Like with former President Trump, I have my issues with Clinton’s legendary immoral behavior. But also like Trump, I agreed with a lot of his polices. Which is why I voted for him twice. Clinton was a centrist Democrat – some of whose polices reflected conservative values. Not sure we will ever see that kind of Democrat again in the era of an ascending progressive left in that party. As a Democrat - Clinton is a dinosaur. But I digress.
Even though support for Israel among mainstream Democrats is still pretty strong, it almost always comes with a ‘but’. Whether it is how Israel should conduct the war, criticism over its settlement polices, or whether Israel’s leader has enough deference for his American counterpart – the President.
There is a lot of hate out there against Netanyahu. If you are a Democrat, that is almost axiomatic. As is the equivocation about their support for Israel in its war against Hamas (and now Hezbollah). While they all say they support Israel’s right to defend itself, almost all of them also say that Israel has been killing too many civilians, needs to cease fire, and withdraw from Gaza and Lebanon.
John Fetterman has thus far been the lone voice of sanity in that party. He knows who to blame for those civilian casualties and has not wavered. Despite Hamas’s exaggerated numbers and accusations of genocide.
Lone voice, that is, until Bill Clinton decided he had something to say about it, too (at a rally for Harris no less). Which - as reported at YWN (along with a clip of him saying it) is the following:
Clinton addressed the complexities of the Israel-Hamas conflict, emphasizing what he saw as the reality of Hamas’s tactics. “Hamas makes sure that they’re shielded by civilians,” he stated. “They’ll force you to kill civilians if you want to defend yourself.” He acknowledged the frustration of young Palestinian and Arab Americans, noting, “I understand why young Palestinian and Arab Americans in Michigan think too many people have died — I get that.”
“Well, I got news for them,” he continued, referring to anti-Israel voices. “[The Jews] were there first, before their faith [Islam] existed.” He stressed that he believed Hamas had no intention of pursuing a Palestinian homeland, saying, “They wanted to kill Israelis and make Israel uninhabitable.”
“How many people do you have to kill to punish Hamas for butchering the most pro-peace Israelis? You have to forgive me, but I’m not keeping score that way,” he said.
I of course agree with every word he said. Much the way I do with Fetterman.
(I don’t think his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton does. She has made comments very much like those of Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz. Which follows the narrative of most mainstream Democrats and the mainstream media. Blaming Israel for not paying enough attention to civilian casualties.)
If Harris made statements like Clinton, I would not only vote for her, I would urge everyone to vote for her. Even though I agree more with Trump’s polices than hers, her character so far outweighs that of Trump that I would vote for her anyway. People whose lies and corresponding rhetoric inspire insurrectionist behavior by some of his more radical supporters are not the kind of people I want running the country.
But, then there is welfare of Israel - the issue that is nearest and dearest to my heart. Despite arguments by the left (and assorted other Trump haters) to the contrary, Trump’s support for Israel was proven during his presidency. There is no reason to think he will change his views. It should also not escape anyone’s attention that the majority of Israelis (66%) see Trump this way too and prefer him over Harris. As noted in a recent poll.
Although it has been reported that in his meeting with Netanyahu a few weeks ago, Trump urged him to end the war by the time he takes office, I’m not sure that warning comes with consequences if he doesn’t. Or what those consequences would be if it does.
Be that as it may, Trump’s message is about Israel winning the war; allowing a limited IDF presence in Gaza afterwards; not considering settlement activity illegal; discarding the 2 state solution as a viable option for peace; and broadening peace agreements between Israel and more of her Arab neighbors .
Harris’s message is about a cease fire; Israel getting out of Gaza; ending settlement activity; and committing to a 2 state solution. And she has hinted that she will put pressure on Israel to do that once in office.
That is a prescription for allowing Hamas to rebuild, rearm and re-attack Israel as they promised they would. It might take them a while to do it since they have been so badly decimated. But motivated by religious zeal and with the help of an Iran made stronger by European and Biden/Harris policies, that result is almost guaranteed if Israel is not allowed to finish the job.
How to do that is beyond my pay grade. But one thing is certain. If anyone has any idea about how to do that - it is Israel. A US president with a chip on her shoulder about Israel’s leader should not be telling them what to do. Just as it would wrong if Israel were to tell the US what to do if the tables were turned.
All of which leaves me nowhere about the election next Tuesday. But it’s still nice to hear a popular former Democratic president tell the truth about what the war in Gaza (and Lebanon) is all about and who is really to be blamed for civilians casualties.
