Awesome (September 29, 2023)
Welcome to Home & Away. Lots to report and reflect on. Here at Home, I will start with the Republican presidential debate. This second gathering of the presidential hopefuls was only slightly smaller than the first (former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson did not make the cut) but like the previous one did not include the frontrunner, Donald Trump. There was a greater willingness on the part of some to criticize the former president, but all in all it was a case of too little too late.
We were given further evidence (not that we needed it) that Republicans don’t like China or an open border and are divided on support for Ukraine. Several on the stage put forward the truly questionable idea of using force against Mexico. I would say the losers were the seven candidates who constantly interrupted and spoke over one another, the three Fox Business journalists who exerted little if any control, and anyone foolish enough to watch the proceedings. Those are two hours they will never be able to get back. It was headache inducing. The winners were Donald Trump and the makers of ibuprofen.
Dysfunction
Then there’s the impending government shutdown. The Senate is ready to make a deal, the House as expected is proving to be more difficult. Years ago, long before I worried about threats to American democracy, I worried about its growing dysfunction. With Tommy Tuberville holding up nominations for the senior-most military leaders in the Senate and a small gang of radicals blocking action on spending bills in the House, it is painfully clear the dysfunction has arrived in spades. There are ways to deal with it – eliminating the practice of holds, the Speaker working with Democrats to marginalize the Republican extremists – but there would have to be the political will to do such things, something that is notably in short supply. The danger is not just that the dysfunction precludes the country from dealing with many of its challenges but that it breeds contempt among the American people for our democracy. It also rattles our friends around the world, partly for its economic consequences, even more for what it says about our ability (or inability) to act responsibly and consistently.
Democracy
President Biden delivered a strong set of remarks Thursday on the threat to American democracy posed by Donald Trump and his MAGA followers. I hope he returns to the theme over the next thirteen months because democracy will be on the ballot in November 2024 even if it does not appear to be. Better yet, I hope he builds on the speech and explains just why democracy is worth preserving and what Americans can and should do to protect it. A certain book I know puts forward some ideas on this.
Corruption
I cannot resist writing about Senator Robert Menendez. There is something old-fashioned about the alleged corruption. Bills stuffed in envelopes stuffed in pockets. Gold bars. A fancy car. No sign here of anything fancy like back-dated options or bitcoin. And the way he is wrapping himself in everything Latino, which led to the New York Post, aka the newspaper of record, headline about “Cash-tro.” I know that all are presumed innocent until proven otherwise, but the Democrats should pressure him in every way to resign, and there is a growing chorus of those calling for him to do so. Blatant corruption of this sort also breeds contempt for our democracy. There is also a political dimension – it is hard for Democrats to argue that Donald Trump should not run for president while under indictment but Menendez should hold his seat while awaiting trial.
Uncivil-Military Relations
General Mark Milley steps down this week after a four-year stint as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a military career stretching over four decades. As a powerful profile in the Atlantic details, we all owe the very good general an enormous debt of gratitude. He spoke truth to power, correctly (in my humble opinion) making the case for maintaining a small number of troops in Afghanistan to two presidents committed to leaving. And more than once he protected the country against a commander-in-chief who could not be trusted to act reasonably or rationally, either in the use of the armed forces here at home or in what he might order in the way of an attack on a foreign country.
Yes, he did not get everything right: his decision to accompany Trump, while in uniform, to Lafayette Park for a photo op amidst Black Lives Matter was a mistake. To Milley’s credit, he recognized this action threatened to damage the military’s reputation as an apolitical institution and apologized. He then went to great lengths to make sure the troops and their leaders understood their role in a democracy. Milley also got close to crossing the line of challenging civilian primacy, but Trump was arguably the first commander-in-chief who justified an exception to that principle. Milley should be remembered as a chairman who successfully navigated unique political along with difficult military challenges and we should be thankful for his distinguished service to our nation.
There is one other point to make about the Milley-Trump saga. The former president has used language (accusing him of treason and implying he should be executed) that risks inciting one of his followers to act against General Milley. This is another example of how violence is making its way into the American political bloodstream. It turns out January 6 was less an exception than a harbinger, one reason I made the rejection of violence one of the obligations of good citizens in my latest book.
Disarray
On the Away front, I wrote my monthly piece for Project Syndicate on the state of the world. The title – “The New World Disorder” – sums it up. The world is not on a trajectory to deal successfully with climate change or meet its development goals or control emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. The U.S.-China relationship is still searching for a floor. Russia’s war against Ukraine will go on for some time. North Korea’s nuclear bombs and missiles are here to stay. Yes, there are some positive developments, including the revival of this country’s alliances and some hopes for diplomatic progress in the Middle East. But overall the trend is worrisome, especially as it is far from clear the United States will be willing and able to provide the sort of consistent leadership essential if order rather than disarray is to become the norm.
Days of Awe
Last, the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur – the Ten Days of Awe – are now over. I am not sure whether writing about this comes under Home, Away, neither, or both, but I will go ahead all the same.
From Rosh Hashanah I want to share the sermon given by my rabbi, Elliot Cosgrove. To paraphrase the old Levi’s rye bread ad, you don’t have to be Jewish to get a great deal out of what he has to say.
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is a day of fasting and reflection, so sharing some reflections seems appropriate. Several times we ask forgiveness for sins committed during the previous year. All but one of the forty-plus sins cited are sins of commission, of things we did but should not have done. The last sin, though, is a sin of omission, of a confused heart that led us not to act when in truth we should have. This is worth taking to heart when among other things we contemplate what we might do in the coming year to protect and preserve American democracy.
What is for me the most interesting moment of the service comes in the selection from the Haftorah, the book of prophetic writings, that is read after the Torah (Old Testament) portion. The Yom Kippur selection comes from the Book of Isaiah, who is preaching to the Jews as they return from exile in Babylon some two and a half millennia ago. They are clearly unhappy with their fate, saying that they have done what was asked of them, i.e., fast on this day of atonement, but have not been rewarded for it. Isaiah takes them to task, saying to fast but then to do work or otherwise not behave admirably undermines the purpose of the fast. He calls on the Israelites to observe not just the letter of the law but also its spirit. Food for thought on a day without food.
The most dramatic moment of the service is the Unetaneh Tokef, where one’s fate, having been written on Rosh Hashanah, is pretty much sealed for the coming year. (I say “pretty much” as the severity of the decree can be diluted by repentance, prayer, and charity.) It is as you might expect biblical. Who shall live and who shall die. Who will rest and who will wander. Who will be impoverished and who will be enriched. And so on. The songwriter Leonard Cohen was so taken with this prayer, one at the heart of the service on the year’s holiest day, that he put his interpretation of it to music.
Rabbi Cosgrove filled the break in Monday’s service with a conversation, first with me on the world and then with Martin Indyk and me on the 1973 war and today’s Middle East. I may write about the war (marking its 50th anniversary) in a few weeks’ time; for now, here’s a link to our conversation. Cut us some slack for doing it on empty stomachs.
The 19th Hole
Last, I will turn from one form of inspiration to another. A big week in golf begins today (Friday) as the biannual (not to be confused with semi-annual) U.S.-European competition known as the Ryder Cup gets underway. The match is being played for the first time in Italy. Not sure if it has to do with cheering fans or jetlag or course familiarity, but the Home team seems to do better than the Away team. All of which (not to mention Viktor Hovland, Rory McIlroy, and a few other amazing players) suggests the Europeans, who have not lost to the American team in Europe for several decades, have something of a leg up over the Americans who won two years ago when the match was played over here. We will know for sure Sunday afternoon, but after the opening round Friday morning things are not looking good for the visitors. The transatlantic relationship may be relatively robust, but I am not sure the same can be said about the prospects of the American side.
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Check out The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens.