"France is aflutter with rumors that its beautiful first lady, Carla Bruni, will star in Woody Allen’s next movie. . . . I’d love to see her in an Allen film. All that European refinement is a Brooklyn Jewish kid’s fantasy."
Although born in Brooklyn, I despise Allen's depictions of Jews as self-effacing bunglers, and I don't fantasize over "European refinement", whatever that might be. My face is wrinkled by the desert sun, my knees hurt from standing watch countless hours, and I wouldn't have it otherwise.
Cohen proceeds to inform us of the debate raging in France over the possible appointment of Farouk Hosny, Egyptian minister of culture, as director general of Unesco. Questioned about Israeli books in the Alexandria Library, Hosny recently replied:
"Let’s burn these books. If there are any, I will burn them myself before you.”
Cohen does not oppose Hosny's appointment to the top spot at Unesco. My response to Cohen's op-ed:
Ever myopic, Roger Cohen has a propensity for distortion, but to his credit appears to communicate, as does Hosny, "without intention or premeditation".
Over the better part of a year, Cohen sought to indoctrinate us with the belief that Iran is "not totalitarian" and regaled us with tales of Persian "civility", all of which went up in the cigarette smoke that he blew into the eyes of a tear-gassed demonstrator on the blood soaked streets of Tehran. Now, Cohen would have us believe that given a second chance, Hosny could change: "He brooks debate, at least."
Cohen argues that "with the big U.S. contribution to the Unesco budget as leverage, let’s press [Hosny] relentlessly to fight the anti-Semitic bigotry poisoning young Arab psyches". Cohen cheerleading the fight against anti-Semitism? This is the same Roger Cohen, who, in his op-ed "Baker's Ghost in Cairo", commended the former secretary of state's denunciation of "Greater Israel" (Israel is only 9 miles wide at its waist), but forgot to mention Baker's other infamous remark, "F#%@ the Jews". Perhaps we need to pardon Baker, Hosny and Cohen.
But imagine if a candidate for U.S. secretary of education had one year ago recommended burning books written by homosexuals. Would his/her candidacy be considered for even a nanosecond? Or would Cohen have us forgive and forget in the hope that this newly repentant official could bridge differences between the straight and gay communities? He/she "brooks debate, at least."
Humor Mubarak? By all means. Let him propose another candidate.
The leopard cannot change his spots. Neither can Hosny or Cohen.
