Count on Vitamin C and some old folk wisdom to save my ass

[DFW]

11. I'm sorry to hear you're having such difficulty

"Vitamin C" in the political world and business world is a euphemism for "Connections." In Germany, the same expression is used, but is called "Vitamin B" since what we call "connections" in English is translated as "Beziehungen" in German.

Ben Gurion's quip about miracles refers to my request for a miracle in finding a reservation where the hotel's site said there were none to be had. I had asked my connection at the hotel to perform a "miracle" in order to find me a room where none were supposed to be available. He did just that, thus reinforcing Ben Gurion's quip implying that true realists believe in miracles, because they happen. I didn't ask him to turn water into wine, but since I don't like the taste of wine, no one would be likely to tell me about it if he did, and to me, it wouldn't be a very useful miracle in the first place.