You gots your O’Donnell, we gots our Gafni

Ami Kaufman By Ami Kaufman November 8, 2010 | Edit

When one American politician reminds me of a local one

You gots your O'Donnell, we gots our Gafni
Moshe Gafni (Photo: Knesset website)

Moshe Gafni, the chairman of the oh-so-powerful finance committee reminded me today of Christine O’Donnell. Remember how Bill Maher showed that clip where she said evolution was a myth? Oh, c’mon – you gotta see it:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB0TLgcNesU&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Well, here in Israel we have our own politicians who every so once in a while let their belief systems take over what most of us would call, umm… logic. See, today Gafni stated [Heb] he knows exactly why Israel is such a financial success. Here’s what he had to say in the session today as Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz gloated about his budget

The financial forecasts during the crisis were grim. They said the quality of life would suffer and that unemployment would go up to 10%. But look, what a wonder, we were the last to enter the crisis, and we were the first to leave it. Furthermore, the crisis didn’t hurt the civilians or the quality of life.

I believe this is because the state is helping the Torah, and because the Finance Minister is helping the yeshivas. I mean, we were supposed to be hit very hard.

There it is, folks.

Divine intervention.

Ami Kaufman

Ami Kaufman was chief night editor for Haaretz, for the prominent Israeli financial daily Calcalist, and correspondent on Israeli affairs for 93.6 RAM FM, a joint Palestinian-Israel radio station. His interest in food and cooking led to culinary studies at the "Israeli CIA" (Tadmor, Herzliya) and a brief stint in the restaurant business. Born in Tel Aviv, Ami lives in Bat Yam with his wife and two daughters. In his spare time he blogs at Half & Half.

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