Evans and Novak used to take the prize in lavishing praise on Syria's late, unlamented dictator. In a column written after the 1973 war, they referred to his "lofty" motives -- exhibiting an exquisite empathy for a murderous thug. Of course, as the old Arab saying goes, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Israel was certainly perceived as the enemy by the team known affectionately as "errors and no facts," and Assad was ipso facto the friend. Assad's death, a welcome development, particularly for innocent citizens of Syria and Lebanon, elicited a muted respect instead of the reprobation the monster deserved.
His death "saddened" Bill Clinton, who stated that although they disagreed on some issues, he "respected" the Syrian, "who was always straightforward with me." And, Madeleine Albright, dressed like a proverbial "black widow" looked properly mournful at the funeral. The only truthful person seemed to be the dictator's brother, who wasted no time in challenging the passage of power to Assad's son the doctor.
However, the most egregious example of obsequiousness was Deborah Sontag's report in the New York Times where she stated that Assad was respected for his "courtly tenacity and his convictions." So there you have it. A murderous tyrant who killed and tortured thousands of civilians, financed and promoted international terrorism, instigated the murder of 241 U.S. Marines in Lebanon, invaded Lebanon, and, most notably, murdered twenty thousand innocent civilians in the town of Hama, is described as a sort of General Patton or Rudy Giuliani, a man capable of "tough love." But then, how would Deborah Sontag know? Like most of the New York Times reporters, she is ignorant of the history of the Middle East, and hard facts would only confuse her.
Given the reports of his failing health, the mind boggles at the thought of the encomiums that will be heaped upon that archterrorist and heartless murderer of women and children, Yasir Arafat.
A museum to commemorate World War II and the Normandy invasion recently opened in New Orleans. Stephen Ambrose, historian and intellectual curator of the museum, spoke movingly about the sacrifice and valor of the soldiers who liberated France, landing on the beaches of Normandy, crawling, climbing and fighting their way up the cliffs while the Nazis poured bullets from their positions on the high ground.
The odds were so terrible, the weather so inclement, and the enemy forces so well armed and positioned, that General Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote a letter accepting full responsibility if the effort were to fail. Allied forces prevailed, a secondary invasion followed, and ground forces ultimately vanquished the enemy and won World War II. Perhaps the finest tribute to the fallen heroes came in the certificates sent to the grieving families by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt:
"He stands in the unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die that freedom might live, and grow, and increase its blessings. Freedom lives, and through it, he lives--in a way that humbles the undertakings of most men."
All Americans and all Jews everywhere in the world are in the debt of those soldiers, who defeated the Nazis and ended the war and the Holocaust. Their memory is sacred.
After reading about the Normandy invasion,
one is hard put to accept the fact that it has taken this
great nation fifty-two years to commemorate this seminal
event of the past century. Stephen Ambrose tried to explain
it by stating, "in the aftermath of Vietnam, all war was
[(Continued on p.12)]
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