The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for April, 2024

How time flies! We're already into the second half of April, and it's time once again to dip our net into the swirling cesspool of buffoonery and dredge up a dishonoree worthy of being named

The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for April, 2024

In spite of the intense competition on all fronts - social, political, and religious, national and international, I think I've found a suitable winner, and he is

Israeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu*

Israel lives in a tough neighborhood, surrounded by neighbors who, at best, don't wish it well and, at worst, wish to see it wiped from the face of the earth. One could argue that such a position requires tough leadership and a willingness to do what it takes to protect the citizens. But the scorched-earth policies of Mr. Netanyahu reflect less tough leadership than a single-minded policy based not on long-term strategic calculations, but on the immediate survival of his political career.

The world was horrified by the brutal attack on Israeli border settlements by Hamas terrorists last October, and support for defensive action by Israeli government and armed forces to recover its kidnapped citizens and avenge the dead was generally supported by most governments. But the savage Israeli response to the October attack long ago passed all limits of proportionality and rationality, laying waste to vast stretches of Gaza and killing more than 30,000 Palestinian residents of the tiny enclave. Mr. Netanyahu has declared that the Israeli operations will continue until Hamas has been "eliminated" as a threat and all Israeli hostages have been recovered ... a worthy, but likely unattainable goal.

Mr. Netanyahu's intransigence and willingness to thumb his nose even at his most reliable international supporters is amazingly self-defeating, and reflects a complete lack of strategic understanding. He has relentlessly alienated necessary sources of political, military, and economic support and divided Israeli society in the face of mounting international threats. Only Der Furor can compare to Mr. Netanyahu in the scope of his strategic ineptitude. The damage he has done, and continues to do, to Israel, the larger Middle East, and the world, is beyond calculation.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is awarded the battered tinfoil and toilet paper crown to acknowledge his selection as the Left-Cheek Ass Clown for April, 2024. 

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow, when Cartoon Saturday looks askance at the 1%. See you then.

Bilbo

* This is Mr. Netanyahu's second award; his first, the Right-Cheek Award for December of 2023, was shared with his national security advisor and with the leaders of Hamas.