Not since Joseph Stalin have American politicians and opinion leaders fawned so revoltingly over a foreign ruler. President George W. Bush calls Sharon “a man of courage and peace.” Neoconservatives regard him as a hero, almost beyond criticism — except when he makes concessions to Palestinians. The New York Daily News hails him as “the world’s best hope for peace in the Middle East,” “a leader of unparalleled vision and courage,” and “the personification of the nation’s centrist aspirations.” Like Stalin, who had his own Amen Corner, Sharon has many well-placed apologists in this country, ready to justify him at every turn. Rush Limbaugh has likened him to George Washington.

Sharon achieved his greatest worldwide fame in 1982 when he led the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and arranged the grisly slaughter of about 2,000 refugees, including women and children of all ages, in the Sabra and Shatila camps near Beirut. Hundreds of thousands of shocked Israelis protested in the streets, but after an official inquiry he got off with a reprimand. ~Joseph Sobran

Incidentally, it is great to see Mr. Sobran in the pages of Chronicles starting in the February 2006 issue. I have read Mr. Sobran’s columns for many years, and occasionally corresponded with him in the past, so it is very gratifying finally to see his work in a magazine that is worthy of him.