Israel Reshuffles the U.S. Presidential Election Deck
Suddenly in the aftermath of the Hamas massacre on Oct. 7, we have a presidential election about national security. And that could shuffle the U.S.
presidential-candidate deck. The foreign-policy debate on the Republican side—China, Ukraine, the open border—had become rote. No longer.
Hamas’s killing of civilians and seizing of hostages, including presumably Americans, has forced the world’s troubles to the top of the presidential agenda. Joe Biden flew to the Israeli war zone and gave a worthy speech of commitment to the U.S. ally.
Support for Rep. Jim Jordan as House speaker depended in large part on the imperative to pass aid bills for Israel and Ukraine. After Donald Trump, days after the massacre, reflexively posted statements of derision about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and admiration for Hezbollah as “smart," he spent the week refocusing attention on his foreign-policy accomplishments.
After one weekend in October, the table has filled with national-security crises: an existential threat to Israel, Iran exploiting the Middle East cauldron, what comes next for Taiwan, and Russia’s war against Ukraine, on the border of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The U.S. southern border sits as an open, bleeding wound.
Let’s cut to the chase. Actually two chases. One, which presidential candidate is up to—or qualified for—this new challenge? Two, which party is willing to pay to do what is necessary for the U.S.
to meet the challenge? The second question answers itself. The Democratic foreign-policy establishment isn’t as far left as the party’s dominant wing. But the party of the Squad, Bernie Sanders, anti-Israel demonstrators and cash-starved progressive city governments controls the Democrats’
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