Caroline Glick Briefing

June 30, 2008 Luncheon

Caroline Glick is an Israeli-American and the Deputy Managing Editor of the Jerusalem Post. She is the author of a recent book, The Shackled Warrior. In a very harsh criticism of accomodationist approaches, her first statement to us was that, rather than the audacity of hope being a mantra for leadership, she thinks that it is the audacity of basing decisions on hope that will lead us to disaster.

She felt that we are in the midst of a policy collapse, first with the American decision to recognize North Korea with no real elimination of nuclear proliferation. In fact, she said that there were North Koreans in Syria working on its nuclear facility when the facility was destroyed by the Israelis last September. So what did the US receive for its recognition of North Korea?

She followed up with a discussion of the Israeli prisoner swap which had been approved by the Israeli Cabinet yesterday. She said the difficulty is that one side believes in the Sanctity of Life (Israel) and the other believes in the Sanctity of Death (the Palestinians and Arabs). Trading four live prisoners and 200 terrorists bodies and, in effect, agreeing to close the terrorist grave yard for the bodies of two brave Israeli soldiers is a collapse of the policy of not negotiating with terrorists. She believes that there will be long-term consequences as a result of the government’s negotiations.

One of the difficulties today is that the West has allowed the Muslims to use our standards against ourselves in counterproductive ways. For example, it is not racist to talk about the abuses of Islam by a not insignificant minority that is supported (either actively or by silent approval) by a majority of Muslims. We need to listen to these Muslims, since they are the ones who at least appear to be speaking for the majority and acting out in ways that threaten all of us in the West. To allow anyone who challenges Muslim behavior or statements to be called a racist is falling into the audacity of hope.

To allow the NEA to fund “art” of fecal matter and urine being splattered on a picture of Jesus Christ and have people say that you cannot interfere with the free expression and then to have the same people condone the Muslim response to some cartoons in a Danish newspaper is ridiculous.

After Glick’s depressing view of where we are today, she left us with where she thinks we need to go:

1. Respect our enemies. Believe what they say. Listen to their statements and not what you wish they would say.

2. Make the case against radical Islam, regardless of the consequences. Failure to do so will abdicate our responsibilities to future generations and hand over countries to the radicals.

3. Make the necessary sacrifices, like the United States is doing in Iraq and Afghanistan. If not, the West and our way of life will be in a constant defensive battle.

4. Do not fall for the Audacity of Hope. Require some substance, knowledge and experience in our leaders.