Trump comes from his ownership of FOX TV, the New York Post, and Wall Street Journal. All three of these outlets provide round the clock cheerleading for Israel and Trump.
Murdoch is happy to turn his slime machine on anyone who is not viewed as sufficiently supportive of Israel. In 2003, when France was unwilling to join us in our stupid war with Iraq…a war that was enthusiastically urged upon us by Israel… Murdoch hacks coined the phrase “cheese eating surrender monkeys” to describe “the French.” Jewish commentators like Charles Krauthammer and Jonah Goldberg were beside themselves with giddiness using it.
Trump spends about four hours a day watching FOX TV. Trump watches The View in the morning and Hannity at night. Then, he has “an everything is going to be alright” conversation with Sean Hannity before he goes to bed.
If you work for FOX, The Wall Street Journal, or The New York Post your opinion is what Murdoch says it should be. In other words, you’re a hack. If Murdoch were to determine that Trump is no longer useful, the on-air personalities would turn on him in a New York minute.
CONCLUSION
I just looked at Trump’s job approval numbers according to Gallup. They’re at 43%. That’s 21 points higher than where Nixon was when he resigned in 1974. So, it’s pretty hard to make the case that the country hates Trump or that Adeslon and Murdoch have not been effective in keeping him pumped up…they have.
Still, the present situation seems bizarre to the point of completely unsustainable. Are we really going to punish our actual allies England, France, and Germany for staying in the Iran Deal and continuing to trade with Iran? Punish the countries that fought and died with us to accommodate the one that didn’t? C’mon man…be serious. That stinks.
Is one more mideast country, Iran, going to allow itself to get its ass kicked to save Benjamin Netanyahu’s job as Israel’s prime minister? How many times does this have to happen? When is Iran going to figure out that it’s OK to send somebody over here to the US who speaks English and has had a recent shave and is willing to treat us to some Persian humor…and go on Colbert… juggle… c’mon man… do something. Figure it out. Seriously.
For how many more years will we give more money to Israel, a wealthy country, than we give to all the countries of sub Saharan Africa combined where starvation is rampant. Is there anybody in Israel that thinks there’s something wrong with that? I mean you all are a light unto the nations and all that stuff, right? And you got gangbuster SAT scores, but you’re still OK with taking down our cash. C’mon man. It’s time to move out of the basement of your mamma’s crib… you’all 70 now. Figure it out. Seriously.
When is somebody going to knock on the door of the Congressional Black Caucus and see if anyone is awake in there? If anyone answers ask them if they’re OK with everything… or anything… c’mon man… do something. Figure it out. Seriously.
Maybe Trump has it all figured out or maybe he has nothing figured out and there’s something big and nasty coming our way. You know one of those “Tree of Liberty fertilized with the blood of tyrants and patriots…” type events.
Seriously.
Comments are welcome at tomc[at]wednesdayswars[dot]com. Comments will be addressed in subsequent posts.