Rahmbo

townhall.com

Every has-been has to give his two cents on what Israel should do.

An American friend of mine who lives in a town in Samaria told me a story. He was in Jerusalem and saw someone who looked awfully familiar. Upon approaching, he noticed that it was none other than the actor, Alan Alda—the star of the "M*A*S*H" sitcom. He noticed he was with his wife but was otherwise alone, nobody badgering him for autographs. My friend came up and asked him, “How does it feel to be someplace where nobody cares who you are?”

Alda’s anonymity is at the other extreme of Elton John's experience during a visit around 20 years ago. Not too many world music acts come to Israel, so when they do, the locals get excited. I recall a helicopter being employed to get a piano into his penthouse hotel room. In the end, there was no need for it. Rocket Man arrived at his hotel and was mobbed by locals. His security was able to get him out, and he went straight back to his private jet and left the country. It became a minor diplomatic kerfuffle, with Israel leaning on the British ambassador to convince the famous singer to return. And he did: he went straight from the airport to his gig and back again, without spending a night in Tel Aviv.

Rahm Emanuel is trying to pretend that he has that presidential aura. He has returned to Israel and has come to tell the country, “as a friend,” that he knows how she should proceed. I do recall that just after his boss, Barack Obama, entered the White House, Chief of Staff Emanuel gave an interview in which he described Bibi Netanyahu as not being “[his] cup of tea.” In the past, such a comment about a world leader by an administration official would have led to a firing, but Obama felt no different. Israelis took great umbrage when a picture was released of Obama speaking to Netanyahu by phone. The president had his feet up on the Resolute desk, and many felt that it was a sign of disrespect for the Israeli leader.

Emanuel’s talk reveals his mistake: he thinks that there is still a pro-Israel camp in the present Democratic Party. He even suggested that this wing could take the White House. He is living in the past, when Israel was not hated by Democrats as it is today. Emanuel’s visit reminds me of a former star quarterback who is pumping gas and is called back due to a players’ strike. He has delusions of grandeur and thinks he still has the right stuff—until the first sack causes him to wonder if his life insurance premium is paid off. Emanuel said that Israel just gets whatever it wants from Washington and has its eyes on “Greater Israel,” something that nobody in the government actually is interested in achieving. Greater Israel is looking in the Torah and seeing that the Land of Israel stretches into Iraq. I have never heard any Israeli politician seriously entertain capturing land beyond what Israel has had for the past 60 years. Israel gave back Sinai to an ungrateful Egypt, and the return of Gaza led to a lot of death. Israel is in Lebanon and maybe a bit in Syria for self-defense. If Israel left Lebanon tomorrow, the top 10 percent of the country would become uninhabitable due to non-stop rocket fire. Syria’s side of Mount Hermon is an insurance policy and a big aid for the Druze against the lunatic ISIS government now in charge.

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Emanuel’s claim that everyone in Washington has to shut up and go along with Israel is nonsense. Biden refused to send weapons that Israel needed against Hamas; Trump, on three occasions, told Israel to stand down against Iran. Like Obama, Emanuel creates straw men in order to have something to attack.

The former ambassador to Japan and Chicago mayor seems to think that he can grab the “normal” lane of the Democratic Party. The problem for him is that it no longer exists. Israelis don’t need Emanuel’s advice, and he can join the list of people who are effectively asking Israel to commit suicide so that the wider world will like it and the Jews. Israel cannot back down in Gaza, Lebanon, or Iran. These are existential threats, and while the headlines may be uncomfortable for Jews who feel that Israel is giving them a bad name, Israel has decided that it does not want to be destroyed in order to be liked. Emanuel does not need to come to Tel Aviv to give advice that nobody needs. He could put something out on X and be done with it. He joins his former bosses (the Clintons and Obama) in trying to remain relevant and pretend to wear some mantle of party elder. Israel does not need him, and the Democrats don’t need him either. He will be like Mike Bloomberg, who blew through a lot of dough and accomplished nothing in the Democratic primary against Joe Biden. Some people have such inflated views of their wisdom and self-worth. Nobody needs Rahm’s outdated insights.

While watching some of the World Cup, we talked about Ronaldo, Messi, and when the time comes to step aside. Obviously, in sports, there is a physical limit that even those greats, and Tom Brady, could not fully ignore. Emanuel, on the other hand, could continue to think and babble for another couple of decades. But his antipathy toward the elected prime minister of Israel and his own pride will mean that he will continue to have nothing to offer the Israeli or American public. There comes a time when people should just vanish—take the millions they made during their career and leave us alone. But more important than fortune is fame. They miss the cameras and people hanging onto their every word. They live in splendor but long for a call from a New York Times reporter or an invitation to some Sunday news program. They should just go fishing or take an around-the-world cruise. Like washed-up stars from Hollywood, they look forward to one more round of fame and adoration. It is telling that Emanuel went to lefty-central Tel Aviv to deliver his prophecies: they already hate Bibi there, so he knew that he was in friendly territory. Unfortunately for him, Tel Aviv is not Israel, and his words will be as useful as a once-used tissue.

It is not easy to know when to exit stage left. If Tom Brady had retired after his Tampa Bay Super Bowl championship, he might still be married. But he had to try one more year, during which he accomplished very little. A good rule of thumb is that if people are clamoring for your return, then consider it. If you are hankering for a return and nobody else is encouraging the same, maybe stay retired. Emanuel has no new ideas and only plays on the hate Bibi/hate the Israeli right playbook that brought the second intifada bloodshed—hard pass.

The real problem in the region is that Israel has nobody with whom to speak. The Lebanese seem nice but don’t have the guts to fight Hezbollah and reclaim their land. The Syrian leader is still ISIS to the core and has no interest in better relations with Israel—same with Yemen and Iran. Israel is not preventing peace; the other countries want to destroy her, and she has said no thank you. Emanuel is a doctrinaire lefty, so he can never admit that Israel is trying to survive and doesn’t need to make concessions. The one country that might listen to him has nothing to learn from his empty words. Somehow we both grew up in Wilmette, Illinois.

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