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Nov

22

Walters should’ve followed up, Palin should have boned up re: Jews “flocking” idea


Somehow I missed Sarah Palin’s proclamation, in an interview with Barbara Walters last week, that Jews are flocking to Israel, right now.  Here’s the transcript for the relevant section:

Barbara Walters: Governor, let’s talk about some issues. The Middle East. The Obama administration does not want Israel to build any more settlements on what they consider “Palestinian territory.” What is your view on this?

Sarah Palin: I disagree with the Obama administration on that. I believe that, um, the Jewish, uh, settlements should be allowed to be expanded upon, because that population of Israel is, is going to grow. More and more Jewish people will be flocking to Israel in the days and weeks and months ahead. And, um, I don’t think that the Obama administration has any right to tell, um, Israel that, that, uh, the Jewish settlements cannot expand.

Barbara Walters: Even if it’s Palestinian areas?

Sarah Palin:I believe that the Jewish settlement should be allowed to expand.

Why Walters didn’t do her journalistic best and follow up on Palin’s assertion (in bold above) about the flocking, if only to hear whether theories like this one are behind Palin’s ability to ignore the immigration statistics and trends in Israel, including the fact that immigration has hit all-time lows there, including a 3,000 person drop from 2007 to 2008, is beyond me.

In getting advice about serving on city council, I recently was advised that the response, “I don’t know,” is acceptable at times. Like, when, for example, you don’t actually know something.  Palin’s response to Walters would have been completely adequate (regardless of whether one agrees with it or not), if she’d left out the section I’ve bolded.

It is this adding in of assertions that lack any basis in reality that sink Palin’s credibility as a person with the potential to lead a major super power. It’s one thing to swap Iraq for Iran and Iran for Iraq, like she did with Sean Hannity the other night (a forum topic on Hannity’s website on that very mix-up has been deleted).  I recently wrote a column where I asserted something about abortion rights advocates when I meant abortion rights opponents (it’s since been corrected).

But in the case of Israel’s settlement policy, there was no need for Palin to fabricate, unless she’s truly pushing the theological notion of the Second Coming. I’m honestly not sure which upsets me more, as something being promoted by a person being taken this seriously by so many Americans – making stuff up to give a false sense that you know a few things, or believing, as supposedly 50-60 million Americans do, that Jews will indeed flock to Israel and be converted as part of the Second Coming of Jesus.

It’s also an indication that she hasn’t listened to Charles Krauthammer or anyone else who has said for more than a year that if she wants to be a contender (and maybe this is our answer – she doesn’t) for the U.S. presidency, she better bone up on some knowledge.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 5:42 pm November 22nd, 2009 in Foreign Affairs, Israel, Jewish, Politics, Religion, Sarah Palin, WH2012, leadership 

Comments

4 Responses to “Walters should’ve followed up, Palin should have boned up re: Jews “flocking” idea”

  1. 1 Jeff Hess on November 23rd, 2009 11:06 am

    Shalom Jill,

    President George W. Bush once asked his father for his take on Neocons. Bush senior responded with one word: Israel.

    This is all part of the religious wrong’s obsession with the second coming. They need Israel to be there and to be punished so that they get to be correct in all their insanity.

    As a card-carrying member of that insanity, Sarah Palin is incapable of saying anything that is not 100 percent behind what she has been told ought to be her perceptions of what Israel is and will be.

    B’shalom,

    Jeff

  2. 2 Jill on November 23rd, 2009 11:10 am

    Jeff – I think you are 100% correct. I still think Walters should have made Palin say that. If Palin is going to be revered as a straight shooter who is honest, then she should go all the way.

  3. 3 Have Coffee Will Write » Blog Archive » MY COMMENTS… on November 23rd, 2009 11:12 am

    [...] Walters should’ve followed up, Palin should have boned up re: Jews “flocking” idea Posted in Comments No Comments [...]

  4. 4 Roland Hansen on December 13th, 2009 12:06 pm

    Sarah Palin’s bonehead assertion did not surprise me in the least!
    Typical ignorance from the world of goyim.

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