Cheney, Sharon, and Auschwitz

Cheney's Auschwitz outfit raises eyebrows.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Vice President Dick Cheney raised eyebrows on Friday for wearing an olive-drab parka, hiking boots and knit ski cap to represent the United States at a solemn ceremony remembering the liberation of Auschwitz.

You must look at the picture in the article. The expression of the unidentified man, third from the left, says it all.

Ariel Sharon, PM of the State of Israel, might be a bit miffed at this. The commeration of the liberation of the Auschwitz camps by the Soviet armies in 1945 is necessary to the mythology of the State of Israel. Without the Holocaust, the justification for the existence of the Israeli State is weaker. To send along the number two man in the US government and for him to look so casual is to send the message that this event is not very important.

But then Ariel Sharon did not show up either. (The Israeli President was there, however.) Mr. Sharon was promoting the idea that it was the Jews against the world (see PM says Jews know 'we can trust no one but ourselves')

"The State of Israel drew the lesson from the Holocaust, and has known since its founding how to protect itself and all its residents and supply a safe haven for all Jews everywhere," Sharon said. "We know we can trust no one but ourselves."

So much for all the financial, political, and military support that the State of Israel has received from the USA over the years. You could almost say that Mr. Sharon has taken the money and bitten the hand that gave it. There have been many times at the U.N. that the USA has voted with Israel to protect Israel's interests. The State of Israel is the largest recipient of foriegn aid from the USA.

My opinion is that Cheney's appearance is a calculated insult because the current US administration is very image conscious with the selection of backdrops, props, and slogans for all public appearances. This insult could be either a signal to the Arab world that the USA is moving away from Israel, a response to Mr. Sharon's insult about Israel having no friends, or to the Holocaust deniers that the USA is moving away the influence of the Zionist World Conspiracy. Without a strongly worded protest from the Israeli government, the first is implausible. The second may be the most likely as this administration brooks no dissent and punishes anyone who steps out of line very harshly. The third is impossible because the Zionist World Conspiracy does not exist but the appearance of doing so cannot harm the standing of the US administration in the eyes of those who believe in its existence.

However, the recent resignation of Douglas Feith at the US DoD may signal the weakening of official ties between the US and the Zionist project in the Middle East. See Feith resigns for 'personal reasons'

Douglas Feith, a senior Pentagon official who was instrumental in crafting the rationales for an invasion of Iraq and has been one of Israel's most ardent supporters in the administration, has submitted his resignation.

On a completely different, it might to gratifying for some to see a man being hounded for a lack of fashion sense.