THE PLANK JULY 29, 2009
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Via Jeffrey Goldberg, Newsweek's Gregory Levey makes the modest proposal that Obama appoint George W. Bush as his Middle East envoy in order to quell Israeli misgivings about his administration. But then Levey admits this will never actually happen. So what's the point of his article (other than helping Newsweek seem more counterintuitive)?
I guess it's to encourage Obama to be more Bush-like in his dealings with Israel. One Bush-like gesture, according to Levey, would be for Obama "to speak directly to Israelis, the way Bush did often." But did Bush speak directly to Israelis that often? He didn't visit Israel as president until January 2008, some seven years after he entered the White House. And he made only one more trip there, in May of last year, to speak to the Knesset (and take some thinly veiled swipes at Obama). Obama, of course, has been president for six months now. I'm with Levey (and pretty much everyone else it seems) in thinking Obama should speak directly to Israelis. But I don't think he'll necessarily be following Bush's example if and when he does.
--Jason Zengerle
10 comments
Jeffrey Goldberg actually wrote that, Jason? This is inane. I like Mr. Goldberg's writings generally. It would never happen and I do not wish for George Walker Bush to be brought out of political retirement in any capacity.
- liberal reformer
July 29, 2009 at 12:33pm
Via liberal reformer, I learned the importance of reading comprehension.
- ratnerstar
July 29, 2009 at 12:53pm
Cripes, I hope for Israel's sake that Obama is not "more Bush-like in his dealings with Israel." I mean, one American president insisting that Israel allow the terrorist group Hamas to compete in and win Palestinian elections should be enough for this decade. Are Israelis really looking back wistfully to Dubya's masterful handling of Palestinian governance, or disarming Hizballah in Lebanon, or ending the Iranian nuclear program?
- rhubarbs
July 29, 2009 at 1:11pm
If we're into counter-intuituve thinking on how to make nice to Israel how about picking Michael B. Oren as the American liaison with Israel.
- ndmackenzie
July 29, 2009 at 1:13pm
Levey writes:
-- In the history of U.S.-Israel relations, probably no president has earned adoration and unequivocal trust from Israel like Bush. (An Israeli diplomat once told me that the former president gave a speech at the U.N. during his second term that attracted so many adoring Israeli diplomats that even the deputy U.N. ambassador couldn't score a seat.)
At his recent meeting with American Jewish Leaders Obama referred to the Bush era as a time of "no daylight and no progress" - with the "daylight" referring to the difference between Israel and the United States. It seems Levey counts himself among the no daylight no progress faction.
- ndmackenzie
July 29, 2009 at 1:24pm
In the pantheon of Sentences That Don't Need To Be Finished Before Replying, "Is Bush a Good Example for..." should have its own wing.
- adaglas
July 29, 2009 at 1:42pm
If they make Bush an envoy to the Middle East, who will fill the position of English Grammar Czar?
- ratnerstar
July 29, 2009 at 2:01pm
I"m really surprised Goldberg wrote that - I admire him so much, I'm simply going to block out that he said this. Besides, there are plenty of people in Israel who think Bush is an asshole.
- Wandreycer1
July 29, 2009 at 2:23pm
Goldberg did not come up with the idea - Gregory Levey did. Goldberg headlined it :Department of bad ideas."
- ndmackenzie
July 29, 2009 at 2:32pm
Ratty - he'll obviously leave that in the capable hands of his deputy, Ralph Wiggum.
- adaglas
July 29, 2009 at 3:24pm