“They are grimly accepting the reality Mitt won’t win,” the former official said. [...] “The desperation has grown in the face of the opposition of growing and already large numbers of respected current and former Israeli security, nuclear, diplomatic and intelligence experts to any attack on Iran at this time, and more pointedly, against a unilateral Israeli offensive. … And, in particular, when Barack Obama’s campaign appears to surging,” [said Bradley Burston, a columnist with the liberal Haaretz newspaper] – [Politico]
THAT’S WHAT it’s being called in some quarters. A predictable “Bibi eruption,” as Politico’s Glenn Thrush labeled it, in a post that has a much wider net than what’s been previously offered at Politico on the complex subject of Israel. Netanyahu’s political positioning and rhetorical challenges are as predictable as they are a headache, coming during prime time election season for maximum affect and leverage.
After the challenge to Secretary Clinton refusing the red line argument on Iran and military action, Prime Minister Netanyahu boldly challenged the Administration’s policy.
Glenn Thrush got P.J. Crowley on the record, as well as others, on the difficult relationship between Israel’s old school leader versus the global view of America’s new age thinker, who brings to the negotiating table a point of view that engenders demagoguery on the right from Republicans, while freaking out Netanyahu who simply cannot relate to Obama.
“There is a lack of rapport between these two men — they don’t like each other very much. Plus, there are serious differences between our interests and Israel’s own security interests,” said former State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley, who was present for several of Obama’s nine face-to-face meetings with Netanyahu.
“I don’t think that Netanyahu is trying to influence the outcome of our election, though a lot of people see it that way,” Crowley said. “It’s about agenda-setting. He just watched two conventions where Israel and Iran were mentioned, but not significantly discussed, even with the whole rigmarole [at the Democratic convention] about Jerusalem in the platform. He’s trying to get it onto the front burner.”
[...] “Bibi knows that this is his moment of maximum leverage. His ability to influence Obama after the election will be zilch,” said Kenneth Pollack, senior fellow in the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings, who thinks Netanyahu’s drumbeat on Iran motivated the administration to push for a harder regimen of sanctions than Obama would otherwise have pursued. “Netanyahu’s goal is one of two things: to get Iran to stop enriching, or to get the U.S. to help strike Iran. He’s not trying to get the green light to strike Iran on his own, that would be a very bad third choice,” Pollack added. “Have these outbursts been successful? Absolutely. The administration is very concerned he’ll strike on his own — and they are driven as much by their fear Israel will start a war as they are by anything Iran is actually doing.”
I also fear that Israel will act unilaterally and will drag the US into the fight. This could be the worst possible move Netanyahu could make because Iran is not Iraq. And what I see is a Middle East smoldering and attacks on Americans all over the world. I may be wrong and I hope I am but Iran is quite different.
Netanyahu is worthless; He comes from a long line of worthless Israelie leaders. It would appear that Israel has much the same problem we do; no leaders of any substance.
I very rarely say this, but people should read the Glenn Thrush piece I linked to. Very interesting he got Crowley & liberal Haaretz on the record.
I read the article and what I think is that Netanyahu is going to whine and whine because he wants to make Israel a priority in the US election. What he doesn’t understand is that this country has its own priorities and while we will always be there to protect and defend Israel we are not going to put Israel front and center. And BTW – if Romney wants to start a war, and I’m not saying he does, I hope his sons are the first to volunteer to fight.
FRACK Israel and “Bibi”. They want to go it alone…fine by me. Stop ALL aide to the Middle East…..ALL.
Some really stupid stuff has been written on this blog, but, even by the low standards by which I measure your democunt/bitch-boy gibberish, this is the stupidest.
You write like the guy in college who takes Womens’ Studies classes hoping to get laid.
Goodness isn’t OUR widdle panties all tied in a knot!!!! What’s the matter? Do you fluff for Bibi as well as Mitt da Twit ?
Here I was thinking, that dumb old man certainly couldn’t write anything stupider today, and then there you go and prove me wrong.
Wow! Must be TWO knots!!!
I can’t believe he (Bibi) actually thinks he can pick the POTUS …
The nerve …
That stunt he pulled by publicly meeting with “Fire before Aiming” Mittens on his very political boondoggle around the “3 countries of the” world has got to be the most blatant p!ss off EVER to a sitting POTUS …
Funny thing is, Faux Outrage would have been up in arms IF their guy was the POTUS and a Dem presidential candidate had been given such recognition by a foreign PM but since it wasn’t, there was nary a peep …
BTW, I love how this morning the 3 stooges were SO surprised to see journalists confer to ask a question of their guy …
Yeah, there’s been an attempt to swarm that media story, which Sean Hannity said yesterday was taped because of his “secret microphone.”
I think people need to see what Bibi is doing for what it is, bluster! The Prime Minister of Israel isn’t nearly as powerful as the President of the United States! Bibi doesn’t have the independent authority to order an attack on Iran and there are many in Israel who agree with Obama that such an attack would cause more problems than it solved!
This post is even more reason to make sure President Obama is re-elected this November! A Romney win means another costly bloody war in the Middle East!
Oh, good grief.
I should have been more precise in my language. I said this post when I should have said GLENN THRUSH’s article is even more reason to make sure President Obama is re-elected! Taylor I am well aware of your opinion of our young President! You would probably rather cut off a body part than vote for him! Apologies!
Good lord…seriously?
Put down your pom poms for once and stop making a fool of yourself here, PLEASE.
You’ll have to forgive me for not being a miserable complainer!