Watch State Department Spokesperson John Kirby as he issues a statement about the murder of Ezra Schwartz, an 18 year old boy from Sharon, Massachusetts who was shot to death for the crime of being Jewish. Watch more than you listen, if you really want to get the full import of State’s message here. Kirby shuffles papers, does not look at the media people attending the briefing, and maybe I’m imagining this, but there’s this sideways smirk of distaste as if he can barely stand the thought of a Jewish name in his mouth.
There’s no emotion. It’s a pat recitation. It’s like saying, “I have to say this to preempt people from saying we (choose one) hate Israel/hate the Jews, but please don’t think I like having to read these words. Trust me, I’m going to gargle with about 4 quarts of Listerine, as soon as this press briefing is over. Seriously bad taste in my mouth, but you know, a job’s a job/life’s a bitch.”
Wouldn’t it be interesting if instead of saying what they have to say, how they say it, State Department spokespeople actually said what they think? That would probably go something like this: “There was this Jewish boy from the burbs who went to play settler boy in Israel and he got dead. And that’s what he deserved and we really don’t much care. He might just as well have stayed home and been safe. But no. He had to play cowboy. So you want me to be sympathetic? Ha!
“Sympathetic. As if JEWS have a right to be in JUDEA? I mean, sheesh! Get a life. Go play in traffic instead of making an international incident. I mean, REALLY.”
That’s what this clip says to me. I wonder why this administration even bothers to move its lips to the tune of its “deepest condolences” when it so obviously doesn’t give a crap.
