Willie Geist is normally content in his role of amiable Morning Joe sidekick.
But on Wednesday, Geist took the lead in strongly criticizing the weak and belated reaction of Harvard President Claudine Gay to the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, and in particular, to the joint statement of 33 Harvard groups supporting Hamas and blaming Israel for Hamas' terror. The group's statement began: "We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence."
Excerpts from Geist's comments:
- "Yesterday, Harvard's president Claudine Gay finally broke her silence on the controversy . . . A statement from the president, finally, a couple of days later, but not really a condemnation of the statement put out by those student groups."
- "You know, for universities that put out statements about every little wrong they believe that they see in the world, to not come out strongly against this stuff, I guess we shouldn't be surprised, but it's pretty shocking."
- "It's hard to see how it wouldn't be easy and quick for a university president to come out and condemn that immediately. What's -- what are you equivocating on? What's the question in your heart? You're worried about offending somebody? We're talking about the slaughter of civilians. This one should be easy. Some things are hard! This one should be easy to condemn."
We've been monitoring Mika Brzezinski's comments on the situation, on the lookout for any straying from the steadfast support of Israel and condemnation of Hamas that her husband and co-host Joe Scarborough has been consistently expressing. Mika is, after all, the daughter of the late Zbigniew Brzezinski, Jimmy Carter's former national security adviser. In 2009, Brzezinski suggested that the United States shoot down Israeli jets overflying Iraq on their way to targeting Iranian nuclear facilities.
But to her credit, Mika has been as unequivocal as Joe. Responding to Geist's remarks, Mika said:
"I completely agree. This is the reality of the moment. This is not to be put in a larger context, this is not to be explained in any way. There is no explanation for the evil."
Mike Barnicle's main contribution to the discussion was to forcefully insist that there is a "huge difference" between militants and terrorists. Whatever.
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
10/11/23
6:49 am EDTWILLIE GEIST: The president of Harvard, meanwhile, is speaking out days after a statement released by Harvard student groups on the Israel/Hamas war was widely condemned.
The Ivy League university faced national backlash after the Harvard undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee issued a statement on Saturday blaming Israel for the deadly Hamas attack that targeted civilians. The letter was co-signed by 33 other student organizations.
The statement was criticized by school alumni, including lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. Lawrence Summers, a Democrat and former Harvard president, said he was sickened by the statement. Republican Senator Ted Cruz, a Harvard law school alumnus, called the school's silence, quote, utterly indefensible.
Yesterday, Harvard's president Claudine Gay finally broke her silence on the controversy, writing in part, quote, I condemn the terrorist atrocities perpetrated by Hamas. Such inhumanity is abhorrent, whatever one's individual views of the origins of long-standing conflicts in the region, adding, while our students have the right to speak for themselves, no student group, not even 30 student groups, speaks for Harvard University, or itsleadership.
Mike Barnicle joins us at the table. Mike, a statement from the president, finally, a couple of days later, but not really a condemnation of the statement put out by those student groups.
A Jewish student, a doctoral student of Jewish history at Harvard, has an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. Just one excerpt, quote, how can we share dormitories, classrooms, and ideas with students who would make excuses or even celebrate if we and our families were hacked to death by a Hamas terrorist tomorrow?
So that gives you an idea of the climate on campus, if you're a Jewish student, how you must be feeling right now, Jew students at several universities where wehave seen some of this stuff.
You know, for universities, Mike, that put out statements about every little wrong they believe that they see in the world, to not come out strongly against this stuff, I guess we shouldn't be surprised, but it's pretty shocking.
MIKE BARNICLE: These are troubling times that we're all living through, Willie. And it's not just university campuses, it's not just Harvard University. It's in the halls of Congress, it's various statehouses throughout the country. And it's on street corners where people are talking about what happened this past weekend.
There is a huge difference between the definition of militant and terrorist. A huge difference. And the idea that we live in a culture where there seems to be some confusion between militancy and terrorism. This was pure terrorism. Yesterday, we saw the President of the United States give perhaps the strongest, firmest outline of who he is, who we are as a nation in thistroubled world that you're ever going to hear from a president. And good for Joe Biden. And good for Larry Summers, incidentally, who immediately upon this weekend's rallies on the Harvard campus, came out strongly in support of commonsense.
This was an act of terrorism, an act of barbarism, that we saw over the weekend. And if, you know, God help thepoor Palestinian people. But guess what? Their biggest ally is not Hamas. Hamas has been taking care --Hamas has controlled Gaza since 2007. They have done very little for the Palestinian people, other than put them in constant peril because of one thing, Hamas is a terrorist organization.
GEIST: Yeah, and Mika, if you look at some of the other statements, the rallies we've seen even here in New York City in support of what's happening right now, or what just happened in Israel, the massacre of civilians, it's -- it's hard to see how it wouldn't be easy and quick for a university president to come out and condemn that immediately. What's -- what are you equivocating on? What's the question in your heart? You're worried about offending somebody? We're talking about the slaughter of civilians. This one should be easy. Some things are hard! This one should be easy to condemn.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: I completely agree. This is the reality of the moment. This is not to be put in a larger context, this is not to be explained in any way. There is no explanation for the evil.
