So Far, So Good

Trump’s pro Israel Cabinet Picks (Forward)

My views have not changed. In fact they have become even stronger. I have always separated the man from his policies. Trump the man is a reprobate. That should be clear to anyone that is  not a MAGA Republican. (And probably even to a few that are.) I am not going to rehash all of the reasons why this is true. If you don’t know what most of them are, you are probably dead. 

What I have always also said is that I supported his policies. 

His opponent had the reverse situation. On a personal level Harris was everything Trump was not. On a policy level, however, with few exceptions I supported neither her domestic agenda nor her foreign policy agenda. 

These contradictory facts are what made it virtually impossible for me to decide who to vote for. Should I choose the frying pan? Or the fire?

That decision was made for me by the American electorate who overwhelmingly chose policy over personal character. Although I have no way of knowing what the next four years will look like exactly, I can say with complete confidence that I am not disappointed with what Trump has done so far – just one week since his victory at the polls. 

He has more than lived up to my expectations about what his policy with respect to Israel will be by choosing cabinet members that are perhaps the most pro Israel of any past administration. Including his own. Marco Rubio (yet to be officially announced) at State; Elise Stefanik at the UN; Mike Waltz as National Security Advisor; and Mike Huckabee as Ambassador to Israel. 

These cabinet positions are the ones most directly affecting the Jewish state. And all 4 of these new cabinet secretaries are more pro Israel than are most non Orthodox Jews (even in Israel) - who want to see a more pluralistic and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Israel rather than an Israel loyal to the values that define what Judaism really is.  

The new UN ambassador has said he does not recognize the term ‘West Bank’. He sees only Judea and Samaria in that location. This signals a sea change in how the Trump administration will deal with a Palestinian state. Let’s just say that it’s not in the cards. That said, I do not believe Trump will support annexation of the West Bank either. That would a a prescription for unprecedented bloodshed on both sides. But at least I know where his heart lies. It lies with biblical Israel. Not a state called Palestine. 

Trump’s choice for Secretary of Defense is a stunner. From AP: 

President-elect Donald Trump stunned the Pentagon and the broader defense world by nominating Fox News host Pete Hegseth to serve as his defense secretary, 

Indeed. Choosing a Fox News host to head one of the most sensitive and important cabinet posts is a shock. It’s kind of like choosing my 7 year old 4’ 7’’ grandson to play Forward for the Chicago Bulls.

Or is it? 

It might seem that way to most establishment figures. But it would not be the first time an  inexperienced individual rose to the occasion and surpassed all expectations. And on the plus side there is this: 

The 44-year-old Hegseth, a staunch conservative who embraces Trump’s “America First” policies, has pushed for making the military more lethal. During an interview on “The Shawn Ryan Show” podcast, he said allowing women to serve in combat hurts that effort.

“Everything about men and women serving together makes the situation more complicated, and complication in combat, that means casualties are worse,” Hegseth said.

And while he said diversity in the military is a strength, he said it was because minority and white men can perform similarly but the same isn’t true for women.

By opening combat slots to women, “we’ve changed the standards in putting them there, which means you’ve changed the capability of that unit,” Hegseth said in the podcast interview. 

Hard for me to disagree with this. And have said many of these things myself. To cite just one problem that should be obvious to everyone. When you put a man and a woman together in closed quarters, you are asking for trouble. There is a reason for the rise on sexual abuse of women in the military. Saying that men should control themselves is true. But why put them into situations that lend themselves to such abuse in the first place? The purpose of the military is not to promote DEI. It is (to quote the late General Colin Powel) to break things and kill people. 

If implementing Hegseth’s values is what making America great again is all about, it’s about time and I’m all for it.