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WASHINGTON – In Israel last week, President Obama was quite the kibitzer.
He kibitzed – Yiddish for offering unsolicited chatter, jokes or advice – about the stripes on the tarmac at Ben Gurion Airport. He kibitzed about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s family and about being a lefty. He kibitzed about the weather and gardening. He kibitzed about Israeli President Shimon Peres’ health, a mechanical snake, a chandelier and the relative troubles presented by Congress and the Knesset.
He even kibitzed on a visit to Yitzhak Rabin’s grave Friday, as overheard by reporters in the White House press pool: “Bibi arranged for perfect weather … Shimon plied me with wine … talks – but for the moment, put aside the plans and the process. I ask you, instead, to think about what can be done to build trust between people. … That’s where peace begins – not just in the plans of leaders, but in the hearts of people.”
Even a heckler demanding the release of Jonathan Pollard, a spy for Israel, didn’t interfere with Obama’s friendly spirit. “I have to say we actually arranged for that because it made me feel at home,” he told the crowd.
Gone were Obama’s demands. Suppressed were his lofty ambitions. And absent were expectations, in his audience and among the American public, that he would achieve a peace breakthrough. It was a tacit admission of failure, yet everybody seemed happier with the scaled-back aspirations.
Obama expressed particular delight in the ceremonial parts of his visit, such as toasting Peres, the 89-year-old president. “Mmm, that’s good wine,” he said after requesting a fresh glass. “Actually, we should probably get this out of the photograph. All these people will say I’m having too much fun in Israel.”
Earlier, Obama planted a magnolia tree in the president’s garden. “I want everyone to know, this was on Air Force One,” he said. Shoveling earth, he added: “And we’re very good gardeners.”
After the ceremony, Israeli officials said the tree would be inspected for pests and that it may need to be dug up. But that didn’t matter: The point was the gesture – not whether or not it took root.
E-mail: danamilbank@washpost.com. Copyright, Washington Post Writers Group.
