One day, three extraordinary speeches and three new lows
July 24, 2024, may prove to be one of America’s most extraordinary days.
As it would unfold, events of the 24th would not have the overwhelming shock and trauma of Pearl Harbor, Sept. 11, 2001, or the murder of President John F. Kennedy.
But at no other time in American history has a current and former president and an Israeli prime minister pontificated on the same day and in the same country on such monumental issues with the most profound consequences for their respective countries.
First, at 2 p.m., Benyamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress for the fourth time. Netanyahu was fighting for political survival, aiming at his extreme right wing at home and using applause from a doting Republican Congress to bolster his case.
Four hours later, Donald Trump began a rally at Bojangles Coliseum near Charlotte, in which he would reveal the tone of his campaign for beating Vice President Kamala Harris in the November election.
To complete this trifecta, at 8 p.m., President Joe Biden, speaking from the Oval Office’s Resolute Desk, explained why he did not seek reelection and instead would “turn the torch” over to the next generation.
This combination itself was extraordinary. But equally extraordinary was what was said and how it was said.
In a carefully prepared and fiery address, Netanyahu broke all limits of cynicism and hypocrisy on display in that chamber.
That nearly 40,000 Palestinians have died so far in conditions described by legitimate observers as “the worst I have ever seen,” was unmentioned by Netanyahu. Instead, Netanyahu asserted how the Israel Defense Forces was waging one of the most successful campaigns in history to minimize collateral damage.
Despite the evidence and analysis of the U.S. and United Kingdom militaries that completely rejected these assertions, Netanyahu based his claims on findings from a sole faculty member at West Point.
Netanyahu was extremely critical of Americans protesting the Gaza War, labeling some “useful idiots.” What would have been the reactions of Israelis if an American leader at the Knesset labeled Israeli citizens exercising their rights to free speech as “useful idiots?”
Worst of all, the number of standing ovations, many after Netanyahu made the most offensive statements and delivered outright lies, was inexcusable even for zealots of left and right extremes. All this was extraordinary in a decadent way.
Trump could have become the “new,” kinder, gentler Trump. After missing death by a few millimeters, Trump could have rejected his preference for scorched earth campaigns in which insulting, vilifying and slandering his opponent were the means to win.
But Trump quickly dismissed that idea, reverting to past practices. Harris became “Lying Kamala,” the “worst vice president in history.”
Clearly, Trump would use character assassination as his weapon of choice to demolish Harris rather than rest his fate on a serious debate over serious issues, which is how and why he lost in 2020 — an extraordinary admission of political malpractice and incompetence.
To most observers, Biden’s farewell address was not just a disappointment. Biden failed to give a compelling argument as to why this was the moment to pass the torch in order to defend democracy and why he should not immediately relinquish the presidency.
Biden expressed relief and resignation in making his decision. But the extraordinary aspect of his talk was that it failed to recognize the magnitude of this historic decision.
Netanyahu and Trump presided over what can only be described as spectacles void of fact, truth and decency. Both relied on demagoguery to make their points and their future longevity in power rests upon how well each distorts their records to play to the coarsest emotions of followers displaying a cult-like reverence.
Biden’s case is sadder and more selfish. By waiting until he was forced to make this decision, Biden prevented Democrats from any chance of selecting a replacement. While Harris may have been the inevitable candidate, this was far from a democratic process and thus an extraordinary rejection of why democracy was to be defended.
Where does America go from here?
In Congress, there may be no bottom as to how low that institution will sink in abandoning decency and standards. While most Americans wanted an alternative to Trump and Biden, Harris may not be it. But here are two conclusions.
First, shame on Congress for awarding Netanyahu a platform for spewing his grievances. And second, shame on Americans for allowing our politics to have so degenerated.
Harlan Ullman Ph.D. (@harlankullman) is a senior advisor at the Atlantic Council and the prime author of the “shock and awe” military doctrine. His 12th book, “The Fifth Horseman and the New MAD: How Massive Attacks of Disruption Became the Looming Existential Danger to a Divided Nation and the World at Large,” is available on Amazon.