“As President, Barack Obama has never visited Israel and refuses to recognize Jerusalem as its capital. … Mitt Romney will be a different kind of president—a strong leader who stands by our allies. He knows America holds a deep and cherished relationship with Israel.” [Romney campaign commerical (seen above)]
SINCE FRIDAY, Team Romney has sent out statements through the campaign on Iran from Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman, all responding to Iran’s Pres. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s statement about Israel:
“The very existence of the Zionist regime is an insult to humankind and an affront to all world nations,” the news agency’s English-language report on the speech quoted [President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad] as saying. “Confronting Zionists will also pave the way for saving the whole humankind from exploitation, depravity and misery.” [The New York Times]
When Paul Ryan was asked about foreign policy by Fox News’s Carl Cameron on Saturday morning, he channeled Ronald Reagan yet again, stating that Mitt Romney believes in “peace through strength.” In the same interview he cited as part of his own experience that he “voted to send people to war.”
The statements sent out by the Romney campaign late Friday, seen below, are buttressed by Mitt Romney’s campaign commercial above, which first appeared in early August.
From Majority Leader Eric Cantor:
“There’s nothing new in Ahmadinejad’s ugly remarks today; he’s been spewing such hatred for years. The Obama Administration wasted precious time during some of those years trying to reason with the ayatollahs and it delayed for too long in imposing sanctions that would truly bite. Now, as Iran marches forward in its race to gain the capability to build a nuclear bomb, we find ourselves in need of strong leadership in the White House. We don’t have that leadership now.”
From former Sen. Norm Coleman:
“With Iran’s continued calls for the destruction of the state of Israel, Israel and the entire civilized world are justified in taking any and all measures to prevent Tehran from acquiring the capability to develop nuclear weapons. The Obama Administration has to be held responsible for its failure to make headway in stopping the Iranians from acquiring the most terrible weapon known to man. Given what is at stake, this is the worst possible moment for weakness in Washington. Yet weakness is precisely what we’ve seen from President Obama.”
Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen:
“Ahmadinejad’s incendiary comments are just another warning that a fuse is burning and that we need to do everything possible to stop Iran from acquiring the capability to build nuclear weapons that can destroy cities and cause unspeakable horror. Given the Obama Administration’s track record in dealing with rogue regimes, I have many serious concerns about this administration’s Iran policy. Obama’s approach seems to be based on a complete misreading of the intentions of the ayatollahs. And by wasting precious time, his policies have placed the security of the state of Israel in jeopardy. It’s past time for a change in leadership in the White House.”
The fantasy that Pres. Obama hasn’t been a strong supporter of Israel is all rhetoric and part of the incipient presidential election year contest of who can be more pro-Israel? Both political parties play this game.
There is absolutely no evidence to prove Pres. Obama has not been a strong supporter of Israel.
However, if you don’t believe me, read Colin Kahl’s piece in Foreign Policy, which offers inspired offense of Pres. Obama.
This debate should be about what’s required to bring equilibrium to a situation that continues to seesaw from status quo to crisis. We should be well past positing that an American president or candidate for commander in chief would be anything other than a strong ally of Israel. Politicians aren’t kidding anyone by suggesting otherwise, because having Israel’s back is a prerequisite for high office in our country.
Israel is a powerfully armed country whose leaders have every obligation to protect the citizens from a clear and present danger. This is not in debate, nor should it be. But this is not the business of the United States or any other nation; while understanding any direct and verifiable threat to Israel by Iran is something that will rally her allies to her side and rightly so.
The Israeli people, by the way, are not in favor of a strike against Iran, according to all reporting.
The last American adminstration to opebly stand up to Isreal was G.H.W. Bush and Jim Baker’s State Department. They had to toss some cash around but they were able to tell them no in public. Unlike 2008, when Obama ran as Ronald Reagan appearing as rightwing as McCain on certain issues, there is no why that Obama can do that again in 2012 against Romney/Ryan.
“This debate should be about what’s required to bring equilibrium to a situation that continues to seesaw from status quo to crisis.”
I am so sick and tired of listening to the same old argument about how we have to be there for Israel. We are there for Israel, and have been since it’s beginning and we will be there in the future. What needs to be done is find a way to bring harmony into the region and acceptance of Israel by all the countries in the region. Ahmadinejad’s statement is his usual blowhard crap. What do you expect? He’s the mouth piece for Iran. Romney and Ryan are starting to sound staler than day old bread. I’m already bored with the two of them. BTW – if women think Ryan is sexy they don’t know what sexy is.
Strongly second.
(a. Bring back the editing feature and b. No more drunk typing on saturday night.
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Good night.
The last American adminstration to openly stand up to Israel was G.H.W. Bush and Jim Baker’s State Department. They had to toss some cash around but they were able to tell them no in public. Unlike 2008, when Obama ran as Ronald Reagan appearing as rightwing as McCain on certain issues, there is no way that Obama can do that again in 2012 against Romney/Ryan.
Every time the GOP starts cranking up the Iran stuff, I think that they are going to start a war with Iran. It’s been something that they’ve wanted for a long time. I still think the GOP foreign policy is completed wedded to the Project for a New American Century. I mean these bozos were begging Bill Clinton to go into Iraq in the 1990′s.
” Baker’s Jew boys. ” That’s what the Israelie government called Jim Baker’s two young Jews in the state department. Now we have the young right wing Jew boys who not only want to get us involved in another middle east nightmare but also transform this country into a power center for rich Jews.
Eff off, raghead.
I’m looking forward to the day when Proud, Strong, Independent Israel can take care of itself and stop acting as if the United States owes it something (read: EVERYTHING.)
If Israel feels that a war with Iran is nec to secure it’s own survival, go for it. Doesn’t have anything to do with us, and Israel should not come running with it’s hand out when it finds itself in a situation of it’s own making that it can’t extract itself from. And I’ll take Israel’s sneers and dismissals and criticism more seriously the day that nation stops taking billions in aid from the US every year.