To Jerusalem and Back
As I remarked last week, one of the anticipated benefits of my week abroad was that I would miss President Obama’s State of the Union Address, as it would take place in the middle of the night Israel time. Miss it I did, with no regrets. I also wrote last week that I expected I’d be placing a 4:00 am wake-up call Friday morning, and a room service order for coffee, in order to watch the GOP presidential debate. But I must now admit that, as is occasionally the case, good intentions fell by the wayside, I decided instead to get a decent night’s sleep, and the debaters carried on without my remote viewing presence. (I did however read the debate transcript in the morning, and then write a blog post, so I wasn’t entirely negligent in my duties.)
One benefit I hadn’t anticipated from the trip, though, was missing last night’s Democratic debate, even though I’d been back in D.C. for 36 hours. I was hit by a combination of jet lag and exhaustion after the hard work of watching four playoff games in two days, and I conked out just as the three debaters took the stage at 9:00 pm. I’ve read up on the debate this morning, and am pretty confident I didn’t miss much. I suspect, if I’d been watching, that I’d have agreed with this email sent by a good friend — someone who served in high government positions — near the end of the debate, which he had made himself watch:
HRC was not good in her basic command of foreign policy and the others were much worse. In fact, on most issues they show no real understanding of the basics.
It is dangerous for the country to have such fools as one of the binary choices–yes, some of our guys are trouble, but none of our top three is so stupid. It is good for Republicans if the Dems as a party now require candidates to say stupid things, but it is not good for the country.
This does make huge, rapid shifts possible, however.
Needless to say, those shifts can be for the worse (8 years of Obama) or the better. Our task is to help make the next shift dramatically for the better. You won’t be surprised to hear that the people and political leaders in Israel with whom I spoke would very much appreciate such a shift.
As for the trip itself, my editorial this week is in part a reflection on the trip. I was once again struck that Israelis have, for obvious reasons, a sense that they’re on the front line of defense of the West. That sense does lead at least some of them to reflect on what the West means and how its achievements can be preserved. It’s also the case that history–both Biblical and recent–is nearer-by in Israel than in most other places, and that helps impart a bit more seriousness to their lives. Along those lines, I had the time to visit (actually re-visit) two places I’d strongly recommend if you’re in Jerusalem: the Menachem Begin Center, which has interesting material and a good hour-long video (in English!) on this remarkable man; and the City of David, an amazing archaeological excavation just south of the walls of the Old City which has now exposed the main road taken 2,000 years ago by Jews coming to Jerusalem during the pilgrimage festivals when they went up to the Temple Mount (almost certainly including, therefore, a Jew named Jesus).
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Seeking qualified candidates for a Middle East summer program
Speaking of Israel, I wanted to let you know of the second annual Philos Leadership Institute this summer, a fully-funded 4 week summer program run by good people that aims to educate and empower a new generation of Christian leaders to facilitate positive long-term change in the Middle East. Participants attend advanced seminars, collaborate on entrepreneurial projects, and enjoy educational tours that enhance their understanding of the region. The program also features opportunities for practical service and humanitarian work. Participants spend two weeks in seminars in New York City, and then two weeks in Israel and Jordan, with a brief stop in Krakow, Poland. It takes place from mid-July to mid-August, and Christian men and women between the ages of 18-33 who have a serious interest in working in a field that touches on the Middle East, whether advocacy, media, politics, ministry, or humanitarian relief, are eligible.
Interested candidates should send a resume, cover letter, and their best writing sample to [email protected] by F
Feel free to forward this information to anyone you think would be interested and would benefit from this opportunity.
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Clinton v. Sanders
One comment on the Democratic debate last night: (Yes, I know I didn’t watch it, but I’ve now read up on it some. Next thing you know, people are going to be telling me I can’t comment on books I haven’t actually perused, popular culture stars I haven’t actually seen, etc. How could a pundit punditize under those conditions?)
Anyway: It seems clear that Hillary has decided to wrap herself in the mantle of Obama, and in effect run for Obama’s third term. That makes sense in a way: Obama remains very popular among Democrats. For example, in a recent CBS/New York Times poll, where Obama’s overall approval is 46 percent to 47 percent disapprove, his numbers among Democrats are 81 to 13). On the other hand, that same poll shows a plurality of Democrats (47 percent to 45 percent) think the country is on the wrong track (the overall number is 65-27). If Clinton can make the Democratic primary a referendum on Obama, she’ll win. If Sanders can make it a referendum on the state of the nation, he has a real shot.
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Back to college…
As students head back to college, here’s a new conversation on the state of higher education with Harvard professor and former Harvard president Larry Summers on Conversations with Bill Kristol. In this conversation, Larry reflects on the current climate of political correctness on campuses and its effects on freedom of thought and the pursuit of knowledge. He also discusses significant controversies from his tenure as president of Harvard, including his opposition to boycotts of Israel, his battle against grade inflation, and his interest in bringing ROTC back to campus.
Here’s just one quotation: “There is a great deal of absurd political correctness….I’m somebody who believes very strongly in diversity, who resists racism in all of its many incarnations… But it seems to be that there is a kind of creeping totalitarianism in terms of what kind of ideas are acceptable and are debatable on college campuses. And I think that’s hugely unfortunate. I think the answer to bad speech is different speech. The answer to bad speech is not shutting down speech.”
I hope you’ll find this conversation interesting–and feel free to forward it to relatives, friends and others involved in American higher education today, especially to students who might be strengthened in their resolve to push back against the forces of politically correct intimidation on campus
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Onward!
Bill Kristol
