I call it a show, because that’s what it was. On the plus side, I have to admit that Butcher Bibi pulled off a very talented act, but that’s all it was. There was no substance there. In fact, it really had little to do with Iran. Both Butcher Bibi and Agent Orange had their own separate agendas, neither of which involves Iran, per se.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel could not have hoped for a more rapturous welcome in Congress. With Republicans and most Democrats as his props, he entered the House of Representatives to thunderous applause on Tuesday, waving his hand like a conquering hero and being mobbed by fawning lawmakers as he made his way to the lectern.
Even Washington doesn’t often see this level of exploitative political theater; it was made worse because it was so obviously intended to challenge President Obama’s foreign policy.
Mr. Netanyahu’s speech offered nothing of substance that was new, making it clear that this performance was all about proving his toughness on security issues ahead of the parliamentary election he faces on March 17. He offered no new insight on Iran and no new reasons to reject the agreement being negotiated with Iran by the United States and five other major powers to constrain Iran’s nuclear program.
His demand that Mr. Obama push for a better deal is hollow. He clearly doesn’t want negotiations and failed to suggest any reasonable alternative approach that could halt Iran’s nuclear efforts.
Moreover, he appeared to impose new conditions, insisting that international sanctions not be lifted as long as Iran continues its aggressive behavior, including hostility toward Israel and support for Hezbollah, which has called for Israel’s destruction… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <NY Times>
As long as the US remains in a state of war against nations or groups that claim to follow Islam, Israel remains an important regional ally. That limits US pressure for Israel to honor treaty obligations and and helps maintain the regional view that the US is anti-Muslim.
Chris Hayes provided excellent coverage.
In addition to the reasons I referenced, Butcher Bibi was making a campaign speech casting himself as the sophisticated international player condescendingly schooling the ignorant, naive black man. How insulting!
In addition to his normal sedition against Obama, Agent Orange is just as devious. A small minority of American Jews are political activists. The conservatives gravitate towards AIPAC, and the liberals, toward J Street. The vast majority, on the other hand, are nominally liberal, and tend to vote Democratic, but support for Israel is important to them. Boehner is trying to make Democrats appear to be anti-Israel, and if he can drive that wedge deep enough, he might be able to remove that block of voters from the Democratic into the Republican camp. He’d happy to send thousands of young Americans off to die in a needless war for political gain.
Like me, most Democrats are not anti-Israel. We’re pro-Israel. But many of us are anti-Netanyahu, because his war crimes and his pursuit of a one-state solution, contrary to treaty obligations. We're for permanent peace in the region for both Israel and a Palestinian State. That’s why American Jews, and Israelis for that matter. should oppose both Butcher Bibi and the Republican Party.