Barack Obama must be given a lot of credit for his remarkable ascent to power, particularly in terms of the dignified way in which he did it. But there is a dark side to his rise to the Presidency, one progressives and liberals do not like to acknowledge.
Barack Obama had to do two things to persuade the powers that be that he was a viable candidate for President. The first was to assure the financial community that he would commit to a centrist economic platform, and the second was to sell out the Palestinians immediately and jump in bed with AIPAC.
Obama did both, and the consequences will be felt immediately. Economically, Obama has not surrounded himself with the type of people committed to real change. The enormous financial crisis has given him more room to move, but he won't do anything dramatic (like hold Wall St to account, or provide a meaningful bailout to the average American). The results during his Presidency will mean extraordinary pain for the middle classes and poor, while the burden is shifted from those who caused it. It would no doubt be worse under a Republican, but it will not be pleasant.
With the latest Israeli assault on the Gaza strip, Obama's wholesale sellout of the Palestinian people is being felt even more acutely. His unique position to speak up for a bitterly oppressed people has been wasted in the name of political convenience.
Western responses to the massacre has been pathetic to say the least. The U.S, U.K and European Union have done little to stop the Israelis pounding Gaza with it's hi tech weaponry, with the Bush Administration laying the blame squarely on Palestinians. "The United States strongly condemns the repeated rocket and mortar attacks against Israel and holds Hamas responsible for breaking the cease-fire and for the renewal of violence in Gaza," said Condoleezza Rice. "The cease-fire should be restored immediately." Gordon Brown merely asked the Israelis to 'Show restraint'.
And Obama's response? A half hearted critique of Hamas through former campaign manager David Axelrod on CBS, where Obama's allegiance to Israel was reiterated and belief that Israel has the right to respond how it likes to Palestinian attacks.
One of the writers on my site, Hugo Foster has written a brilliant analysis of the Israeli action in the Gaza strip, explaining why the incursion is basically counterproductive and unnecessarily violent:
Publicly, Israel has stated it wants to create a new security environment, to deliver the 'knockout blow' that will definitively destroy Hamas' rocket-launching capability. To be sure, Hamas' military infrastructure has been truly battered in the past couple of days. Yet toppling Hamas' rule in Gaza is just not feasible. Logistically it would require precisely the sort of costly ground fighting that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have tried to avoid since they withdrew from the territory in 2005. And given the close proximity of military and civilian infrastructure in Gaza, it would inflict a level of human damage (beyond the 56 civilian lives already lost) that would eventually weaken tacit international support for Israel's 'right to self-defence', as happened belatedly in Lebanon two years ago.
The brash move by Israel was clearly taken due to the economic turmoil in the West. While we concern ourselves with job cuts, food shortages and plummeting house prices, Israel has taken brutal measures that even the most hawkish U.S politicians would have tried to avert.
Obama has massive political capital, and could have injected himself into the crisis before it happened. He did so during the beginning of the economic meltdown, and could have lent his credibility to a situation that has spiralled dangerously out of control. Obama has stated that 'There is only one President at a time', abdicating responsibility and essentially passing the buck.
Obama has pointed out the Qassan rockets Hamas has been firing into Israeli towns over recent months, but has failed to mention the illegal sanctions Israel has placed on Gazans, turning the already squalid land into a virtual prison of starvation and targeted assassinations.
The massacre over the past few days will enrage Palestinians further, strengthen Hamas, and solidify hatred towards Israel and the United States in the Arab world. If Obama wants meaningful change in the Middle East, he must start speaking up. For now, his silence is deafening.
Ben Cohen is the Editor of The Daily Banter.com
Follow Ben Cohen on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thedailybanter
...??? I was under the impression that Arabs already hated Americans and of course Israel. When has Palestine ever stood up for the United States and waved the good ole red, white, and blue without setting flame to it? And why do some of you believe that a single word from Obama could have averted VIOLENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST? Did he suddenly become the world's appointed savior with the divine power to bring about world peace? Even if he had spoken up before the first missles were fired, would Hamas have listened to an American? (I am truly killing myself with laughter at this point). I would like to know what words would any of you have for Israel to cease fire? What words for Palestine? What comments would you put in Obama's mouth to encourage a cease fire on both sides WITHOUT offending one or the other?
Let Gaza live
Gaza always wanted peace but Israel as a neighbor; I don't see it happening, if you doubt this read the history of Israel and all its attacks on the Arab world.
I guess you were only watching the American"= Israeli's "point of view on the attack on Gaza, now we are always are taught not to believe all the things that people "or media "tells us, But to search for the truth and decide witch side we sympathize with based on the facts,
One fact is: Gaza is the biggest prison on earth, Israel has surrounded it with walls all around the borders, the only supposed to be friendly side with Gaza is Egypt, witch are controlling Raffah Crossing, and they are not helping Gaza at all, only some publicity stunts…
Hamas is doing all that it can to help Gaza people live, the whole world have boycotted Gaza specially since June 2008 when the siege on Gaza began, If you think about it its really hard to smuggle weapon or food from these area's, if there was smuggling why is there such a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, now if you say that Israel has announce d that there is no humanitarian crises, guess what they aren't friends with the Palestinians and they haven’t allowed any press agency to go to Gaza so the world won't have proof on the horrible thing that are happening,
Please look at other point of views collect some facts, again not from the Israeli's point of view, hear the other part of the story..
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And it saddens me for all the hopes that I've put in Obama to discover that he is another politician that sells-out Palestinian people's right to live.
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The right to swing one's arms ends where someone else's nose begins.
In other words, the right to live doesn't require killing other people in terrorist attacks...
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At least he should condemn the brutal killings made by the Israeli side,
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Any "brutal killings" are the result of Hamas' choice to place military weapons and hardware inside of civilian areas...
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and to allow food and medicine to inter the Gaza stripe
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Hamas doesn't have ANY problem getting in weapons, missiles and other military hardware. Why don't they smuggle in foodstuffs and medicine for their people??
I'll tell you why. Because Hamas is more interested in killing Israelis than they are interested in feeding and clothing their people..
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LET GAZA LIVE
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Gaza could live in peace side by side with Israel if only Gaza were content to live in peace side by side with Israel...
Michale.....
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Collective punishment is not self defense, it is a war crime. Both Hamas and Israel are guilty of this war crime. Israel, unfortunately, thanks to US support is more dangerous than Hamas.
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There is no "collective punishment" in the acts of the Israelis..
It's not Israel's fault that Hamas chooses to place military hardware within civilian areas...
Michale.....
And it saddens me for all the hopes that I've put in Obama to discover that he is another politician that sells-out Palestinian people's right to live. At least he should condemn the brutal killings made by the Israeli side, and to allow food and medicine to inter the Gaza stripe…
LET GAZA LIVE
There won't ever be peace if the Israeli part keeps braking agreements and assaulting defenseless people.
Now if you think that I'm just zooming in on Israel, and only blaming them for the massacre that it is causing to the Gaza people, No I also blame The Arab Governments for there deafening silence on the horrible attacks on Gaza, I specifically blame Egypt for not opening the only Arab port to Gaza to break the siege, not even sending food nor medicine, I Blame Saudi Arabia because it has all the power to stop the war now and even stop the conflict, but not doing anything.
BTw: Hamas has every right to protect it self from the un-even war, the humanitarian horrors that the Gaza's people are witnessing are not acceptable.
Shame on you to blame the victim for its slayers crimes, how can it be right that these people starving, living below any standard of life, can you ever imagine living without electricity without food without fuel .I don’t think so… why should you tell these people that they are responsible for all that? why don't you accuse the real criminal, THE ISRAELI government that are making all these crimes.
STOP LOOKING AT THE VICTIM AND BLAMING THEM FOR THE ISRAELI CRIMES!
As Obama comes closer to inauguration many of his campaign policies appear to be wilting away to a more centrist view. I was not an Obama supporter during his campaign ( I was turned off by his spring debates with Ms. Clinton). But I'm thinking that many people such as myself are going to be less disappointed in the future than those who have allowed less room for an Obama error.
Time will tell us if we have been foolish in the placement of our hopes. In the interim give the man a chance to show us who he really is beyond the type of hype(for and against) found on campaign trails.
I have already proven that the bombing of the King David Hotel was not terrorism.. It was a legitimate military operation against a legitimate military target.
As to the other acts you mention, I am sure they are more of the same. Military, insurgency or guerilla operations that you want to pass off as terrorism, but really aren't..
You people point to a violent act that you don't like and scream TERRORISM when it really has nothing to do with terrorism..
Michale.....
If Mr Obama is really interested in "change" we can believe in then he needs to "change" the same old rhetoric, and dogmatic, unquestioned, unconditional support of Israel. Level the playing field and be an honest broker of the "change" he is espousing. Obama is no fool but it sounds like AIPAC is doing their best to bias Obama to be an Israel firster.
I will be proud of the day when the President can put the interest of America before the interest of Israel and not be crucified for it. It's a shame that American politicians are selected, not on their commitment to the best interests of America, but by vowing to put the interests of a foreign nation, Israel, first. The oath of allegiance that I said everyday in school was not to Israel, or any country but America.
The US should force Israel to end the occupation of the West Bank, stop repressing the legitimate national aspirations of the Palestinians, and stop warmongering. The time has come for the US to stop pandering to Israel and it's destructive, belligerent, failed policies.
God Bless!
This is a situation wherein if he speaks on this conflict, he'll be shredded by the MSM and the right for trying to usurp GWB's presidency.
If he doesn't speak out the way that some want him to do, he is also shredded by the MSM, some on the right, and some on the left.
By practicing restraint he shows respect for GWB's right to handle the situation. Sometimes it takes more courage to exercise restraint than it does to be impetuous.
I do not think anyone should think that PE Obama is not concerned about the situation,but should remember that the Constitution clearly states that a new president is not sworn in until January 20.
You still have your rose-colored glasses on when it comes to Obama. With the Blago incident, all of his questionable friends and his inability to make decisions ON ANY LEVEL, I find it hard to have faith in our PE~