Dana Milbank loses it

This claim is demonstrably false. It is a matter of black-letter theology among today’s Christian Zionists (who are predominantly premillennial dispensationalists) that man cannot speed the Second Coming by so much as one second. So why do good Christian people get out of bed and go to pro-Israel rallies? Why do they fly to Washington, or Israel, to stand with the Jewish people? It can’t be to speed the End Times, because they believe they are utterly powerless to do so. Thus their motivation must come from another place. And indeed it does. Christians typically support Israel because of the promises in the book of Genesis combined with a powerful sense of guilt for the way that Christians have often treated Jews throughout the centuries.

Doesn’t The Washington Post have any guidelines regarding religious slurs?

It is a strange anti-Semitism indeed that hides behind consistent and forceful advocacy for Israel and the Jewish people. Especially since standing with Israel these days is far from popular. The day Glenn Beck first spoke out for Israel on the radio was the day he received his first death threat from a Muslim extremist. Many more such threats have followed. We don’t have to agree with Glenn Beck on everything — or even anything else — to recognize that on the issue of Israel he’s recognized a real threat and is demonstrating the courage of his convictions in confronting it. For this he deserves our respect and our support.

As children like Milbank hurl their mud and hate, Senator Joseph Lieberman remains one of the few adults in our public square. While others look at labels, Lieberman looks at the facts. While others construct silos, Lieberman builds bridges. As much as Dana Milbank demonstrates what is wrong with our current discourse, Senator Lieberman demonstrates the way out. By having the guts to cross ideological lines and embrace Glenn Beck’s plan to hold a non-political and non-partisan rally in support of Israel, Senator Joseph Lieberman demonstrates once again why he’s become a hero to so many of us.

David Brog is the executive director of Christians United for Israel and the author of “In Defense of Faith: The Judeo-Christian Idea and the Struggle for Humanity” (Encounter 2010).