Of course, I am a kike, so what I say should be discounted accordingly. But when my daughter (who is not a kike) graduated from the University of Chicago in 2004, John Mearsheimer gave the graduation address. This was before his working paper on the “Israel Lobby” was published, and he was known only as a professor of political science at Chicago. Mr. Mearsheimer’s address, delivered in a droning, soporific tone, that comported all-too-comfortably with the sunny, slightly hot day in June, was a lengthy tour d’horizon of America’s relationship with the rest of the world, and what Mearsheimer thought it should be, in the 21st century. The only thing notable about it was that it was too long and too dull, and the audience of proud parents squirmed in the heat and the dullness.

I was one of the few in the audience who listened to every word.

I grew more and more astonished, not at what he said, which was commonplace and emollient, not at the mediocrity of the analysis, which was beneath the standard of quality for Chicago faculty, but at what he did not say. In June 2004, less than three years after the succuessful attacks on American civilians in New York and our military headquarters at the Pentagon, and the thankfully unsuccessful attempt to attack on the center of our government in Washington, Mr. Mearsheimer did not see fit to mention the events of September 11th. In an address which lasted at least half an hour, and perhaps longer, which dealt with how our country ought to deal with the rest of the world, these events evidently did not seem relevant to him.

Those who are impressed with Mr. Mearsheimer’s call to put U.S. interests first, not those of Israel, might be interested in the quality of his judgment in such matters. I’m afraid that Mr. Mearsheimer is one of those soi-disant realists so hostile to Israel and “the Jews” - and so obsessed with their nefarious influence - that he would rather see his own country suffer than have it take actions in its own defense that might also be construed, however distantly, as beneficial to Israel or the shadowy interests of us Jews. In this respect he is in the company of such obsessives as Pat Buchanan (on this subject alone), the once interesting Phil Weiss, the late Elijah Muhammed, and many other poor souls, of all creeds, races and nationalities.
There are terms to describe such people, but they are different from anything that the honorable adjectives “patriotic” and “realistic” might describe. Let me propose a more accurate term for the quality of Mr. Mearsheimer’s thinking: dim-witted.

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