Charlie Rose

used to be a fan  06/24/2008 10:23 PM Report

disgraceful

PeaceThroughJustice  01/08/2008 02:55 PM Report

Like Rich commented below, I found Charlie's laughter at the "two senators" joke forced. Surely he's heard it many times before.

But perhaps his embarrassment is a good sign. As the elephant slowly comes into focus, all those people who for so long denied its existence are sensing that the game is up.

California  01/07/2008 08:53 PM Report

I have two points about this interview.

1. Mr. Eldar said that the peace process would be easy if there had been no Israeli settlements in the West Bank after the 1967 war. What hold backs peace is terrorism. We should all remember that Arafat formed the PLO in 1964, well before any "occupation". The terrorists of today are his heirs, also wanting to destroy Israel entirely, not just the settlements.

2. Mr. Rose raised the issue of Israeli corruption and Mr. Eldar implied that Israelis should not be chiding Palestinians about corruption when they have their own. I cannot remember any case of Israeli corruption involving more than a few hundred thousand dollars while Arafat had more than a billion in his private European accounts when he died. I have to conclude that both discussants are anti-Israel even though Mr. Eldar is an Israeli.

Abdel B.  01/07/2008 03:08 PM Report

THIS IS A PRICELESS INTERVIEW to regular Americans living in america outlining the plight the Palestinians to their land.

I second the comment made above inquiring if it is a coincidence that this episode was " aired on New Year's Eve--certainly one of the least watched broadcasts of the year?" .....

I have always been blind to http://www.charlierose.com/images_toplevel/submit_comment.gif

Submit Commentany of Charlie's agendas throughout the years. This show totally lifted that curtain. Clearly, he should have pursued the point about the Israeli Lobby. Not so "informed, spirited, and soulful" tonight.

Ormond Otvos  01/06/2008 03:17 PM Report

It is apparent from Charlie's rise in tone, diversions, and talking over the guest whenever Israel comes up that he's got a dog in the fight.

What's annoying is how often it happens, and how the pretense is that he's neutral. Not on this. I find myself talking to the TV "Charlie, shut up! Let him speak his piece!"

Charlie has to mind his masters. I wish he didn't, though.

Shalom Freedman  01/06/2008 06:49 AM Report

I strongly agree with the comment of Aaron Benezra. Eldar and Chazan sing the cliched falsehoods of Extreme Left anti- Israel propagandists.

How pathetic to see Eldar's eagerness to defame his own country and people be somewhat moderated by Charlie Rose's natural and mistaken assumption that this Israeli might after all truly care for the wellbeing of Israel.

Rich  01/02/2008 08:11 AM Report

The Two Senators joke is not funny. It's sick and America (my country) is sick because of it.

AARON BENEZRA  01/02/2008 03:38 AM Report

Dear Mr. Rose,

It was my privilege to listen to your program last night in which you interviewed Akiva Eldar, Maha Abu-Dayyeh Shamas, and Naomi Chazan. Frankly, the later conversation with Ramachandra Guha about India, Indian Culture, and India's place in the world was far more full of light and inspiration than the earlier conversations with the already named Israeli Leftists, whose views are marketed as being decades ahead of their time, but, whose views in fact represent the same complacencies and wishful thinking and denials that lead to Hitler's successes and to Nazism only seventy years ago.

Ramachandra Guha pointed out that there is much more to the identity and value of any nation than it's political, military, and economic pragmatisms. In a world in which language has largely lost it's meaning and value, is it any wonder that world conversation is largely based on Big Lies and False Ideas, repeated ad nauseum, till they become ill-fated policy? Is it any wonder that there is a parallel in the devaluations of currency and in the devaluations of human life?

There are vociferous, spoiled purveyor's of negativity, who perform mind-trips on public consciousness, who undermine America [and Israel\ from within, convinced of comic-book dogmas, who would convince America to isolate itself into spheres of influence characterized by bankrupt dialogue and Chamberlain-style policies based upon denials of reality and concessions to totalitarianism.

And so, in the realm of public opinion, Jews, who desire to live in historical Israel beyond the 1967 borders, are portrayed to be interlopers. Euphemistically labelled "settlers", it should be obvious that this euphemism is a propaganda ploy designed specifically to tug at America's guilty conscience for it's exterminations of the American Native. The "settler" euphemism insinuates a false analogy to Israel's treatment of "Palestinians". The propagandistic success of this fraudulent analogy requires that Muslims exclude Jews from their shared geographical "Palestinian" heritage, that Jews be demonized, and that the appearance of the Arab-Israeli War be scaled down into a perversion of the David and Goliath tale in which the "Palestinian People" (a fictional Arab national identity created by Yassir Arafat) are seen to be "David" and the Jews are seen to be "Goliath"!

This is the "Big Lie" of our time, and unless we resolve ourselves in this New Year to get our minds right and focus on winning the War on Terror, the consequence will be the losses of both Israel and the USA as significant nations in our world in our time. India will then necessarily ally itself again with Russia and will lose ground as well to Muslim and to Chinese influence. Forget about ever freeing Tibet. Withdrawn from the Middle East, withdrawn from Central Asia, and fallen down in the image of the world, the USA will struggle to influence Europe and Africa, only to fall into hemispheric wars with Mexico and South America.

I offer the following predictions in 2008: If the USA relents from pressing Israel to surrender East Jerusalem, the Golan, and Judea-Samaria* (*mis-named the "West Bank" by repetitive propaganda) to it's terrorist enemies; if the US relents from assisting in the conjuring of yet another Islamo-fascist state (misnomered "Palestine", also by repetitive propaganda); if the USA strengthens Japan; if the USA focuses on winning the War on Terror by perservering in the stabilization of Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Korea, Nepal, Tibet, Indonesia, and Africa; then the American Image and Reality in the world will remain one, strong, positive, democratic and real.

AARON BENEZRA  01/02/2008 03:38 AM Report

Dear Mr. Rose,

It was my privilege to listen to your program last night in which you interviewed Akiva Eldar, Maha Abu-Dayyeh Shamas, and Naomi Chazan. Frankly, the later conversation with Ramachandra Guha about India, Indian Culture, and India's place in the world was far more full of light and inspiration than the earlier conversations with the already named Israeli Leftists, whose views are marketed as being decades ahead of their time, but, whose views in fact represent the same complacencies and wishful thinking and denials that lead to Hitler's successes and to Nazism only seventy years ago.

Ramachandra Guha pointed out that there is much more to the identity and value of any nation than it's political, military, and economic pragmatisms. In a world in which language has largely lost it's meaning and value, is it any wonder that world conversation is largely based on Big Lies and False Ideas, repeated ad nauseum, till they become ill-fated policy? Is it any wonder that there is a parallel in the devaluations of currency and in the devaluations of human life?

There are vociferous, spoiled purveyor's of negativity, who perform mind-trips on public consciousness, who undermine America [and Israel\ from within, convinced of comic-book dogmas, who would convince America to isolate itself into spheres of influence characterized by bankrupt dialogue and Chamberlain-style policies based upon denials of reality and concessions to totalitarianism.

And so, in the realm of public opinion, Jews, who desire to live in historical Israel beyond the 1967 borders, are portrayed to be interlopers. Euphemistically labelled "settlers", it should be obvious that this euphemism is a propaganda ploy designed specifically to tug at America's guilty conscience for it's exterminations of the American Native. The "settler" euphemism insinuates a false analogy to Israel's treatment of "Palestinians". The propagandistic success of this fraudulent analogy requires that Muslims exclude Jews from their shared geographical "Palestinian" heritage, that Jews be demonized, and that the appearance of the Arab-Israeli War be scaled down into a perversion of the David and Goliath tale in which the "Palestinian People" (a fictional Arab national identity created by Yassir Arafat) are seen to be "David" and the Jews are seen to be "Goliath"!

This is the "Big Lie" of our time, and unless we resolve ourselves in this New Year to get our minds right and focus on winning the War on Terror, the consequence will be the losses of both Israel and the USA as significant nations in our world in our time. India will then necessarily ally itself again with Russia and will lose ground as well to Muslim and to Chinese influence. Forget about ever freeing Tibet. Withdrawn from the Middle East, withdrawn from Central Asia, and fallen down in the image of the world, the USA will struggle to influence Europe and Africa, only to fall into hemispheric wars with Mexico and South America.

I offer the following predictions in 2008: If the USA relents from pressing Israel to surrender East Jerusalem, the Golan, and Judea-Samaria* (*mis-named the "West Bank" by repetitive propaganda) to it's terrorist enemies; if the US relents from assisting in the conjuring of yet another Islamo-fascist state (misnomered "Palestine", also by repetitive propaganda); if the USA strengthens Japan; if the USA focuses on winning the War on Terror by perservering in the stabilization of Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Korea, Nepal, Tibet, Indonesia, and Africa; then the American Image and Reality in the world will remain one, strong, positive, democratic and real.

jared  01/01/2008 08:54 PM Report

for starters, of the britiish mandate palestine, judea and samaria (west bank), was originally designated to be part of the jewish state in 1948, and what is now jordon was designated to be the arab state. the arabs got almost 80% of the mandate and the jews 20%. the arabs have always denied the right of jews to have self-determination and immediately attacked in 48, took control of judea and samaria until they attacked again in 67. this time the arabs lost the land that was NEVER theirs in the first place. so to call this land occupied is false. it was jewish land and the palestenian arabs to go back to their own state JORDON! (which is currently 90+% palestenian arab!) he world DOES NOT need another arab terrorist state! and now in 2008 nothing has changed from 1948, the arabs fully reject any right of the jews to self determination, they want ALL of the land from the jordon river to the sea. when will the world wake up and realize that there is no satisfying arab thirst for jewish blood.

Steve Low  01/01/2008 12:20 PM Report

The candor of this remarkable man was something the entire nation should have heard. As a Jew and as an Israeli, he spoke eloquently for many so many American Jews who lack the voice and the guts to demand that our brethren stop the "talk the talk" hypocrisy and, finally, "walk the walk" of social justice for the voiceless, disenfranchised people of Palestine.

Bring him back, again and again. He should be your "John Burns" for discussions on Israel.

And, by the way, was it just a coincidence that these two important interviews, offering alternative points of view on the Israeli situation, were aired on New Year's Eve--certainly one of the least watched broadcasts of the year?

charles merrill  01/01/2008 11:22 AM Report

Please invite Mr. Eldar to return to follow-up on the topic of Israel and Palestine. I agee that you have a tendency to change the line of questioning when a follow-up would be more in depth. I do appreciate your sensitivity to differences both political and cultural.

wendell  01/01/2008 10:05 AM Report

As usual, Charlie, you has no cohones on the subject of the power of the Israeli lobby . Mr. Eldar handed this subject to you on a golden platter (by bringing it up himself!) and you immediately changed your line of questioning. This is no accident, of course. You consistantly avoid any questions which will offend the Israeli Lobby, some of your bosses, or a fraction of your audience. The power of this lobby is itself spotlighted by your lack of courage in your interviewing.

Dwight  12/31/2007 09:38 PM Report

Charlie,

Please get some sleep. You are tired. I so admire you for listening to Akiva, when you should be taking care of yourself and your own heart.

JD  12/31/2007 09:38 PM Report

The interview was too short. Mr. Rose, please ask Mr. Eldar to come back very soon and finish this discussion. He was talking about Shimon Peres and had much more to say. Please let us hear what he has to say.