Ari Fleischer, former Press Secretary for W., sent a letter to Jimmy Carter expressing his dismay at Carter’s accusations against Israel in the recent Hezbullah war.
Even after the interviewer reminded you that Israel was the first to get attacked, you charged Israel with lacking “any legal or moral justification for their massive bombing of the entire nation of Lebanon.â€
As someone who served in the White House as a spokesman for a President, I am reluctant to criticize another President, but in this instance my conscience compels me to do so.
Mr. President, your words are music to Hezbollah’s ears and your message is a blow to long-term peace.
Just as you underestimated the threat of the Soviet Union in the 1970s, you underestimate the threat of radical Islam today. Your condemnation of Israel, the victim, only encourages Hezbollah, the attacker, to bide its time and attack again.
Ahmed Barakat, a member of Hezbollah’s central council, last week told the Qatari newspaper as-Watan that “Today Arab and Muslim society is reasonably certain that the defeat of Israel is possible and that the countdown to the disappearance of the Zionist entity in the region has begun. The triumph of the resistance is the beginning of the death of the Israeli enemy.â€
I was raised a Democrat but I changed parties in 1982 because I believed your policies and the nuclear freeze movement invited increased Soviet militarism and adventurism. President Reagan’s military build-up and credible threat of the use of force helped bring about the demise of Communism and brought freedom and a better life to hundreds of millions in Central and Eastern Europe. It also secured a lasting peace.
Ari, you don’t get it. There’s an element you simply do not understand about Jimmy the Jew-hater: He doesn’t like Israel because there are too many Jews in it.
I no longer believe there is any other reason for his vitriol against the Jewish state. His voice fills with anger and hatred when he mentions Israel. It’s quite clear that Mel Gibson isn’t the only celebrity Jew-hater around these days.
Cudos to Ari !! israel has a right (as does any sovereign nation)to defend itself if it is attacked. Mr. Carter should be ashamed of his obvious bias towards Israel.
Typo : ISRAEL.
Paul, there are many instances of Israel in the above. Where is the typo?
spoonerism? against rather than towards? have another cup of coffee, paul.
chsw
I think Paul was only referring to his own first mention of Israel where he forgot to capitalize.
As for Carter, you are of course 100% right, Meryl. Several years ago I saw Carter being interviewed by Bill Moyers and he made sarcastic, contemptuous references to the “Chosen People” that were just appalling. Most people don’t want to recognize this, but he is a dyed-in-the-wool antisemitic bigot on a par with the likes of Farrakhan, Duke, and Buchanan.
Gary, Augean Stables
Open Letter to Jostein Gaarder: Fisking Crypto-Supersessionism
has an excellent post,in which he elucidates “Chosen People”, by fisking that Danish Journalist’s article:
God’s chosen people
Jostein Gaarder, Aftenposten 05.08.06 .
No, no, Meryl, you’re mistaken. Jimmy loves Jews and he loves Israel. It just disappoints him so when either fall short of the high ideals he likes to hold for them. He’d be staunchly pro-Israel if only the Israelis could manage to live up to these high standards.
As to, say, Hizbollah, well, that’s different. It’s flattering, really, that he expects so much of us…and curious that he seems to expect very little of our enemies.