On Tribalism...

Adam L. Silverman, PhD*

COL Lang has absolutely, 100% hit the nail on the head regarding Dr. Krauthammer's views pertaining to US policy in the Middle East, especially regarding Israel.  The best evidence of this is MJ Rosenberg's recounting of Dr. Krauthammer's behavior at Yom Kippur (for the non-Judaica informed: The Day of Atonement, the Holiest Day of the Jewish religious calendar) services from 2001:

"About three years ago, I saw Krauthammer flip out in synagogue on Yom Kippur. The rabbi had offered some timid endorsement of peace — peace essentially on Israel's terms — but peace anyway. Krauthammer went nuts. He actually started bellowing at the rabbi, from his wheel chair in the aisle. People tried to "shush" him. It was, after all, the holiest day of the year. But Krauthammer kept howling until the rabbi apologized. The man is as arrogant as he is thuggish. Who screams at the rabbi at services? For advocating peace?"**

This would be the equivalent of going after the Archbishop at either Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve or Good Friday or Easter Sunday Mass for saying something in his homily that one disagreed with.  Dr. Krauthammer is without doubt a smart man.  He is without doubt an educated man.  He is also, without a doubt, a Jew without Mercy.

* Adam L. Silverman is the Culture and Foreign Language Advisor at the US Army War College.  The views expressed here are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of the US Army War College or the US Army.

**MJ Rosenberg's original link to his archive where he recounted the Yom Kippur incident is dead/missing.  He refers to the incident in several later posts and columns, which I've hyperlinked to for you all, and then links to the Washington Monthly's post that quotes his original story, which I've also hyperlinked to for you all.

Comments

[blowback]

Pat/Col. - this is not in the best possible taste so you might not want to approve it.

For any fans of the BBC's Doctor Who:

http://www.sadlyno.com/wordpress/uploads/2007/08/krautdavros1.jpg

An explanation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davros

[Jackie]

I always remember Rosenberg's story about yelling at the rabbi and Krauthammer. Priceless.

[Redhand]

Hello Dr. Silverman:

It is reassurring to know that this is a forum where one can express anti-Tribal sentiments without being labeled anti-Semitic. I've been fairly harsh about CK, but that's because I think he needs to be called out for what he is: a Zealot in the original sense, and a demagogue to boot.

I can't say it surprises me that he is totally intolerant of the views of others, even on Yom Kippur. Who doubts that CK played a leading role in getting the inestimable Dan Froomkin booted off the WaPo website because of his inconveniently accurate critiques, e.g. "Krauthammer's Asterisks" http://voices.washingtonpost.com/white-house-watch/torture/krauthammers-asterisks.html.

[Adam L. Silverman]

Redhand: My view is that one can disagree with US policy towards Israel or Israel's own policies and that doesn't make one an anti-Semite. There is a large difference between having a problem with Judaism as a religion or Jews as the identifiable group that adheres, one way or another to that religion, or Israelis as the citizens of Israel just for existing and having a problem with the actual actions of the State of Israel. The former is where you get the issues of anti-Semitism arising, the latter is policy disagreement. And it was actually what Herzl, perhaps the best known of the creators of Zionism, wanted to happen. He reckoned that if a state were created for the Jews that opposition would move from the individual/group/religion level to the state level and if that happened the Jews would become just like everyone else.

[Roy G]

I think it goes beyond tribalism; Krauthammer, after all, is the man who coined the term 'Reagan Doctrine' and 'Unipolar World,' and was a tremendous cheerleader for US intervention in Central America, the ME, and yes, a staunch supporter of The Surge in Iraq.

So, even though his religious affiliation is tied up in this matter, it is also clear that he is an Imperialist. He would have been equally at home in the British Empire 'wog bashing' in India, or eloquently defending the necessity of Britain forcing China to sell opium to its people.

What's sad is that he was a brilliant physician at one time. While there is no doubt that he is tremendously skilled intellectually, the facts are much less kind about his foreign policy acumen. Tribal polemicist indeed, however, his tribe consists of neocons, Islamophobists and religious zealots, so it's not just a Jewish thing.

[walrus]

I had not heard of Krauthammers outburst before. This says more about him than it does Israel. Physician heal thyself.

[arbogast]

Krauthammer is an angry man. Very angry.

After the accident which paralyzed him, he eventually found an outlet for his rage that was socially acceptible to a very powerful, willing audience.

His is the voice of anger. It's not a lot of fun to listen to... unless you're really angry too.

[Daniel Rekayasa]

The Jesuits say: " give me the first seven years of the child's life and you can have the rest."

If you grow up in the (middle class) ghetto in Montreal,a child of Holocaust survivors, absorbing with your mother's milk discourse about the War against the Jews etc. and subject to similar talk in the Jewish schools you attend; if, thanks to the vicissitudes of time and place when young, you are a stranger when to any countervailing influence or tradition of progressive, universalist thought - why then your outlook on life when you are grown up will be determined accordingly.

To one acquainted as I am at first hand with CK's family background and his educational/cultural provenance, there is nothing mysterious or surprising about the provenance of his views, misinformed, ill informed, and deformed as they so plainly are.

(The same holds for the Ruth Wisses and David Frums of this world. Birds of a feather, every man jack of them.)

Acquainted as I am at first hand with this state of affairs, and knowing a thing or two about CK's provenance and family background, I know whereof I speak.

This, far more than any residual bitterness about his misfortune, is the source.