“But let’s be clear about this as well. There should be no place on any campus, no place in America for antisemitism or threats of violence against Jewish students. There is no place for hate speech or violence of any kind, whether it’s antisemitism, Islamophobia, or discrimination against Arab Americans or Palestinian Americans. It’s simply wrong. There is no place for racism in America. It’s all wrong. It’s un-American.”

That’s President Biden in his long delayed statement regarding the pro-Hamas, anti-Israel, anti-Semitic demonstrations breaking out in college campuses and in cities across the country. As usual, he isn’t clear at all. There have been no demonstrations against Muslims or Arab Americans. What does Islamophobia have to do with the price of bacon, as my father used to say?

The problem at hand is mobs calling for the eradication of Israel, the sole bastion of democracy in the Middle East, and the death of Jews. Those involved are actively declaring their support for Hamas and Palestinian terrorism, meaning, again, advocating the eradication of Israel and the death of Jews.

Throwing this unique and particularly horrible outbreak of ethic and religious hate, discrimination and persecution under the huge progressive abused-minority tent with Arabs and Muslims deliberately dilutes accountability. Americans are justly wary of Islam, with its declared determination to wipe out infidels, and nobody ever set out to exterminate six million Arabs. Nobody murdered an Arab or Palestinian Olympic team, either. Anti-Semitism is different in kind, in great part because it is centuries old lingers in cultures and societies like the shingles virus, ready to break out without warning.

Weasel words like Biden’s, imitating the similar waffling by various college and university presidents, doesn’t hamper what is happening now, but enables it. Remember how hard officials, pubic figures and pundits were slapped down and forced to grovel apologies if they dared to dilute the cleverly manipulative slogan “Black lives matter” by saying, “Yes, all lives matter”? What Biden and the rest are doing by confounding anti-Semitism with other forms of discrimination and bigotry is worse, because it’s calculated.

In Biden’s case, it’s also cynical and cowardly, as he continues to try to pander to supporters of Hamas—aka. supporters of Palestinians, aka. supporters of a ceasefire, aka., supporters of the vilification of Israel for defending itself against a neighbor that has vowed to destroy it and will not concede its right to exist, aka. apologists for terrorism—while still claiming to be a solid ally of Israel even as he undermines its essential task of ending Hamas.

I must also say that I cannot take seriously boilerplate condemnations of hate from a President responsible for this…

Biden condemns hate against those he thinks might be persuaded to vote for him. That’s all.