Apparently, Alan Dershowitz didn’t get the memo.
At a time when Democratic politicians and the leftist media
have begun their campaign to demonize Texas senator Ted Cruz, Dershowitz has
stepped forth to give a fair and balanced assessment of the abilities of a man who was his student.
Inevitably, the media will eventually glom on to the idea
that Cruz, being a Tea Party Patriot and a Republican, must be a moron.
To which Dershowitz, speaking to The Daily Caller, said:
[Cruz] was
an outstanding student in my class… Without a doubt he is among the smartest
students I’ve ever had… I’ve had great students but he has to be at the
top of anyone’s short list, in terms of raw brain power.
Dershowitz added:
He was
always very active in class, presenting a libertarian point of view. He didn’t
strike me as a social conservative, more of a libertarian….
He had
brilliant insights and he was clearly among the top students, as revealed by
his class responses.
In criminal law class Dershowitz and Cruz often
had lively discussions of the issues.
Dershowitz described them:
Cruz’s
views were always thoughtful and his responses were interesting…. I obviously
disagreed with them and we had good arguments in class. I would challenge him
and he would come up with very good responses.
Something to keep in mind while weathering the media assault
on Ted Cruz.
This might explain why the Progressives are so afraid of him. It is interesting how all the "young guns" of the Republican party are in the fore front of challenging the Left and it's regressive policies. To actually see people who can speak extemporaneously and not resort to a teleprompter is gratifying.
ReplyDeleteAs an Independent, I cannot think of anyone in the Democrat party that has the mental acuity to match people like Cruz. It hurts my soul to call most of these people Democrats, and Liberal, because I used to be one. It is bad enough that the Republican party has been corrupted to the degree is has been, but both the Democrat party and Liberalism has been co-opted and corrupted beyond recognition by the Left and Progressives.
It is why Liberals like Kirsten Power, et al seem to be in such disagreement with what they see as their side of the political spectrum. I admit to having liked Dershowitz for his honest defense of his ideas. The fact that he can give kudos to someone he disagrees with shows the character of the man. At the very least he is unrepresentative of Alan Bloom's "Closing of the American Mind."
Absolutely... the unfortunate part is that when a liberal today shows some true character, it feels exceptional. As you know, I also have the greatest admiration for Kirsten Powers... intellectual integrity is in short supply these days.
ReplyDeleteThe same can be said of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan who represented New York. Very gratifying when he beat Bella Abzug. This is when the Democrat party had a real thinker.
ReplyDeleteIts always interesting to watch one's liberal beliefs redefined by academe to the point of being a neoconservative. I guess when one is so far left of center the best one can do is move everything to the right until one is now in the center. Instead of a liberal education one gets an illiberal one. "Illiberal Education, The Politics of Race and Sex on Campus" as defined by Dinesh D'Souza.
So Cruz got a good education and learned a lot from Dershowitz. Excellent! Makes him highly dangerous to the left.
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather barely escaped execution in Mex Rev of 1910. Family came to Laredo. 5 uncles & Pa in WW2. Fervent American patriots.
ReplyDeleteI was Soldier/Civ.Servant for 40 years. Wrote military speeches used by Pentagon for 20 years - my name deleted, and appropriated by others.
Nearly Fired twice by bigoted Admirals. Retired as GS-9 (my speeches plagiarized by GS-12s & 13s). I Refuse to allow that to diminish my Patriotism one tittle. -- Rich Lara
Rich,
ReplyDeleteSadly the discrimination against people with military service was just as bad outside the federal government. It is why Congress passed the VRA to address the discrimination in both areas. I cannot count the number of times I was told off the record that I was qualified for the job, but that my disability status, illegal even then, was a problem.
That is of course why I went into federal service on a ladder program. My whole class was made up of former military people. I had one of the highest grades ever attained in the long history of that career field. I was slated to go back to the school and teach the quality evaluation course which involved statistics and probability theory.
That did not protect me from the inherent discrimination that existed in federal service at the time. The stories I could tell would, maybe not because of your experiences, make the average citizen wonder is this how we repaid people's service to their country.
Fast forward and the military leadership is NOT what it used to be. It has become so PC and driven by political expediency that one wonders about whether the mission still takes priority over the politics.
Patriotism used to be very high in the military, but is now not just limited to it. Though given the current administration one is given pause to wonder.
Control the situation. Do not let the situation control you. Take care brother.
Thanks, Dennis. There's an old saying, "Shut the door to the Devil, he'll come in thru the window".
ReplyDeleteOur predicament was similar. My surname evokes Dr. Zhivago's Larissa, I looked Levantine, & I'm Male. Thus: we floundered on the new discrimination that Dare Not Speak Its Name.
Since enlisted Army in '66, I've always been proud to serve America. Now that I'm retired, I sometimes brood about injustices. But they're bagatelles.
I got out just in time. Two reasons of many: 1. Flag officers' offices didn't have military books. They had books by, and about, Tycoons.
2. They complained my Memorial Day speeches were "too depressing".
Petraeus had his choice of our finest historians & military journalists to do his bio. He chose a jargon-addicted airhead w/crazy eyes. And She got a Wash Post military journalist to write the book. -- Rich Lara
Rich,
ReplyDeleteI suspect the problem had its start when the officer corps change from an emphasis on the "Profession of Arms" to the "Entrepreneurial Officer." So I am not surprised that an O6 or above would not have books reflecting a military bent.
There has always been the need to deal with the politics inherent in a Constitutional government. It comes with being a leader. The problem comes when the professional is trumped by the political. I think that is why one sees in the problems of Benghazi and the leaving of 4 people to die which would be counter to the code of leave no person behind.
One questions where they got the idea of how long the ensuing battle would be engaged? Anyone who knows the military knows that there were available units to aid these people within a short distance. Was there no officer willing to put their careers on the line to save those people? Why is it that it was the enlisted people who lived up to the code? Sadly there was a senior officer who aided in the cover up. One wonders what is happening in the Pentagon?
Along with that I am somewhat worried by some of the courses that are being taught in the military service academies. Has the military forgot that part of their oath is to support and defend the Constitution and part of that is Freedom of Religion, not freedom from religion?