Definitive Timidity
Due to the oddities of time, place, and internet connectivity, last night was the first time I've been able to watch one of the Republican debates start to finish, and enjoy the company of the Ricochet Chat Brigade. Pseudo hit the Nyquil and Red Bull (or was it rocket fuel?), Kennedy Smith was in usual form, along with Caroline, Layla, Michael Tee, and quite a few others as Rico-shots zinged here and there to my own Nyquil-induced delight. I couldn't have been in better company. When one candidate or another stepped in it, our members saw it ahead of time. When Diane Sawyer began sounding like Al Gore on novocaine, we were on the case.
There was one exchange, however, that I personally found very telling and I've not seen a lot of discussion of it today. It may be a quirk on my part, and if so I trust you will enlighten me. From the ABC News Transcript:
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Speaker Gingrich, as I've said, this has caused quite a reaction in-- in the Middle East. The chief Palestinian negotiator, Sa-- Saeb Erekat, said, "Mark my words: These statements of Gingrich will be the ammunition and weapons of the bin Ladens and the extremists for a long, long time."
SPEAKER NEWT GINGRICH: How would he know the difference? Look from historic, George, simply. Is-- is what I said factually correct? Yes. Is it historically true? Yes. Are we in a situation where every day, rockets are fired into Israel while the United States, the current administration, tries to pressure the Israelis into a peace process? Hamas does not admit the-- the right of Israel to exist, and says publicly, "Not a single Jew will remain." The Palestinian Authority ambassador to India said last month, "There is no difference between Fatah and Hamas. We both agree Israel has no right to exist." Somebody oughta have the courage to tell the truth: These people are terrorists. They teach terrorism in their schools. They have textbooks that say, "If there are 13 Jews and nine Jews are killed, how many Jews are left?" We pay for those textbooks through our aid money. It's fundamentally-- time for somebody to have the guts to stand up and say, "Enough lying about the Middle East."
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Governor Romney, (APPLAUSE) you just heard the Speaker say he was just telling the truth. Do you take any issue with that characterization of the Palestinians as an invented people?
GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY: I-- I happen to agree with-- with most of what the speaker said, except by going down and saying the Palestinians are an invented people. That I think was a mistake on the speaker's part. I-- I think-- you-- you-- I think the speaker would probably suggest that as well. I-- I don't think we want to--
(SPEAKER NEWT GINGRICH: UNINTEL)
GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY: Maybe not. I-- (LAUGHTER) I think we're very wise to stand with our friends, Israel, and not get out ahead of them. This president decided he was gonna try and negotiate for Israel by sayin', "Let's go back to the '67 borders." That's not what Israel wanted to h-- hear. They-- Israel does not want us to make it more difficult for them to sit down with the Palestinians. Ultimately, the Palestinians and the Israelis are gonna have to agree on how they're gonna settle the-- the differences between them. And the United States-- --and the-- and the United States of America should not jump ahead of Bibi Netanyahu and say something that makes it more difficult for him to-- to do his job. My view is this: We stand with the Israeli people. We link arms with them. If we disagree with them, like this president has time and time again, we don't do it in public like he's done it, we do it in private. And we let the Israeli leadership describe what they believe the right course is going forward. We don't negotiate for the Israeli people. We stand with the Israeli people, stand with our friends, and make it very clear: We are gonna t-- we're gonna tell the truth, but we're not gonna throw incendiary words into a-- a place which is-- a boiling pot when our friends the Israelis would probably say, "What in the world are you doin'?"
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: So there you have it, Mr. Speaker. He says this is gonna make life more difficult for the Israelis.
SPEAKER NEWT GINGRICH: The Israelis are getting rocketed every day. The-- we're not making life more difficult. The Obama administration's making life more difficult. The fact is, the Palestinian claim to a right of return is based on a historically false story. Somebody oughta have the courage to go all the way back to the 1921 League of Nations mandate for a Jewish homeland, point out the context in which Israel came into existence, and "Palestinian" did not become a common term until after 1977. This is a propaganda war in which our side refuses to engage. And we refuse to tell the truth when the other side lies. And you're not gonna win the long run if you're afraid to stand firm and stand for the truth.
There was more to this segment (you can read the entire transcript here), but as I watched and listened to these gentlemen it seemed that this exchange encapsulated an important difference in a way I had not noticed before. As our closest ally endures a daily barrage of attacks both literally and figuratively, it seemed that Mitt Romney came down forcefully and vigorously on the side of timidity. He would settle for nothing less than absolute equivocation. It's a position that ranks in history with these stirring phrases:
"Give me liberty, or a reasonable facsimile thereof as best suits Your Highness in the spirit of compromise that we eagerly seek from Your Worship, kind King, sir."
"We have nothing to fear but offending the enemy."
"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall only after due consultation with the rest of the Warsaw Pact."
The problem in my little trucker's brain is this: If this guy can't take an unequivocal stand regarding such a close ally, how in the name of red beans and rice is he going to take an unequivocal stand for rolling back the leviathan state? Will his spine do a "figure 8" when he deals with entrenched liberal interests inside the beltway? Yes, Newt has his problems,…but is this a time in history that calls out for timidity?
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Sep '10
Re: Definitive Timidity
Dave,
Sharp catch and you're right to focus on it with an extended post.
If there's one consistent thread to Mitt's life and career, its the outsider trying to adapt to a group to which he's not affiliated by birth, temperament, religion or tax bracket. His inbuilt negotiating persona seems to make him reflexively back away from any statement smacking of unnuanced absolutism to preserve some future escape hatch that he may need in the event of a change in circumstances.
Its become a deeply ingrained aspect of his personality that I don't think he has full conscious control over. I think that's what made him back pedal from the Reagan legacy during his debate with Ted Kennedy and what makes him recoil from Newt's more plainspoken and unequivocal position on Israel.
I also think it manifested itself during the first debate in which Rick Perry entered. In the opening minutes of that debate, Perry looked every inch the front runner, and Romney -- again from habitual practice -- became 2nd banana, almost interviewing Perry as if he were a Bain & Co functionary answering a Texas governor's RFP.
Edited on Dec 11, 2011 at 7:36pmRe: Definitive Timidity
"His inbuilt negotiating persona seems to make him reflexively back away from any statement smacking of unnuanced absolutism to preserve some future escape hatch that me may need in the event of a change in circumstances."
Pseudo, I think you nailed it wonderfully with that sentence. I'm not looking for a president who is looking for an escape hatch. Wonderfully put, especially for a cat.
And I enjoyed toasting the Nyquil with you during the debate. Cheers!
Dec '10
Re: Definitive Timidity
Talk about weird coincidence: at the very moment I read your post, Dave, the very moment to which you refer came on TV as I watched a rebroadcast of the debate on C-SPAN. Gingrich impressed me, Romney bitterly disappointed me, and Santorum confused me by praising Romney's defense of prudence while at the same time declaring the West Bank to be part of Israel (not conducive to the two-state solution). I liked that Perry took an opportunity to criticize Obama for fumbling the drone downing in Iran.
Re: Definitive Timidity
Divine intervention, no doubt.
Sep '10
Re: Definitive Timidity
Dave Carter: "His inbuilt negotiating persona seems to make him reflexively back away from any statement smacking of unnuanced absolutism to preserve some future escape hatch that me may need in the event of a change in circumstances."
Pseudo, I think you nailed it wonderfully with that sentence. I'm not looking for a president who is looking for an escape hatch. Wonderfully put, especially for a cat.
And I enjoyed toasting the Nyquil with you during the debate. Cheers! · Dec 11 at 7:40pm
As did I, though I should clarify that medical personnel were in attendance during my visit, Nyquil no longer contains pseudoephedrine, and sufficient time did elapse between my ingestion of small quantities of chilean wine and the acetaminophen in Nyquil that I was in no risk of any liver damage. (And yes, someone did raise a concern privately that I felt honor bound to point out).
The Red Bull is a whole 'nother story.
Dec '10
Re: Definitive Timidity
Glad you used the t-word first, Dave. I've been thinking it, but was too timid to use it. Now that it's out there...
Re: Definitive Timidity
Blazing a trail... from the anonymity of a truck...someplace in the mountains...
Oct '11
Re: Definitive Timidity
I appreciate Mitt's caution. I think Newt's "Palestinians not a people" comment was reckless and unhelpful. Not that a lot that can be done to put out the fire, but gasoline won't help.
Re: Definitive Timidity
There were those who thought it unhelpful when Reagan correctly called the Soviet Union an "Evil Empire." Time will tell, but I tend to favor plainspokenness over euphemism when dealing with bad actors.
Jul '10
Re: Definitive Timidity
Well Newt's right, and he won that exchange in my book.
The Palestinians are an invented people. We called them "arabs" until neighboring arab countries figured out how to use them more effectively. That is why there are constant references to a Palestinian state, and virtually none to a Palestinian nation. The other arab states wouldn't stand for it, for "Palestinian" claims could encroach upon their sovereignty.
Here's the problem: we all know Newt will back down from that position if he has a shot at the big boy chair. It's a posture, and one that suits him well in the primary. No more, no less.
Given that, how phony does Mitt seem now?
Re: Definitive Timidity
Palaeologus: Well Newt's right, and he won that exchange in my book.
The Palestinians are an invented people. We called them "arabs" until neighboring arab countries figured out how to use them more effectively. That is why there are constant references to a Palestinian state, and virtually none to a Palestinian nation. The other arab states wouldn't stand for it, for "Palestinian" claims could encroach upon their sovereignty.
Here's the problem: we all know Newt will back down from that position if he has a shot at the big boy chair. It's a posture, and one that suits him well in the primary. No more, no less.
Given that, how phony does Mitt seem now? · Dec 11 at 8:13pm
I don't know that I accept that as a "given," so I guess we all don't know that he will back down from that position.
Oct '11
Re: Definitive Timidity
Dave Carter
There were those who thought it unhelpful when Reagan correctly called the Soviet Union an "Evil Empire." Time will tell, but I tend to favor plainspokenness over euphemism when dealing with bad actors. · Dec 11 at 8:12pm
Yes there were people who think Reagan overstepped, I was not among them. I don't think the two statements are analogous. The Palestinians today are a people. Intimating that they are not because their identity is recent proves nothing other than Newt is reckless. But hey, it's not his life and country to worry about, and it makes him look bold and tough to some voters. It may help in the primaries. Bluster helped Trump after all.
Oct '10
Re: Definitive Timidity
Pseudodionysius
Dave Carter: "His inbuilt negotiating persona seems to make him reflexively back away from any statement smacking of unnuanced absolutism to preserve some future escape hatch that me may need in the event of a change in circumstances."
Pseudo, I think you nailed it wonderfully with that sentence. I'm not looking for a president who is looking for an escape hatch. Wonderfully put, especially for a cat.
And I enjoyed toasting the Nyquil with you during the debate. Cheers! · Dec 11 at 7:40pm
As did I, though I should clarify that medical personnel were in attendance during my visit, Nyquil no longer contains pseudoephedrine, and sufficient time did elapse between my ingestion of small quantities of chilean wine and the acetaminophen in Nyquil that I was in no risk of any liver damage. (And yes, someone did raise a concern privately that I felt honor bound to point out).
The Red Bull is a whole 'nother story. · Dec 11 at 7:46pm
Would suggest gin in matters of sleep or ill health. If ill, when consumed it confuses the viruses and they fall down. Not for the weak of spirit, kind of like cancer therapy.
Jul '10
Re: Definitive Timidity
Romney was trying to make a point about not making Netanyahu's life harder than it needed to be, but the softer the US appears in support of the Israelis the more aggressive and murderous the Palestinians become. Newt's comment about 1977 does not seem to wash, either. Somewhere I have a book I inherited discussing the Palestinian problem in 1967, published just prior to that Arab-Israeli war. As I recall, Palestine and Palestinians were a Roman invention in 135 AD to intentionally dissociate Judaea and Galilee from the Hebrews in preference to their minor rivals the Philistines (as traditionally rendered in English Bibles). All in connection with the latest diaspora of the day. The name for the area carried over to the Eastern Roman Empire, and was applied to three distinct regions that included Syria. I think I see a solution to the Syria problem!
I agree with Newt in spirit, there was never a Palestinian nation or a homogeneous Palestinian people, but the name game is a pointless quagmire. To make these cases the pertinent facts must be clearly and carefully laid out and presented. He should provide that now if he hasn't already.
Sep '10
Re: Definitive Timidity
This is why Newt is doing so well. The electorate senses that timidity is the last thing needed now. Instead, we need a wrenching turn on the helm...rudder full over in either direction to get us out of the path of this iceberg. Timidity would call for a moderate turn combined with gentle backing of the engines, which any good mariner will tell you is the equivalent of seeming to do something, while accomplishing nothing. For the same reason, Perry did so well in August when he put a smackdown on the Fed, called Social Security a ponzi scheme, and generally came in with guns blazing.
Jul '10
Re: Definitive Timidity
Dave Carter
Palaeologus:
Here's the problem: we all know Newt will back down from that position if he has a shot at the big boy chair. It's a posture, and one that suits him well in the primary. No more, no less.
Given that, how phony does Mitt seem now?
I don't know that I accept that as a "given," so I guess we all don't know that he will back down from that position.
Fair enough, Dave. I suppose my claim was far too certain, & smug.
I do think it is awfully likely, if Newt is our nominee, that he will walk back that statement in the general election.
W was as well meaning a friend as the Israelis could likely hope for in an American president... he never, ever, pitched that position.
Jul '10
Re: Definitive Timidity
wilber forge
Pseudodionysius
As did I, though I should clarify that medical personnel were in attendance during my visit, Nyquil no longer contains pseudoephedrine, and sufficient time did elapse between my ingestion of small quantities of chilean wine and the acetaminophen in Nyquil that I was in no risk of any liver damage. (And yes, someone did raise a concern privately that I felt honor bound to point out).
The Red Bull is a whole 'nother story.
Would suggest gin in matters of sleep or ill health. If ill, when consumed it confuses the viruses and they fall down. Not for the weak of spirit, kind of like cancer therapy.
The bad news is that alcohol tends to suppress the immune system. The good news is that the imbibing host tends to care less about the horrible job the immune system is doing.
Dec '10
Re: Definitive Timidity
Palestine at end of the Ottoman Empire was the part of the Emirate of Baghdad that stretched from the Mediterranean across the Jordan River to include what's now Jordan. The Hashemite dynasty of Jordan is an invention by the British, and if the Palestinian people exist, their range isn't the West Bank and Gaza but Jordan as well - as they asserted forcefully in their 1970 uprising against King Hussein. Besides, in the 1950s and 1960s, the Baathists and Nasserites attempted to prove that there are no subsidiary peoples among the Arabs, and that a pan-Arab identity trumps any other national identity. I see no reason for Newt to walk back his statement. It's not inconsistent to point out the historical truth while allowing that if Israel wishes, she can negotiate a peace that grants the West Bank and Gaza independence. In fact, his statement helps underline the absurdity of the Palestinian's claimed "right of return."
Mar '11
Re: Definitive Timidity
Can you imagine Newt as President and Mr Bolton as Secretary of State?
Yes, I can!
Dec '10
Re: Definitive Timidity
Agreed! Thanks Dave. I needed that.