Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson has seen his popularity decline lately in part because of his apparent weakness on foreign policy. The New York Times reported last month that Carson is struggling to be plausible on the Middle East; one of his advisers said, “Nobody has been able to sit down with him and have him get one iota of intelligent information about the Middle East.” Last week, Carson confirmed the impression in his appearance before the Republican Jewish Coalition in Washington, halting frequently as he read a speech and repeatedly mispronouncing “Hamas” (with the emphasis on the first syllable, like hummus). Result: The foreign policy elites are not taking him seriously.
His punishment? Carson has hired a former aide to Netanyahu as an adviser, and he announces that he’s going to Israel. The Hill reports:
George Birnbaum has worked with three Israeli prime ministers as well as its foreign minister…
In a statement that noted his “pride and excitement” in joining Carson’s team, Birnbaum noted the integral relationship between America and Israel…
Birnbaum worked on Netanyahu’s reelection earlier this year
And Carson is going to Israel. Bloomberg broke the story two days ago:
Carson… said he’s planning another trip to Israel sometime before the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1, his second trip to the country in one year.
Carson’s announcement followed Donald Trump’s announcement a week ago that he’s going to Israel some time after Christmas, and will meet with his dear friend Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he endorsed for prime minister earlier this year.
Please forgive me, but I cannot hold back this:
Sounds like Ben Carson is trying to transplant a brain into himself. But it looks like he has not made a clever choice regarding the donor of his brain implant, and so Trump is the only one who will further gain from this failed neurosurgeon operation.
When your numbers are shaky, take a trip to Israel on the usual tour. I guess Tel Aviv is the USA’s Mecca. Turn towards it five times a day, at least, and pray loudly into the public mic: “Israel, Israel, Israel! How I love ya, let me count the ways!” Ann Coulter never got the message, or rather, she did but she grew annoyed by the repetition “Israel” and irony of it all because the question asked went to what would you do for the USA?
Feckless Carson can’t even get this right according to the times of Israel “Birnbaum’s former associates said the statement was misleading and that the title of “chief of staff” was “a serious exaggeration.” in Yiddish Carson is a Freire
Carson’s action in acquiring a “minder” won’t help him in the slightest. It’s as if Carson, not a large man, has realized that the ice on the lake is perilously thin — and in an effort to navigate it safely, hires a big sturdy fellow lolling at the edge of the lake — then jumps onto his back and asks him to skate across to the other side.