Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been a disappointment more times than not lately, so it came as something of a relief when he announced late last month that he’d be stepping down from his party leadership position in January.
Despite perceived failures, there have been instances where the Kentucky Republican has demonstrated what it means to be a party leader. Yesterday was one of those occasions.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “lost his way” in the Israeli-Hamas War, and is an “obstacle to peace.” The New York Democrat called on Israel to hold new elections to replace Netanyahu.
McConnell wasn’t having any of it and addressed the Senate shortly after Schumer to tell him that he’s rooting for the wrong team.
“The Jewish state of Israel deserves an ally that acts like one,” he said. “People of Israel, at home and in captivity deserve America’s support, and Israel’s unity government and security cabinet deserve the deference befitting a sovereign, democratic country.”
McConnell noted that Netanyahu wasn’t the problem.
“The primary obstacles to peace in Israel’s region are genocidal terrorists like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad who slaughter innocent people, and corrupt leaders of the Palestinian Authority who have repeatedly, repeatedly rejected peace deals from multiple Israeli governments.”
This would be the same Hamas that raped, tortured, mutilated, and murdered thousands of Israelis on October 7, including infants and the elderly. If Schumer wants new elections, he should call on Gaza to replace its present Hamas leadership.
McConnell also found it insincere that the very people who claim that “Russian collusion” influenced American elections are now calling on the United States to interfere with Israel’s.
"It is grotesque and hypocritical for Americans who hyperventilate about foreign interference in our own democracy to call for the removal of the democratically elected leader of Israel,” he added. “This is unprecedented. We should not treat fellow democracies this way at all.”
McConnell closed his remarks with a hard truth.
“Israel is not a colony of America whose leaders serve at the pleasure of the party in power in Washington. Only Israel’s citizens should have a say in who runs their government. This is the very definition of democracy and sovereignty. Either we respect their decisions or we disrespect their democracy.”
Historically, McConnell especially supported conservatives and his party on two occasions while he served as Senate majority leader — once during President Obama’s final full year in office, and once during President Trump’s final full year.
In the first instance McConnell refused to consider Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland to replace deceased Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. In the second instance McConnell confirmed Trump’s nominee of Amy Coney Barrett to replace deceased Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
By those two acts, Trump was able to appoint three justices to the high court and give it at least a nominal conservative majority. As a result Roe v. Wade was struck down, affirmative action was ruled illegal, and the right to keep and bear arms was restored.
It also resulted in Democrats and liberals denouncing McConnell to this day. They found it dishonest of him to have confirmed a Trump appointee during Trump’s final year of his term, while refusing Obama’s during the final full year of his term.
The far-left publication Slate ran a story earlier this month claiming his actions “Destroyed the Independent Federal Judiciary.”
McConnell claimed he was applying the same Senate traditions in each instance of a presidential election year Supreme Court appointment: If the Senate majority and the White House are of the same party, the appointment will be considered. If not, it won’t.
McConnell announced that although he’ll step down from his leadership role, he’ll still retain his seat in the Senate.
"I turned 82 last week. The end of my contributions are closer than I prefer," McConnell observed. "Father Time remains undefeated. I'm no longer the young man sitting in the back hoping colleagues remember my name. It's time for the next generation of leadership.”
Some conservatives criticized him for retaining his seat until his term ends — in January 2027.
But he’s been a Senate leader for nearly 17 years — longer than any other in history. Along the way he’s picked up a lot of tricks — like that unwritten presidential-year Supreme Court appointment rule.
It’d be good to keep him around for a few more years to pass that knowledge on to his successor. You never know. We might even pick up another seat on the high court.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.