Agudath Israel Supports War in Iraq

The Agudah released the following over the top statement of blatantly absurd and delusional support for Bush and the war in Iraq:

Upon consultation with its rabbinic leadership, Agudath Israel of America issued the following statement: Since September 11, 2001, the United States has been involved in a war against forces of evil and terror. These forces pose a grave danger not only to the United States and its allies in the Western World, but also to our Jewish brethren in Israel and across the globe. America’s efforts in Iraq have been part of this larger battle. While, in retrospect, the planning and execution of some of these efforts may have been less than perfect, there have also been significant achievements. The bottom line, at this time, is that the stakes in Iraq remain high, and that there still remains much to be done.

Agudath Israel of America believes that President Bush is entitled to great deference in his ongoing efforts to stabilize the situation in Iraq. Such deference is appropriate both because of the constitutional authority that inheres in the President’s position as Commander in Chief, and also because of the moral authority the President has consistently displayed in leading the battle against international terror.

We feel compelled to express our views at this time because the Union for Reform Judaism, purporting to have arrived at its position through an application of “halachic norms� and “Jewish values,� has publicly proclaimed its opposition to the President’s policies in Iraq. This group is entitled to its own organizational position, but that position is neither a legitimate expression of halachic Judaism nor reflective of authentic Jewish values.

Clearly these guys are out to lunch if they believe this war is going anywhere good like they claim. But they aren’t, and they don’t. Bush is in a desperate position because of the horrific slog he has got us into and under false pretenses, and it’s only going to get worse. We lost this war a long time ago, and the increasingly unbearable cost for protracted attrition, both domestically and to our world standing, will continue to escalate.

But. If those few Jewish groups who are usually considered his allies retreat from their support, this will be remembered. It won’t affect the war—at all—in terms of where the Agudah positions itself. Consider that first of all. But for the Agudah to support this president in this horrible war is a sound strategic decision not just for the Agudah’s standing with the Christian far-Right, but for American Jewry generally, as we are hedging our bets. We on the moderate-Left and even the moderate-Right cannot be held to such expectations. But the far-Right is another thing in its entirety, and haredi realpolitik concerns cannot and should not be crafted by those like ourselves.

Needless to say, I am certainly not an Agudah loyalist, and am no supporter of this war, detest Bush, and voted against him twice. I was so crushed after the second election I huddled in my living room and rented Burns’s “The Civil War.” But I think the Agudah did something smart here. I have to admit, if I were a haredi political leader, I think I would have done the same thing. Of course, I’d never be a haredi political leader, and probably neither would you. But that’s not the point. Consider this from their paradigm, and do a cost/benefit analysis from that place.

This was shrewd.

Hat tip: Likelihood of Success