Sir,
You are missing the entire point of Israel in your tirade about the megalomaniacal Benjamin Netanyahu. (WHERE THERE IS NO THERE…THERE—Issue: 3/11/15) While I also find him a vile personality and completely self-serving, and while you do make a fair point that a) the United States government has no right to pick sides in a foreign election and b) Congress did this mainly to poke the president, the State of Israel is worth fighting for on all counts. As Jew and an American, I have understood the importance of this vital ally in a region where there are few if any. I know you have written for over a decade on your disgust with the Saudis getting a pass on 9/11, so after that what do we have? Pakistan has turned out to be a snake in the grass and Turkey has now screwed us at every turn. Egypt has fallen into either anarchy or a police state. Israel is it. They stand by our democratic principles and therefore we should stand by theirs. It is an imperative. And although we must hold our nose at someone as rank and amateurish as Bibi, he does have the inadvertent interest of the U.S. in his sights, if for no other reason than he is trying to stem an existential threat to the solvency of his nation’s existence.
I’m sorry. I think that is worth the fight.
—TS-87599-00
Netanyahu wants one thing: an American-backed war on Iran or the go-ahead to wage one itself. He has been saying since 1996 that Iran is a direct threat and only months from getting a bomb. 1996!!! 20 years of “They are months from killing us all!” Who believes this nonsense now? John Boehner? Ted Cruz? His performance at the U.N. a few years ago was so absurd it actually damaged his international credibility. He will likely win his election and the next U.S. president will have to deal with this nut. But it is important for Americans to realize this military-minded gentleman only cares about one thing—and maybe that is good for him, but not so much for us—the total annihilation of Iran. This is the reaction to Iran’s rhetoric of the same to be sure, but it is damaging to us for one reason: a docile Iran, capitulating to our whims quells unrest but scares Netanyahu to death. He would abhor the ally status, just as the Israelis did when The Shah was our ally for 30-some years. He is not interested in an Iran with no weapons, he is interested in painting them as such a threat as to drag us into a war we cannot win or to give them the green light to wage an all-out Arab-Jew biblical fight. This is their fight, not ours. Enough is enough!
—Tabitha zzzzzz
Brilliant, as always. FYI, the lame duck period is only from the time the next POTUS is elected until his/her inauguration. The last two years of most two-term U.S. presidencies are typically when the guy goes all in, since he’s got absolutely nothing to lose.
Nice metaphor, anyway, great rhythm in that sentence’s list of players in the patently absurd self-outing of the GOP as clueless idiots who only know how to get elected. I see that they’re trying really, really hard to start the election party early, but the potential candidates aren’t playing that game.
Back to Bibi and his nation-state. I looked up how Israel got The Bomb. Hilarious. Reminded me of the Stuxnet virus, developed by Israeli programmers, targeted specifically for the computers Iran uses to control its nuclear reactors, which run Windows, only the most vulnerable operating system in the history of the universe.
When I think of Israel and these United States, all I see is that classic pair masks from the Greek theatrical tradition. Perhaps we can’t have comedy without tragedy. If only the tragedies weren’t so damned pathetic, lately—then we might see less entertainment based on failure.
Or is that us? Pogo said he’d met the enemy, and he is us. It’s no surprise to me; we are our own worst enemy.
—Brad Morrison
That’s about the size of it, as my mom used to say. And lovely intro sentence (good enough in one sharp blow to serve as the nut graph: “Sold as some kind of diplomatic mission of great import between unwavering allies with undertones of disrespect for normal international and domestic protocol, the event was entirely political in every
way, shape and form.”)
Nice woik.
—Vince Czyz
This is a very depressing column. (MIDDLE EAST BLOOD JUNGLE—Issue: 4/1/15) I like it better when you make fun of shit. This is way too close to the bone, James. I honestly think if this is the case we are all fucked. Not sure when you write these things you think it’s fun or you’re playing with concepts and ideas to make a deadline. Because this shit hits hard, man. This is seriously damning stuff. I want to just crawl into a bunker, kiss my children and wait for the doom.
Well done.
—Nasha
“Every time the United States has conducted any military operation in the Middle East it ends in disaster, including the first Gulf War that appeared gangbusters until it led to the emboldening of Saddam Hussein and its left-overs convincing Congress to invade the nation and turn it into a tinderbox.”
100% on the money, as usual.
—DD-warro-9644
Hey James,
In regards to the Middle East, doing nothing sounds great until you realize that the vacuum will be filled by Iran and radical Islam. If that sounds fine to you, so be it. I am not sure the Israelis wish to have to deal with an Iran that has The Bomb. As for sucking at war, no sir, we do not suck at war. We are in fact very good at it. What we suck at is having military goals getting watered down by Dove-ish politicians. You know…engage the enemy but only if they shoot first and do so on that side of the line. No sir, we are really good at blowing shit up and being the Martyr Dating Service for the 72 virgins.
No one is “good” at war when it comes with Rules of Engagement that ensure the enemy will have a fair shot at us and then an equally fair shot at getting out of dodge unscathed. That is how you lose wars. We have been proving that since 1968.
You want this over? Revive the spirit of “Black Jack” Pershing and let loose the dogs of war. Pershing knew how to handle radical Islamists.
Remember “Isolationism” worked well when we could actually isolate ourselves. Oceans used to be great defensive structures, but since nearly every plane in existence can fly over them and ICBM technology is no longer the sole property of the U.S. or USSR. We cannot put our heads in the sand and brag about “peace in our time” in regards to a people who want no such thing.
Peace,
—Bill Roberts
Want to figure out the Middle East problem? Electric cars, bitch. No more oil, no more Middle East. Simple as that. If we really thought this was an actual direct threat to the U.S. then we would all enlist, wouldn’t we? Defend the border like in 1812. But we don’t. We just want someone else’s kid to die for our oil. Man up. Enlist. Put your big talk where into action. Yeah, right. Pussies want war and don’t fight it. Get someone else to do it.
So I say, embrace the pussies and go electric car, electric heat, and be done with it. Let EXXON send their employees over there.
You’re welcome.
—Anna Lenzini
Do yourself no favors and “like” this idiot at www.facebook.com/jc.author
James Campion is the Managing Editor of The Reality Check News & Information Desk and the author of “Deep Tank Jersey,” “Fear No Art,” “Trailing Jesus,” “Midnight For Cinderella” and “Y.”
