Except for lithographs and books, first editions almost always disappoint. This is especially so in presidential politics. Witness the rise and political decline of Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman vice-presidential candidate. Or how about the disastrous choices of Janet Reno and Madeleine Albright (nee Jewish), the first women to be appointed Attorney General and Secretary of State respectively.
Jews in high office can also disappoint. Justice of the Supreme Court Felix Frankfurter, who was an intimate of President Roosevelt, callously accused Jan Karski, the courageous Polish diplomat, of "not telling the truth" when he described the tragic fate of Polish Jewry during World War II. Henry Kissinger, the first Jewish Secretary of State, infamously pressured Israel to refrain from a pre-emptive strike on the eve of the Yom Kippur War, forced the Jewish State to release Egypt's encircled Third Army, and, in 1975, enforced the "reassessment" (suspension of arms deliveries) that coerced Israel into surrendering the Sinai mountain passes and oil fields to Egypt. Abraham Ribicoff, first Jew to be both senator and governor of Connecticut, and a cabinet member in the Kennedy administration, was a harsh
Joseph Lieberman says he has "respect" for Louis Farrakhan.
It is not my intention to diminish the great achievement of the American public in accepting a Jew -- an Orthodox one, no less -- as vice-presidential candidate. Nor am I immune to the delight of seeing dozens upon dozens of placards bearing the word "Hadassah" at the Democratic convention. This was a double pleasure, because the signs were in support of Lieberman's wife rather than the organization with a brilliant history whose most energetic endeavors of late have been in support of non-Jewish issues such as abortion, gay rights etc.
My sole purpose is to propose that we treat Joseph Lieberman who is, by all accounts, a decent man, as just another candidate at the bottom of a national ticket. He is not the embodiment of political courage. After scolding Clinton, he voted against impeachment. He has retracted formerly held convictions on school vouchers and affirmative action, and he never had the guts to confront the Oslo peace scam. He now professes "respect" for Louis Farrakhan. Lieberman is likely to be no better for Israel than Dick Cheney, who was part of a hostile Bush-Baker government. Furthermore, Cheney was in the command chain when Israel sus-tained repeated Iraqi scud missile hits and was forbidden to retaliate, a psychologically devastating experience that may well have played a key role in Israel's progressive demoralization. Neither vice-presidential candidate inspires great confidence in those of us for whom a safe Israel is a priority.
The autumn foliage in Connecticut is among the state's glories. An additional pleasure comes from the clear-sighted, concise editorials in the Jewish Ledger which tell things as they are, alas a rarity in the Jewish press. The following paragraphs are direct quotes from an outstanding September 1 editorial. The Arab riots at best may briefly postpone what the editorial predicts.
"Indications are that Israeli-Palestinian talks didn't end when Camp David II adjourned, and that there is still a chance that President Clinton will succeed in his desperate search for a positive legacy. That legacy will include a smaller Israel and a second Arab state in what was British Mandatory Palestine, Jordan being the first. The next summit will probably pick up where the last meeting left off. Where did it leave off? More land for the Palestinians. No provisions for water for Israel. No ability for Israel to keep Arab armies from crossing the Jordan Valley into Israel because Israel will give up most of that strategic valley. Most of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank to the historically challenged), becomes Arab Palestine. Billions of non-congressionally approved U.S. dollars promised to the PA ($100 billion was talked about, so $50 billion will seem like a bargain for U.S. taxpayers). Hundreds of thousands of Arabs will move into Israel in a Palestinian version of the "right of return," along with an admission by Israel of wrongdoing 50 years ago. Tens of thousands of Israelis will be displaced from homes, some of them by force, as the new PA State demands lands free of Jews. And of course, Jerusalem is divided again.
In exchange, Israel will be promised a true and lasting peace. Just like Yasser Arafat promised in the Oslo I accords. And Oslo II. And at Cairo, and in the Hebron agreement, the Wye River deal, and the Sharm el-Sheikh paper. That he and his Palestine Liberation Organization/Palestinian Authority have shown absolutely no inclination to honor their previous promises won't matter. Anyone who does point this out risks being called an enemy of peace. If this deal with the Palestinians goes through, then the surrender of the Golan Heights, all the way down to the edge of Lake Kinneret, Israel's major water source, would seem inevitable. But another ceremony on the White House lawn, all handshakes, smiles, and spin, will make the news before November.
(Continued on p.11)
Outpost - 10 - October 2000