By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO — On the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 1, Americans watched on television as 180 ballistic missiles fired by Iran at Israel were knocked down by defense systems of Israel, the United States, and unnamed coalition members. Early assessments said the barrage caused some injuries, a Palestinian’s death in neighboring Jericho, and property damage. It seemed like a repeat of Iran’s attack in April on Israel, which was similarly repelled.
Both the United States and Israel had earlier promised if such an attack came, Iran would face severe, albeit unspecified consequences. That caused commentators to speculate that Israel would somehow retaliate.
On the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 1, coincidentally, the two major party candidates for the vice presidency of the United States — Democrat Tim Walz and Republican J.D. Vance — met each other on a CBS stage for their first and thus far only scheduled debate. The first question from reporters Margaret Brennan and Norah O’Donnell demanded to know if they would support Israel launching a preemptive strike on Iran.
Neither man gave a definitive answer. Vance, a U.S. Senator from Ohio, came closest to doing so when he responded, “Look, it is up to Israel what they think they need to do to keep their country safe and we should support our allies wherever they are when they are fighting the bad guys. I think that is the right approach to take with the Israel question.”
Walz, a governor of Minnesota, who had responded to the question first, began by saying that it is “an absolute fundamental necessity for the United States to have steady leadership there. We saw it experienced today where along with our Israeli partners and our coalition we were able to stop the incoming attack.”
Walz then veered from the subject and launched a preemptive attack of his own on Republican presidential candidate, the former U.S. President Donald Trump. He said people who worked in Trump’s administration, including defense secretaries, national security advisers, and his former chief of staff John Kelly now oppose a second term for Trump, quoting Kelly as saying Trump was “the most flawed human being he had ever met.” Walz resurrected a quote from J.D. Vance from years before Trump selected him as his vice-presidential running mate saying that Trump “was unfit for office.”
Vance responded that “Donald Trump actually delivered stability in the world and he did it by establishing effective deterrence. People were afraid of stepping out of line. Iran which launched this attack received over $100 billion in unfrozen assets thanks to the Kamala Harris administration. What did they use that money for? They used it to buy weapons that they are now launching against our allies and, God forbid, eventually launching against the United States as well. Donald Trump recognized that for people to fear the United States, you needed peace through strength.”
“The Kamala Harris administration” was a refrain heard throughout the 90-minute debate from Vance, as if Harris is the current President of the United States, and Joe Biden a minor actor. At one point, Vance referred to the Harris-Biden Administration.
Walz said that Trump pulled out of the international deal “which had boxed Iran’s nuclear program in — the inability to advance it. Donald Trump pulled that program and put nothing else in its place so Iran is closer to a nuclear weapon than they were before because of Donald Trump’s fickle leadership.”
“When Iran shot down an American aircraft in international airspace, Donald Trump tweeted because that is the standard diplomacy of Donald Trump,” Walz continued. “When Iranian missiles did fall near U.S. troops and they received traumatic brain injuries, Donald Trump wrote it off as headaches. Look our allies understand that Donald Trump is fickle. He will go to whoever has the most flattery or where it makes sense to him. Steady leadership like you witnessed today and in April–both Iranian attacks were repelled. Our coalition is strong and we need the steady leadership that Kamala Harris is providing.”
Vance responded, “I think something Governor Walz said is quite extraordinary. You yourself said Iran is as close to a nuclear weapon today as they have ever been, and Governor Walz, you blame Donald Trump. Who has been the vice president for the last 3 1/2 years? … When did Iran, Hamas and their proxies attack Israel? It was during the administration of Kamala Harris. So, Gov. Walz can criticize Donald Trump’s tweets, but effective, smart diplomacy of peace through strength is how you bring stability back to a very broken world.”
O’Donnell and Brennan concentrated their questioning during the rest of the debate on such domestic issues as dealing with the after-effects of Hurricane Helene, the abortion controversy, protecting democracy, gun violence, and the economy.
The two vice-presidential contenders throughout the debate were courteous to each other, occasionally saying they agreed with a point their opponent had made, and generally refrained from attacking each other, saving their fire for their respective opponents’ presidential candidates.
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Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World.