Susan Rice’s indignant remarks about Israel, America, and the upcoming Israeli election take me down Memory Lane a bit. In 1999, the incumbent prime minister, Netanyahu, was pitted against the Labour candidate, Ehud Barak. And the Clinton White House was intervening for the Labourite in a big way.

At the time, David Bar-Illan was working for Netanyahu. After the election — which Netanyahu lost — we had Bar-Illan write a piece for us (us National Review), on what went down. As I recall, a State Department spokesman was questioned about the Israeli election, based on Bar-Illan’s piece.

I was gratified to have David Bar-Illan in our pages. He was a brilliant man: a pianist and an intellectual (and an Israeli patriot). I remember when I first saw his name over pieces in such publications as Commentary. “Is that the same guy?” I wondered. “Could that be David Bar-Illan the pianist? The same guy who made the Chopin recordings?” It was indeed.

By the way, Barak and Netanyahu became close allies, devoted to Israel’s survival. Also by the way, Barak, too, is a pianist (though Bar-Illan was internationally renowned).

N.B. There is a considerable distance between “Barak” and “Barack.” What a difference a “c” makes!