Sorry Mayor Koch: You're Wrong!

  Don't get me wrong: I like Ed Koch. To me, he's always been a "one-of-a-kind" kinda' guy: smart, funny, widely accomplished and down to earth.  I've spent time with him, interviewed him, and written extensively about him.  I own all of his autobiographies and have even read his three mystery novels: Murder at City Hall; Murder on Broadway; and The Senator Must Die.  I first met him way back in the summer of 1969, when I was interning for a politically moderate senator and he was serving as arguably the most liberal member of the House of Representatives.

   In 2010, Ed Koch is neither the man nor the politician he was more than forty years ago.  Back then, "Hizzoner" was, as mentioned above, what used to be called a "bleeding-heart liberal."  He was  both anti-war and a passionate champion for human rights. Within a few years, he began edging noticeably to the political right.  With the passage of time, he moved all over the political map.  In 1980, upon his return from the Democratic National Convention (where he was a delegate supporting Jimmy Carter) Koch invited then presidential candidate Ronald Reagan to visit him at Gracie Mansion shortly before the November election.  This was widely seen as a tacit endorsement.  In the years to come, Koch would endorse such prominent Republicans as Rudy Giuliani,  Al D'Amato and George W. Bush.  In 2008, Koch returned to the Democratic fold, endorsing Barack Obama over John McCain; he even came to South Florida and campaigned extensively, hopping from synagogue to synagogue, from retirement community to retirement community, singing the praises of the young Illinois senator, and deflecting any fears that he wasn't a tried-and-true friend of both the Jewish community and the State of Israel.  I know all about his tour of South Florida; the Obama campaign asked me to accompany Mayor Koch and introduce him at his various stops.

   All of which makes Koch's latest article so hard to swallow.  Published by the archconservative online magazine "Newsmax.com" the title says it all: "Obama Slanders, Abandons Israel."  Koch begins his 1,400-word screed informing us, "I weep as I witness the outrageous verbal attacks on Israel.  What makes these verbal assaults and distortions all the more painful is that they are being orchestrated by President Obama."  Koch then brings up, among other historic tragedies, Vespasian's military attack on Israel in 70 CE (Koch uses the letters "A.D."), the mass suicide on Masada, and the Jordanian takeover of East Jerusalem in 1948.  What all of this is leading up to is Koch's warning: that unless he is somehow stopped, Barack Obama will become the next Vespasian or Titus -- one who will also destroy the Jewish State.  As Koch writes, "I weep today because my president, Barack Obama, in a few weeks has changed the relationship between the U.S. and Israel from that of closest of allies to one in which there is an absence of trust on both sides."

   Koch complains that while the Obama Administration has treated the Karzai government "as an ally . . . with dignity," it has "demeaned and slandered" the Nethanyahu government.  He sees in this a diabolic plot; one in which President Obama will "throw Israel under the bus" in order to "create a whole new relationship with the Arab states of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq as a counter to Iran."  Koch tell us just how "shocked" he is that no one -- not AIPAC (the pro-Israel lobby) not the members of Congress -- have stood up and pointed an accusing finger at the president and his henchmen.  Koch claims that a big part of the problem  can be laid at the feet of Democratic members of Congress who are, in his words, "simply afraid to criticize President Obama." 

   Oh really?

   Sorry Mayor Koch: you're wrong!

   I don't know about you, but I'm getting fed up to here with all the screaming emails proclaiming that Barack Obama hates Israel and wants nothing more than to destroy the Jewish State.  I'm really, truly sorry to see Mayor Koch lining up on this side of the argument.  The fact of the matter is that although Israel and the United States are going through a period of difficulty right now, it is by no means the end of a long-term relationship.  Our interests and those of Israel are simply too closely interconnected for any one argument or set of disagreements to lead to "divorce."  "Acrimony" and "abandonment" have precious little in common -- outside of being four-syllable words that both begin with the letter "a."

  So much of this situation has been playing so "loudly" in the media -- whether it be cable, the Internet, or the various chatterboxes on A.M. radio -- that we often lose sight of what's going on far more quietly behind the scenes.  Already, the paperwork required for the additional housing units in West Jerusalem has been put on hold . . . but this has not been widely reported. And, despite the level of public rancor and finger pointing betwixt Israelis and Palestinians there is movement behind the scenes for getting back to holding unofficial talks between the two sides.

   Sometimes in the game of politics, public statements are used to send messages that otherwise would become lost in transit. They can also be used to divert attention from what is going on behind the scenes.  The Obama Administration is not going to be selling Israel down the river -- regardless of what Dick Morris, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Reagan, Michael Savage (all of whom write for "Newsmax.com") or even Ed Koch say. 

   The other day, AIPAC reported that 76 out of 100 senators and three-quarters (333) of the 435 members of the House signed and sent a bipartisan letter to the president "underscoring the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship, and laying out the bedrock support that exists in the United States Congress for the U.S.-Israel alliance."  The letter -- which was drafted, circulated and signed within an unbelievable 72 hours -- came on the heels of General David Petraeus' public declaration that "Israel is, has been, and will be an important strategic ally of the United States."  General Petraeus, who is Commander of the U.S. Central Command was stating a truth well understood by the White House, the vast majority of Congress, and people who understand that arguments and disagreements -- even loud ones -- do not have to lead to divorce.  Sometimes, arguments and disagreements can serve to strengthen a relationship.

   I still like you a lot Mayor Koch.  You're still smart, funny and a "one-of-a-kind" kinda' guy. It's just that in this case, we cannot and will not agree.

   That's the way healthy relationships go.

©2010 Kurt F. Stone

Comments

[KFS to "Turbo" Cohen]

I was wondering how long it would take for you to comment on my latest article. James, this is getting old. There is virtually nothing I could do, write, say or be that would meet with your even grudging approval. You have made it abundantly clear that you know more than anyone about everything, and that all those who disagree with you are the source of the all the world's ills.
In this world of rapid change, there is a bit of comfort to know that some things never change

[James "turbo" Cohen]

Kneejerk liberalism gone wild..
How many jews killed by the first big bertha from Iran will have to die before you step away from the koolaid? Jews were wrong, gave up their guns, clung to their religion and denied they were riding to death camps until it was too late for 6 million.. Denial is not a river in Egypt.

I sincerely hope Obama is taken out of office before more damage to our alliance with Israel can occur. Liberal jews are not in denial it appears but far left wacko jews seem to be brainwashed into believing Obama is a messiah.

I guess some dead israeli unfit to be Dhimmi's might get your attention.. How many jews must die at the hands of radical muslims?

[Howard]

Bravo - thanks for the clarification.

After a while one begins to wonder if he/she is wrong - so many noisy people are saying "Obama this...and Obama that" that it becomes hard to know if I missed something.
Your level headed approach has once again helped me screw my head back on correctly.

[KFS to Stephen]

A couple of points, although I realise that nothing I say or write could ever change your mind.
1. I lost family members in the Holocaust, and don't at all apprediate being so blithely compared to Neville Chamberlain.
2. I did not denigrate Mayor Koch; I believe I made it clear that although we disagreed, I still hold him in high regard.
3. The biggest difference between you and me, so far as I can tell is that while we don't agree, I respect your opinion. You, on the other hand, are 100/% convinced that you are absolutely right and I am absolutely wrong..

My eyes ARE open.

[Judy]

Thank you for your incredible insight and honesty. My sister lives with these older Jewish women who are buying that sickening message and therefore hate Obama. I think I give up.

[Isaac]

It seems strange to me that the statements made by Ed Koch are the same as so many
who have written about this subject. Pravda the Russian news paper wrote the same history as in the Mayor's statement.

[Chuck]

Good piece--agree with 95% of what you said--however, as I may have e-mailed you before, a public disagreement, widely publicized, with a vulnerable ally such as Israel, is dangerous, as it might be wrongly interpreted by Israel's enemies --this you may remember "might" have been the reason for Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and other moves against "innocents" throughout history. Ed Koch is over the top, but I wonder why all these congressmen thought it urgent to send this missive to Obama, if they though his support was unwavering and unconditional. . .Just wondering

[Stephen]

Sorry Mr. Stone ...You appear to be one of the great apologists..One of those people that just couldn't accept that in the mid twentieth century the idea of a holocaust was simply incoceivable.With this Chamberlain like mindset, you cannot seem to see what is plainly visible to Mayor Koch and millions of others who you choose to denigrate.The writing appears to be on the wall......open your eyes.

[Herman]

I dont see how you can say to Koch your wrong. The jury is out on Obama however, I believe he certainly has given more hope to Hesballa than Israelis. Dont you?

[Sondra]

It warms my heart to read an article like this. There is so much of the other kind going around, it's good to know that there are still intelligent, educated people out there who believe that President Obama is not an Anti-Semite, and a hater of Israel.

Thanks for writing this!

[Martin]

Buffalo Bill's defunct and so is "the Koch-ka" as far as being relevant anymore. And I speak as one of his generation.

This too shall pass.

[Alan Weiss]

I like him too. When I was a kid his father worked for my father. I used to visit him in Sunrise Lakes, the father that is. He used to complain to me that his son was too busy to speak with him. He was wrong then too.