It seems that House Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio)
invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give a joint
address to Congress has caused trouble for everybody."
The Anti-Defamation League is calling on Netanyahu to cancel the speech. His political opponents in Israel are highly critical of the strain in Israel-U.S. relations that Netanyahu's action has caused. Vice President Joe Biden, as presiding officer of the Senate, will be out of the country and not attend the speech. A growing number of Democrats are saying they will not attend.
President Obama and the military generals he commands have a somewhat strained relationship, and it's no secret that at least behind the scenes they are critical of his military strategy and his leadership as commander in chief. The generals have also been highly supportive of Israel.
Yet, even some of them are speaking out, including a senior Joint Chiefs staff officer who said, "There’s always been a lot of support for Israel in the military, but that’s significantly eroded over the last few years. This caps it. It’s one thing for Americans to criticize their president and another entirely for a foreign leader to do it. Netanyahu doesn’t get it. We’re not going to side with him against the commander in chief. Not ever.”
Another general, now retired called it "a gross breach of protocol to invite a head of state without due coordination with the president." Another called Netanyahu's planned speech to Congress "a new level of chutzpah” and said it raised the question of whether Israel is becoming a strategic liability for the U.S.
Still another retired general said, "It’s one thing to show disrespect for President Obama — that happens all the time — but it’s another thing to show disrespect for America. That just can’t be tolerated.”
Of course, it's far more than just a breach of protocol and more than just disrespect. As the president has warned and pleaded with Congress, passing more sanctions at this critical juncture would likely scuttle the negotiations with Iran at the most critical time. It's hard to interpret these actions any other way than that being the intent of Boehner and Bibi and their supporters.
So it's a problem all around. But what about Boehner? Already with a somewhat shaky hold on control of his caucus, Boehner keeps making one blunder after another. It certainly doesn't make the Republicans look like they are capable of governing -- and that is crucial for them to establish if they want any chance at winning the presidency in 2016.
Ralph
The Anti-Defamation League is calling on Netanyahu to cancel the speech. His political opponents in Israel are highly critical of the strain in Israel-U.S. relations that Netanyahu's action has caused. Vice President Joe Biden, as presiding officer of the Senate, will be out of the country and not attend the speech. A growing number of Democrats are saying they will not attend.
President Obama and the military generals he commands have a somewhat strained relationship, and it's no secret that at least behind the scenes they are critical of his military strategy and his leadership as commander in chief. The generals have also been highly supportive of Israel.
Yet, even some of them are speaking out, including a senior Joint Chiefs staff officer who said, "There’s always been a lot of support for Israel in the military, but that’s significantly eroded over the last few years. This caps it. It’s one thing for Americans to criticize their president and another entirely for a foreign leader to do it. Netanyahu doesn’t get it. We’re not going to side with him against the commander in chief. Not ever.”
Another general, now retired called it "a gross breach of protocol to invite a head of state without due coordination with the president." Another called Netanyahu's planned speech to Congress "a new level of chutzpah” and said it raised the question of whether Israel is becoming a strategic liability for the U.S.
Still another retired general said, "It’s one thing to show disrespect for President Obama — that happens all the time — but it’s another thing to show disrespect for America. That just can’t be tolerated.”
Of course, it's far more than just a breach of protocol and more than just disrespect. As the president has warned and pleaded with Congress, passing more sanctions at this critical juncture would likely scuttle the negotiations with Iran at the most critical time. It's hard to interpret these actions any other way than that being the intent of Boehner and Bibi and their supporters.
So it's a problem all around. But what about Boehner? Already with a somewhat shaky hold on control of his caucus, Boehner keeps making one blunder after another. It certainly doesn't make the Republicans look like they are capable of governing -- and that is crucial for them to establish if they want any chance at winning the presidency in 2016.
Ralph
No comments:
Post a Comment