Yes, I kid you not. President of Israel. The guy is a pure megalomaniac. Dersh melech Yisrael, Chai, Chai v’kayam (“Long live Dersh King of Israel…”)
On a related subject, this is the first news that Dershowitz may be considering Bibi’s urgent offer to become Israel’s chief UN flack otherwise known as ambassador:
Last Saturday night, Dershowitz told Channel 1 (Israel Television ) that he was considering Netanyahu’s offer to become Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations. A week earlier, he spoke at Tel Aviv University, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate. After his talk, the actor Alex Ansky told him, “You must be our next president.” To which Dershowitz replied, “That’s a job I won’t turn down.”
A commenter below with a totally straight face wrote the following:
I can’t think of anyone who would make a better president of Israel. I think that he would lend the office all the dignity it deserves.
Her second sentence unintentionally conveys all the irony necessary when regarding the possibility of this political car crash.
H/t Didi Remez.
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God help us all, if that happens!
Although, it would make for an endless supply of great comedy fodder.
Regardless, I hope it never happens. I’m already as bored and sickened by him as I was with GWB.
Anything to force him to surrender US citizenship is O.K. with me. Let the Israeli’s have him. They deserve him. And we’d still have a lot to laugh at.
I could not agree more Gene.
I can’t think of anyone who would make a better president of Israel.
If you’re a comedy satirist that is.
Not at all, I think that he would lend the office all the dignity it deserves.
Dignity?! We are definitely not talking about the same über-Zionist Dershowitz I know. There is nothing dignified about that man’s life in any sense of the word.
Meaning the level of dignity it deserves is somewhere below that of a carnival barker?
Re:
The esteem Prop. won’t need to surrender his citizenship, but then he will have to reside in Israel like Stanley Fisher. Reminds me of Ben Gurion 1952 Presidency proposal to Albert Einstein, long live the small difference.
As to the offer of a UN ambassador, the BibyLibby “supremacy” has a nice past experience serving the same position then (& now) a US citizen “courtesy” of Moshe Arans.
BTW Prop is an accurate description of the role, fits him don’t you think?
🙂
I agree!
I am unclear here: would he or would he not be required to surrender his citizenship in order to become Israel’s UN ambassador?
I believe that since the 70’s the US has allowed full dual citizenship with Israel. That means you have no restriction on what you do in Israel (e.g., You can serve in the IDF for example, run for election, represent Israel as a diplomat, etc) without any negative impact on your rights as a US citizen. A good example is Rehm Emanuel who served in the IDF.
Moreover, many of our National Security advisers have been consultants for Israeli governments openly on security and other policy issues without a problem, although I am not sure how many of them have formally accepted citizenship formally (Richard or some readers may have more accurate info on that).
For full disclosure, citizens of Egypt, my birth place, were also granted the right to carry both US and American citizenship at the time Israeli’s got that right as a sign of even-handedness – really. Of course, the difference is that you do not US citizens clamoring to serve in the Egyptian armed forces.
And I am not sure the American mood will accept as national security advisers anyone that is highly affiliated with the Egyptian governments as a consultant.
In the Arab world, Israel used to be frequently called the 51st state in the American Union. Sometimes, that statement does not sound odd especially seeing how our US congress can never look united unless it is something to show Israel how much they are behind it.
First, he’d have to become an Israeli citizen. I heard that Oren renounced his U.S. citizenship before becoming ambassador, but not sure whether this was at his discretion or involuntary.
Thanks, Richard. You just answered my next question about Oren. Actually, I thought it was involuntary. I would think there would be a conflict of interest to hold an ambassadorial position with citizenships in both countries. I have a friend here in Geneva who holds dual, Swiss and American, passports, and he was considered illegible to hold ambassadorship to US from Switzerland. Maybe Israelis have papal dispensation.
Gene:
It is surprising how rarely the issue of conflict of interest comes up when we talk about the Israeli interests and American National interests. Some common wisdom by the ‘Israel is never wrong’ crowd is that whatever is good for Israel MUST be good for America. The direct offshoot is that we need to support what Israel wants and does without second guessing Israelis.
This artificial alignment of interests has been in my opinion the strongest tool in the hands of Israeli propaganda to eliminate any critical or realistic evaluation of our foreign policy interests in the middle east and of the effectiveness of our strategy. khaled
I think that Oren would have been bound, as a matter of practicality, to relinquish his US nationality on being appointed as the Israeli ambassador. Article 8 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations states that, in principle, members of a diplomatic mission should be nationals of the sending State, and that diplomats should not be nationals of the host State unless the host State consents–but that consent can be withdrawn at any time.
As for Dersh being Israel’s ambassador to the UN: although he is a lawyer. he is not an international lawyer, and I see little evidence of diplomacy on his part.
RE: …the actor Alex Ansky told him, “You must be our next president.” To which Dershowitz replied, “That’s a job I won’t turn down.”
HERE’S ANOTHER JOB HE DID NOT TURN DOWN: Stanford ‘A Wreck Of A Man’ As Defense Team Turns To Dershowitz , By Zachary Roth, TPM, 05/19/10
(excerpts) Allen Stanford has been reduced to “a wreck of a man” and fears he is “losing his mind” as he awaits trial in a Texas prison, according to his attorneys. They’ve brought in celebrity lawyer Alan Dershowitz to argue that the conditions in which Stanford is being held are hindering his ability to prepare a defense, and to request his immediate release….
…In a plaintive jailhouse email written in January and included in the motion, Stanford — who faces charges of orchestrating an $8 billion Ponzi scheme through the company he founded, the Stanford Financial Group — complained that he is “stuck in prison literally rotting away mentally, physically, emotionally and not doing ANYTHING to prepare for trial.”
To craft the motion, Stanford’s defense team recently turned to Dershowitz, who has defended a slew of high-profile clients including O.J. Simpson, Mike Tyson, Klaus Von Bulow, and Leona Helmsely, and is currently in Israel.…
ENTIRE ARTICLE – http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/05/stanford_a_wreck_of_a_man_as_defense_team_turns_to.php?ref=fpb
Dershowitz’s choice in customers exemplifies his megalomaniac nature.
This is marvellous news. Sympathy and support for the Palestinian cause amongst the other UN delegates would go right up if Dershowitz became ambassador. I think his outlandish rhetoric has got to the point where it does Israel more harm than good, and if Netanyahu can’t see that, he must be even more stupid than I thought him (possible) or else getting very desperate in his bid to salvage Israel’s global self-image. You know things must be pretty bad for the Israeli administration when it is forced to play Alan Dershowitz as its trump card. Unfortunately Dershowitz won’t be able to intimidate the UN delegates as easily as he intimidates undergraduate students, as threatening phone calls aren’t seen as a legitimate method of negotiation. He’s going to have to work on his diplomatic techniques…
And now this………
“‘We are not done with Goldstone’”
http://www.jpost.com/Magazine/Features/Article.aspx?id=176086
“Alan Dershowitz, arguably Israel’s staunchest defender abroad, loses his customary cool.”
Wonder what misfortune is awaiting judge Goldstone!
FROM THE JERUSALEM POST ARTICLE:
…Until Goldstone arises in our interview, Dershowitz sits contemplatively as he answers questions, his hands clasped as if posing for a portrait. But upon mention of the South African judge, Dershowitz thrusts his arms in the air, fists clenched , as he charges the author of the UN report on the Gaza war with “using his Jewishness as both a sword and a shield.”…
MY COMMENT: The word ‘unhinged’ comes to mind.
P.S.
FACEBOOK GROUP: Richard J. Goldstone: Integrity Personified
Category: Common Interest – Beliefs & Causes
Description: A group for individuals who respect Justice Goldstone and admire his integrity.
Open: All content is public.
LINK – http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=152832719154
“Alan Dershowitz, arguably Israel’s staunchest defender abroad, loses his customary cool”
Those two highlighted words sound like an oxymoron as far as Dershowitz is concerned, imho.
Sorry about that! I guess, I did not place my i’s and b’s and /’s in the right places.