Reprinted with permission from The Realist Review.
The days of Gog and Magog are back.
Back in 2003, during a conversation with French President Jacques Chirac, President George W. Bush expressed his view that,
…Gog and Magog are at work in the Middle East… The biblical prophecies are being fulfilled… This confrontation is willed by God, who wants to use this conflict to erase his people’s enemies before a New Age begins.”
Nominally Catholic, Chirac had no idea what Bush was on about and the Élysée immediately reached out to a French biblical scholar to find out what Bush might have meant. Chirac later said he was astounded by Bush’s comment and “wondered how someone could be so superficial and fanatical in their beliefs.”
To say that the main drivers of our policy in the Levant are American Jews is a grave misreading of the situation. Jews make up 2.4% percent of the US population and a good percentage of those are appalled by the Netanyahu regime. The policy here is driven by Bible-thumpers such as our current ambassador to Israel, who just published a ludicrous, if not insane, message to the President on social media.
Mr President,
God spared you in Butler, PA to be the most consequential President in a century – maybe ever. The decisions on your shoulders I would not want to be made by anyone else. You have many voices speaking to you Sir, but there is only ONE voice that matters. HIS voice. I am your appointed servant in this land and am available for you but I do not try to get in your presence often because I trust your instincts.
No President in my lifetime has been in a position like yours. Not since Truman in 1945. I don’t reach out to persuade you. Only to encourage you. I believe you will hear from heaven and that voice is far more important than mine or ANYONE else’s. You sent me to Israel to be your eyes, ears and voice and to make sure our flag flies above our embassy. My job is to be the last one to leave.
I will not abandon this post. Our flag will NOT come down! You did not seek this moment. This moment sought YOU! It is my honor to serve you!”
Can there be any doubt that the three most ridiculous words in the English language are: Ambassador Mike Huckabee? Well, other than Secretary Pete Hegseth. Testifying before Congress this week Hegseth warned the Senate Armed Services Committee to, “be careful what you read in books, except for the Bible.”
President Trump famously told a rally some years ago that the Bible was “his favorite book” — his second favorite being The Art of the Deal. Ted Cruz also claims to be fond of The Good Book.
In a viral interview with Tucker Carlson, Cruz told an incredulous Carlson that,
As a Christian, growing up in Sunday school, I was taught from the Bible that those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who curse Israel will be cursed. I want to be on the blessing side of things.”
Carlson then asked where that passage is from. Cruz admitted he had no idea and Carlson quickly informed him that it was from the Book of Genesis—in the process showing viewers the difference between someone who claims to read and one who actually does.
Will our Christian (armchair) warriors drag us into yet another needless, counterproductive and illegal war in the Middle East?
God only knows.
James W. Carden is the editor of The Realist Review. He is a columnist and former adviser to the US-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission at the U.S. Department of State. His articles and essays have appeared in a wide variety of publications including The Nation, The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, The Spectator, UnHerd, The National Interest, Quartz, The Los Angeles Times, and American Affairs.
