Hamas' kids

I was puzzled as to why people on Twitter were being so hard on Thomas Friedman for his latest column, which advocates Arne Duncan be appointed secretary of state. Could it be knee-jerk resistance against an unorthodox idea? Then I read the awful column. This sentence should be long remembered as an example of naivete as a profound, self-imposed debility:

For instance, it would be very helpful to have a secretary of state who can start a negotiating session with Hamas leaders (if we ever talk with them) by asking: “Do you know how far behind your kids are?”

Me: If only they knew.