Bush is No Einstein
Detractors of President George Bush love to insinuate that he is no Einstein.
They may have a point.
Speaking of the “promise of God” for a “homeland for the chosen people” in Israel, Bush told the Knesset after a visit to the Roman-era Jewish fortress at Masada: “Masada shall never fall again, and America will always stand with you.”
Clearly not Einstein-like.
Albert Einstein described belief in God as “childish superstition” and said Jews were not the chosen people, in a letter to be sold in London this week, an auctioneer said Tuesday.
The father of relativity, whose previously known views on religion have been more ambivalent and fuelled much discussion, made the comments in response to a philosopher in 1954.
As a Jew himself, Einstein said he had a great affinity with Jewish people but said they “have no different quality for me than all other people”.
“The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish.”
So there you have it. Bush is indeed no Einstein, at least on this matter.
Thank G-d for that.
Update: Yes I do realize President Bush’s insistence on a palestinian state is at odds with his professed beliefs. But how can we expect the President of the US to be more Right wing than the government of Israel, which itself accepted the idea of a palestinian state long ago?
An Australian immigrant to Israel, Aussie Dave has been blogging since early 2003.
May 16th, 2008 at 6:23 am
Well, really, the world only gets an Einstein every 500 years or so. Who was last person who thought on a plane with Einstein? Newton? And, before that, I guess was Gallileo?
And anyway, few politicians thinks at a level beyond, at best, the average person. So who needs an Einstein? We need somebody who can work with politicians.
Oh, and that no God thing? Nothing like throwing out 100,000 years of accumulated human wisdom.
Leave the theoretical physics to the geniuses, and politics to the pragmatic.
May 16th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Is there a connection between the push for another arab state by Bush, and how he has to visit the Saudi’s first everytime he comes to visit you? I understand where “we” are coming from, but I don’t understand your governments acceptance of such nonsense. You don’t need the oil as much.
May 16th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
I applaud you on saying “professed beliefs.” I’d still trust Einstein more than Bush on this because (1) though Einstein might not you “chosen people” justification for Israel’s existence, he’d at least support her but on other grounds, and (2) all sorts of “professing” Christians believe Israel received a “promise” and was “chosen,” they then go on to argue (falsely) that it’s irrelevant now because chosenness and/or the land promise was conditional on obedience or that the “Israel” promised the land referred to a spiritual entity not just physical Jews and that that spiritual entity is now the Church (including any Jews who are in it), and other bad theological arguments. Bush is a Methodist who sometimes attends an Episcopalian church and both denominations teach such bad theology and work against Israel. Bush also said he believes Muslims and Christians worship the same god. Don’t be duped. Bush doesn’t care about Israel, and he’s not a Christian.
May 17th, 2008 at 5:54 am
Olmert’s a “smart enough” politician to know that Bush’s visit BOMBED.
In the United States,Bush’s whole presidency has been a “downhill trip.” And, the GOP? Up on the ropes. Perhaps, for a variety of reasons? But Americans are unhappy, specifically, with all that Bush represents, now.
Who knew it was even possible, but Bush has managed to make himself look smaller than Jimmy Carter.
In a dictatorship, the “head guy” can break enough legs; and manipulate the media, enough, that his lack of popularity wouldn’t be showing up on anyone’s radar screen. It’s different, however, when you’re dealing with democracies. As LBJ and Nixon had to learn, as well. While every single Israeli prime minister has tried so hard to “play on the American team.”
So, it should be interesting to see what happens, ahead?
Bush left Israel for Saudi Arabia. Where he’s promising the saud’s to “halp tham out” with their nuke program. And, of course, they’re getting the latest technology from America, no problem.
Will Olmert at least bring home some contracts for improved “flying objects?” Or is the whole hokum about a palestinian state (more likely a Hamastan than anything else), the bitter fruits … of all the work he’s done?
I have no idea!
Can Obama become president?
Can McCain flub on his way to the White House.
Again, it’s in the future.
But this trip of Bush’s? This is his last trick. And, it really seems like it’s been a giant waste of time. Bush has been diminished. And, it may take a while to sort out what if anything, can be salvaged.
Of course, Olmert’s a smart politician. He may think of something. But “peace in our time?” Appeasement is so very lame. At this juncture the Bush “stones in his pocket” may be enough to finally weigh him, and Livni, down?
August 8th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
It’s absolutely incongruous to me that in American schools, prayer, God, or creationism cannot be brought up. Reason - a Constitutional requirment to separate church and state which I fully support.
But America’s criminal government can, at the same time, base its Middle East policy (total, blind, and dishonorable support of the racist state of Israel) on Bible passages which say that God, supposedly, made the Jews His Chosen People and Palestine their Promised Land.
Does anyone in America think anymore! Apparently not! And “they hate us because we are free!” Dugh! As H.L. Mencken once said, “No one ever lost one thin dime underestimating the intelligence of the American people.”
It’s truly sad!