Friend of Israel banquet

Last night I was given an invitation to Stand for Israel's Friend of Israel award banquet. Held at the J.W. Marriott, the event was very well attended. The conservative and religious influence was immediately apparent -- the banquet was dry, which made me glad I missed most of the reception beforehand. Prior the speeches I had a chance to chit-chat with the other people sitting at my table and heard a few interesting things.

The first was from a woman involved in death tax repeal who had attended that morning's Wednesday meeting -- a weekly gathering that is a who's who in Washington of the conservative movement run by Grover Norquist. Apparently Ken Mehlman was in attendance and was given an absolute earful by grass-roots conservatives appalled at the out of control spending that the Republicans are engaged in. Mehlman was said to be equally exercised, essentially telling those in attendance that they didn't understand Washington realities -- a message I don't think went over too well.

In addition, I sat next to a guy who was at the speech covered in this Washington Post article given by Rep. Mike Pence. He said that the newspaper totally botched the story, stating that the speech was your usual conservative red meat about smaller government and that he only made one mention of his respect for the Congressional leadership.

Then the evening actually began with a speech by none other than "the Hammer" himself, Tom DeLay. He was greeted by a standing ovation from those in attendance -- I was the only one I could see who remained seated. DeLay tried to make light of this week's indictment, but also vowed that he would be vindicated and said he had nothing to fear.

Next up was the main event -- Rudy Giuliani. I have to say that he impressed me. In fact, Giuliani might be my favorite GOP candidate for 08' at this point. Well, either him or George Allen. I am a fan of his domestic agenda, which includes less bureaucracy, getting people off welfare, less crime, and tax cutting -- basically a normal Republican platform minus all the family values/morals/religion nonsense. My only question has been on his foreign policy, which I know nothing about. Well, after hearing him speak, I think it's plain that he "gets it".

The speech centered on both Israel and the war on terror. Giuliani noted that the war on terror can arguably be traced back the Munich Massacre. The weak response, he said, only served to encourage terrorists. More of the same was found in Italy's handling of the Achille Lauro hijacking that included the gruesome murder of American Leon Klinghoffer. The Italians only held the terrorists for a total of two hours, he said, with their releasing stemming from Italy's fear of getting on the terrorists' bad side.

In many ways his speech was a rehash of his remarks at last year's GOP convention.

Terrorism did not start on September 11, 2001. It had been festering for many years.

And the world had created a response to it that allowed it to succeed. The attack on the Israeli team at the Munich Olympics was in 1972. And the pattern had already begun.

The three surviving terrorists were arrested and within two months released by the German government.

Action like this became the rule, not the exception.

Terrorists came to learn they could attack and often not face consequences.

In 1985, terrorists attacked the Achille Lauro and murdered an American citizen who was in a wheelchair, Leon Klinghoffer.

They marked him for murder solely because he was Jewish.

Some of those terrorist were released and some of the remaining terrorists allowed to escape by the Italian government because of fear of reprisals.

So terrorists learned they could intimidate the world community and too often the response, particularly in Europe, was "accommodation, appeasement and compromise."

And worse the terrorists also learned that their cause would be taken more seriously, almost in direct proportion to the barbarity of the attack.

Terrorist acts became a ticket to the international bargaining table.

How else to explain Yasser Arafat winning the Nobel Peace Prize when he was supporting a terrorist plague in the Middle East that undermined any chance of peace?

After he was done we heard from Sen. Joe Lieberman, some guy from the White House, the Israeli ambassador and a rabbi blessed the food. Then we ate. After that came more speeches and I decided to beat a hasty retreat to the Old Ebbit Grill for a beer.