The View from Right Field

Israel Is Keeping Its Gaza Assault Secret. Sounds About Right to Me.

The Washington Post has an article today about Israel’s offensive in Gaza that is titled “Early Stages of Israeli ground assault in Gaza shrouded in secrecy”, which I thought was just about right.  I know that Hamas broadcast its terror attack/killing spree on social media as it was happening.  But that was the purpose of Hamas’s attack, publicity and generation of anti-Israeli and antisemitic protests around the world.  Hanas was killing babies, etc., to get Israel to react so that people would then react to Israel’s overreaction (whether real or not).  If Palestinians were killed, it didn’t matter to Hamas, as long as Israel could be seen to overreact.  In fact, the ,more Palestinians killed, the better it was for Hamas’s strategy. 

But, back to The Washinton Post headline: “Early Stages of Israeli ground assault in Gaza shrouded in secrecy.”  I remember back during the Persian Gulf War in 1990/91.  The news media complained that reporters were being censored and they weren’t being allowed to report on U.S. and allied troop movements and locations.  This was back before social media and public satellite coverage, etc., so we were able to keep our troop locations and deployments secret.  This allowed us to swing around the Iraqi right flank with our tanks, disrupting the Iraqi positions and crushing their forces.  Which would not have been doable if the media had been able to broadcast our plans and positions to the world.

So, if the Israelis want to keep their plans and what they are doing as secret as possible, it’s fine with me.  I can wait a couple of weeks to find out what happened.

Hamas Leaders “Surprised” at U.S. Response – And What That Tells Us

The Financial Times reports:

“Hamas has admitted surprise that its attack on  Israel this month promoted such a muscular response, with Washington deploying two carrier strike groups, air defense systems and thousands of troops to the region.

Ali Barakeh, a senior member of Hamas’s political leadership in exile, said the groupv ‘didn’t expect this much if a response from America.

Blinken Announces Biden’s Red-Line. Let’s Hope They Mean It.

At the United Nations on Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a pretty clear red-line to Iran and its “friends”:

“The United States does not seek conflict with Iran.  We do not want this war to widen. But if Iran or its proxies attack U.S. personnel anywhere, make no mistake: We will defend our people, we will defend our security - swiftly and decisively.” 

Good.  Now, we just have to hope the Biden administration means it.  In 2012, Barack Obama famously (perhaps infamously) announced his red-line on Syria’s use of poison gas:

Israel, Ukraine, and More: Biden Must Do More; Congress Must Do Its Job.

I applaud President Biden’s actions and support of Israel since the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7.  It is right, proper, and necessary.

At the same time, we must continue our support of Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression and terrorism.  It is unfortunate that President Biden did not send more weapons and more advanced weapons to Ukraine sooner, so Ukraine could have been closer to victory before Hamas attacked Israel.  But we are where we are, and now we must keep our focus on two wars at once.

Hamas, Jews, and Centuries of History

I understand the plight of Palestinian people.  They have been by ill-treated by governments of Israel.  They have been worse-treated by their own, mostly self-appointed, leaders.  Palestinian leaders have been elected, for example, in the West Bank and Gaza, and then stay for years and years, without another election.  Palestinians have probably been worst treated by leaders of other Arab countries.  They have been pawns of their own leaders and leaders of other Arab and Muslim countries for decades. 

However, none of that justifies Hamas’s terrorist attacks.  I realize there are those who strongly disagree with that statement.  All I can say to those people is nothing.  At one point, I may have cared what they thought; I no longer do.

The Biden Administration – and Joe Biden – Needs to Really Lead on Ukraine

Roger Lowenstein’s review of Klan War: Ulysses S. Grant and the Battle to Save Reconstruction, by Fergus W. Bordewich, in The Wall Street Journal today, explains why Reconstruction ultimately failed and, in due course, Blacks in the South lost their rights: whites in the North just didn’t care anymore.  The fight was too long; the cost was too high.  The North finally gave up and the Blacks in the South lost their rights.

Which may be a lesson for Ukraine today.  Already, some Americans are starting to question U.S. support for Ukraine because Ukraine isn’t succeeding quickly enough.  If the U.S. continues its “no-no-no-yes” approach of responding to Ukraine’s requests for the weapons it needs to win the war, we may find Americans stop caring before Ukraine wins its fight.

The Circular Firing Squad That Is the House Republicans Has Fired – And I Am Not Sure Why I Should Care

A group of eight House Republicans, uniting with the House Democratic party, has voted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy out of office.  And I am wondering why I should care.  Mr. McCarthy gave them the right to do this as part of his deal with them back in January in order to become speaker.  It was probably just a matter of time until they did it.  And now they have.  So what?

Until the House figures out a way to elect a new speaker, it cannot do anything.  That may not be a minus, at least for a while.  After all, as Gideon John Tucker said in 1866, while serving as a judge in New York County (i.e., Manhattan), “No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the Legislature is in session.”  So if Congress isn’t able to do anything for a while, maybe it’s not so bad.