Ambassador nominee "plunks his magic twanger"

Satire from Ted Block

AROUND THE BLOCK

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Nominee for U.S. ambassador to Israel apologizes for hurtful campaign rhetoric

Pleading the "Froggy the Gremlin," Friedman promises “I’ll be good, I’ll be good”

Invoking the “Froggy the Gremlin” defense, President Trump’s nominee to be ambassador to Israel, David M. Friedman, a bankruptcy lawyer with no diplomatic experience, apologized on Thursday for his language during the “highly charged presidential campaign,” an apparent reference to his comments comparing liberal American Jews to the Jews who aided the Nazis in the Holocaust.

Appearing before senators for his confirmation hearing, Mr. Friedman — a former campaign adviser who has aligned himself with the Israeli far right and questioned the need for a two-state solution — spoke broadly of regretting his language and promised to be “respectful and measured” if confirmed.

“The inflammatory rhetoric that accompanied the presidential campaign is entirely over,” he said, continuing, “I’ll be good, I’ll be good!”

Froggy the Gremlin was a green puppet character on the 1950’s era Saturday morning children’s TV show, Andy’s Gang. Froggy, would appear in a puff of smoke saying "Hiya, kids! Hiya, hiya, hiya!" when Andy Devine, the show’s host, yelled the catchphrase  "Plunk your magic twanger*, Froggy!"  Froggy would then interrupt and otherwise terrorize Andy’s guests and, when chastised by Andy, would plead forgiveness by saying “I’ll be good, I’ll be good.”

Mr. Friedman, who was accompanied at his hearing by former Connecticut senator Joseph Lieberman, wrote last year that supporters of the liberal Jewish lobbying organization J Street were “far worse than kapos,” the Jews who cooperated with the Nazis, accused President Barack Obama, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and others of anti-Semitism and said, referring to the Iran nuclear deal, that New York Senator Chuck Schumer was not doing enough to derail the deal, saying Mr. Schumer was “validating the worst appeasement of terrorism since Munich.”

As Senator Benjamin L. Cardin of Maryland, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s top Democrat, reminded Mr. Friedman of those statements, in a highly unusual act, former senator Lieberman said, “Plunk your magic twanger, David” after which Mr. Friedman said, “Hiya senators! Hiya, hiya, hiya! I’ll be good, I’ll be good.”

With virtually no Republican opposition, it is expected that Mr. Friedman will be easily confirmed when the vote is taken up in the entire Senate.

*Note: There has never been a definitive explanation of the origin of the term “Plunk your magic twanger, Froggy” or, in indeed, what Froggy’s “magic twanger” actually was or what “plunking” it referred to.