How do you measure American power? In military capability? Diplomatic sway? Trade?
All useful metrics but there is another, more visceral test: when America demands that one of its citizens be released from captivity unharmed, do his captors comply or do they murder him?
On August 21, the Democrat National Convention hosted Jon and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose 23-year-old son was being held by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza. Hersh Goldberg-Polin was a dual American-Israeli citizen who was born in California and made aliyah with his parents at the age of seven. He was celebrating his birthday on October 7 when Palestinian gunmen swarmed the Nova music festival and butchered the defenceless youngsters gathered there. Footage from the day shows Hersh with part of his left arm blown off by a grenade as he is taken into captivity.
In giving Hersh’s parents a slot at the convention, the party that occupies the White House sent a message: this American must be returned to his family and the killing must end. Eight days after that message was sent, Hamas replied by shooting Hersh dead at close range, along with five other young Jews abducted from the Nova charnel house.
Stephen Daisley 