The Dish

I was worried, to tell you the truth, after Jon's failed run-in with war criminal John Yoo. But Stewart totally destroyed the McCarthyite mediocrity last night. He didn't get into Thiessen's disgusting defense of the brutal torture of al-Qahtani, but he completely devastated the vile insinuation that because Thiessen believes torture made America "safe" – his sole evidence being seven years of no attacks, which Stewart briliantly reminded him could have been said of the no-torture Clinton administration record as well – Obama was somehow endangering American lives.

My favorite point was the lawyers defending pedophiles. Thiessen went so far to say that a lawyer who defended pedophiles in court should be suspected of supporting child abuse.

Thiessen's arguments were both morally repugnant, legally absurd, McCarthyite and ignorant. For this, he gets a weekly column from Fred Hiatt in the Washington Post. That tells you all you need to know about Fred Hiatt and what has happened at the WaPo.

Having forcibly evicted Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem, the new inhabitants sing songs in praise of the mass murderer Baruch Goldstein. And you really think the decision to make the site of that massacre a national heritage site for Israel had nothing to do with this association? Maybe AIPAC will wake up one of these days and see the reality that less informed and educated observers cannot miss:

No, this is not representative of all Israeli opinion, as massive Israeli demonstrations against this latest provocation reveal, and as another brilliant column by Bradley Burston demonstrates. But open your eyes. Something is happening in the soul of Israel. And it carries great foreboding for peace … for the West, and above all, for Israel.

He met with Catholic officials in Uganda and said nothing about the Ugandan kill-the-gays bill. David Gibson provides a rationale:

There are several reasons why Benedict may not have mentioned the anti-gay bill — or rather the broader issue of human rights and protections for homosexuals and love of the sinner, since for diplomatic reasons the pope would not target a specific piece of legislation. One is that he may not be aware of the legislation or the controversy. Another is that his aides know that if he raised the issue it would become the lead of every story. There is also concern that having religious leaders outside Uganda speak out against the popular bill would backfire and ensure its passage.

Eric Martin argues that you can't ignore Iraqi sovereignty in order to protect Iraq's democracy:

It is quite possible that the Iraqi government will request that between 5,000-10,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq [past] the SOFA deadline in a training/advisory role.  In fact, I'd say the odds are better than even.  But a large scale presence is unlikely. And, most importantly, any such limited or large scale presence will be as dependent on Iraqi decisions as U.S. willingness - not based solely on the reluctance of U.S. military personnel to give up their position, and their whisperings in the U.S. President's ear.

Here's hoping. Please kick us out, guys.

Wow:

[R]eligious right mainstay Janet Porter [is] praying at “Convergence 2010: A Cry to Awaken A Nation” conference on March 4-6, 2010. She’s not praying for love or peace, but control over the nation’s media. This just goes BEYOND any criticism I can give against Porter and the groups whom she aligns herself with. This is more than insane. It’s scary. Whatever Jesus would do, I feel safe to say that He wouldn’t support such madness.

Free Exchange asks:

If America loses its position as the world’s largest and most powerful economy does it really matter? The country's national pride would take a blow. And perhaps there are geopolitical reasons for wanting to hang on to the top spot. But, economically speaking, it probably wouldn't be so bad. Often when it comes to growth and globalisation, a high tide raises all boats. For example, the quality of life today is far better for most Britons than it was a century ago, when it was the world’s leading empire. Britain’s economy still grew even as America’s topped it.

But it took generations of Britons to come to peace with that. As it will take a long time before Americans realize that the days of empire are coming to a close – and they have a republic to refresh and rebuild.

ONN presents the cable news version:

A reader writes:

As a long time reader and fan of your blog (since 2001), I'm becoming increasingly annoyed at what appears to be an obsessive focus on showcasing Israel's warts.  I think Goldblog made the argument that Israel has become for you the Sarah Palin of countries.  Indeed.  For instance, what was the point in posting that al Jazeera piece on the Mossad?  Is it really  newsworthy or surprising that the Arab press publishes a story painting Israel in a militaristic and overly nationalistic light?  And, on the substance of the piece, is it really news that 18 year old boys get excited by covert/spy/assassination intrigue?  Or that some Israeli entrepreneur decided to capitalize on it for a short term gain?  As if none of this occurs in this country or every other?

I offer the following from the perspective of someone appalled by the Wieseltier hit piece on you:  when you post items like this, day after day, and nearly all of which focus on everything negative about Israel regardless of context, you give people the impression that you are an Israel-hater, notwithstanding your protestations of love when someone challenges you on it.  And while I cannot, and will not, excuse the accusers, it is inescapable that responsibility for these accusations, to some extent, lies with you. 

Personally, I don't think you have an Israel problem, so much as an obsession problem.  But I know this because I've been reading you a long time.  I get your obsession, and, quite frankly, is one of the reasons you are fun to read.  But obsession has its downside, especially when it sweeps nuance and complexity under the rug, and obscures your true thoughts about an issue. 

The bottom line is that your blog, as it relates to Israel, has become almost indistinguishable from the true Israel-haters.  And that, unsurprisingly, invites the attacks, including the unfair and disgusting ones.  And then you react by digging in deeper in the obsession.  And this brings us further and further away from discussing the issue honestly and in a real way.

Public celebrations of assassinations by intelligence agencies is not exactly irrelevant in the week when the US is trying to restore some basis for the peace-process, which Tzivi Lipni says is a matter of great urgency. Highlighting what I believe to be a disturbing and accelerating trend toward religious fundamentalism, xenophobia, contempt for Arab life, militarism and illiberalism in Israel is something the Dish will continue to do, especially since this is a country which every American tax-payer subsidizes and which could, if such attitudes keep intensifying, hurtle the world into a world war. And the idea that this is the only coverage of Israel is belied by the record. May I suggest this post from yesterday which, at great length, offers what I hope is a very nuanced view of the US-Israel relationship and the current moment.

To argue that this blog this week has moved us away from an honest debate is, in my view, unfounded. Yes, this blog has passions – torture, gay rights, Iraq, the Green Revolution, the Pet Shop Boys, beards, etc. But somehow a post-Gaza concentration on what on earth has happened to Israel is the only one deemed illegitimate.

Today on the Dish we saw Obama turn up the heat on healthcare reform (and his approach seemed to be working). More on HCR here. We also featured the first legal gay wedding in DC. In foreign policy, Israel flipped Biden the bird, Livni talked sense, and Bernard Avishai pitched for economic peace with Palestine.

Andrew went after Rahm Democrats and reminded the right of his fiscal-conservative cred. Thiessen slithered into the DOJ controversy, an ultra-Republican condemned the McCarthyism, and Greenwald called for congressional condemnation. More here. US waterboarding appeared much worse and McCain sunk lower.

The pope's brother got wrapped up in a sex scandal, an anti-gay state senator came out of the closet, and a US congressman tickled his male interns. Chait, Yglesias, and Nyhan critiqued Beltway journalism. And WaPo could be going broke. Readers debated Mo'Nique's smug level and another dubbed Obama "the closer." Clay Risen received a Von Hoffman nod and South Park geared up for something good.

— C.B.

A reader writes:

I was watching the “Fired Up” clip you posted this morning and something occurred to me regarding the President; what people seem to fail to grasp, and what Obama does, is that the President is not a legislator.  He is, to borrow a baseball term, “The Closer.”  I think people are having trouble figuring this out because, for the first time in decades, we have a career legislator as the executive. 

Since Nixon, it’s been governors or vice presidents, people ingrained with the authoritative executive.  Obama is bringing back the separation of powers, letting legislators legislate, and for most people, they’ve never been alive to see a President act with this sort of deference and constitutional understanding (it probably doesn't hurt that he was a Constitutional Law professor either).  What he’s doing now is what a President should do.  He let the legislative process largely play out, now’s the time for the President to advocate and make sure it gets done.  It’s the bottom of the 9th, and the Closer is coming in.