So Sad to See Obama Surrender to AIPAC

It was so sad. To see a grown tower of a man come to his knees. Just like everyone before him, the presumptive Democratic nominee followed the suit of all US political leaders before him and bowed down at the footsteps of the pro Israel lobby. What happened to the anti lobby nominee?
On the day his nomination had been sealed, at a time when his chances of being elected had been all but ensured, Barack Obama failed the test. What happened to the nominee who was going to change the way Washington was run? What happened to the promise of "I will tell you what you have to hear, not what you love to hear?"

Speaking at the pro Israel lobby, the first black presidential nominee, who is being seen world wide as a potentially global president, turned on every promise he made during the run up to the nomination.

It wasn't as if he needed the Jewish money or votes. This has been the first presidential run which succeeded in circumventing large donors and prided itself with the million donors who gave less than $100 was suddenly kowtowing to a sector of America whose major source of power has been their ability to raise large funds. On the day that he succeeded in getting the Democratic National Committee to announce that they will not accept lobbyist money, he was pandering to the most powerful of all lobbies. How can we believe that lobbyists will not run Obama's administration.

Content wise, Barack Obama contradicted himself and every foreign policy rule he has been espousing. Gone was the need to favor diplomacy over militarisms, as Obama promised to give Israel $30 billion in military funding. Gone was the need to talk to Iran, and instead the saber rattling was repeated in the form of declaring that the military option in defense of Israel. Gone was the need to talk to our enemies and replaced by the repetition of claims of Bush claim of Iran's nuclear military program a claim that have been disproved by 16 American intelligence agencies.

The pandering to Israel at the AIPAC conference even produced criticism from the Daily Show's John Stewart. An unashamedly Jewish comedian tore apart Obama's twin flag (Israel and US) pin, made fun of the gushing attempts to woe the pro Israeli audience and the lack of a single word of criticism by all three speakers. The pro Israeli love fest was so sad that Obama needed Hillary Clinton who had yet to concede the nomination, felt it necessary to vouch for the young Illinois senator's pro Israel credentials.

During the campaign, and while speaking to a group of American Jewish leaders in Cleveland Obama noted that he was impressed with how the debate inside Israel was more vigorous than in the US. He also was honest enough to tell them that his policies will not be similar to that of Israel's right wing Likud party. I read and re read the speech and couldn't find anything in it that the current Likud leader Benyamin Netanyahu would find problematic.

During the '03 Democratic convention, Obama excited Americans of all backgrounds by his unity speech. I remember the pride I and many others felt when he legitimized Arab Americans by including them in the new America he was advocating. The term Arab American has since disappeared in Obama's stump speech. Obama repeated verbatim Bush's position regarding the two state solution, calling Israel a Jewish state, the need to stop new settlements and even his prejudging the results of negotiations by his support for Israeli sovereignty over a united Jerusalem. His call on the illegal Israeli occupiers to ease travel restrictions was conditioned with the caveat "consistent with its security." Unlike Bush, Obama promises us that he will begin efforts for peace from the beginning of his term and not in its waning days. Why should we believe this particular promise when all previous ones have been reversed?

America's black nominee who would have supported divestment on racist south Africa blasted international divestment calls on Israel, and libeled Arab oil producing countries by saying that "petrodollars are responsible for the killing of American soldiers and Israeli citizens." How pathetic.

If there was a time that a presidential candidate should have had courage to change course on the way Washington is run this was the time. If there was a group that deserved a more honest speech it was this. Obama failed in both tests. This is a shame.

Comments

[BigMike75]

Based on his past positions in regards to Israel, I didn't hear anything different. And his military stance on Iran, is something that I've heard say numerous times before, and that the U.S will be staunch in their support of Israel against an Iranian attack. But I would also like to see a tougher diplomacy with Israel going forward. Too many times those of us in the west are fed propaganda and misinformation when it comes to mideast peace. Israel is not without fault in this conflict, and rarely do we hear of the plight of the Palestinians in that region. Most Americans just aren't familiar with the history of conflict in that region, and the role that Israel played in the development of that conflict. Most Americans are afraid to speak out, because they'll be called terrorist sympathizers by the fanatical right. But many people fail to realize, that suicide bombers didn't just pop up out of nowhere.

[Dap]

You got your facts all screwed up there pal. Israel is our Allie, and if you think We, the People will desert our Friends or support a Presidential candidate that would desert an Allie, you don't know the first thing about the American People. You shall be waiting until hell it self freezes over before any of us throws the Israeli People under the bus.

Senator Obama spoke the truth at AIPAC, and is representive of We, the Peoples feeling.

I would advise you to stop trying our patience and stay out of our Family feud before ya lose your nose.

[jimmy2001]

I always wonder why we always coddle Israel and i would like Obama to explain why he is going against his word not to cater to special interest groups.

[tschlak]

That's an over-simplification born of ignorance. If O'bama supports increased funding for schools, is he caving in to teachers' unions? If he promotes rebuilding the nation's infrastructure, is he pandering to construction companies?

That's akin to the simple-minded who say that talking to our enemies is appeasing them.

[richardgordon]

Well with all due respect Obama is a politician. Before he can win the White House he has to be VOTED in. Since there are far more influential Jewish voters in the United States than Arab voters he wouldn't stand much chance of achieving the White House unless he did what he had to do. That's reality.

[handclappin]

YOU GET WHO YOU VOTE FOR. Anyone who thinks Obama will bring "hope" and "change" to America should just look at what he's been saying for months now... 100,000 new troops, permanent occupation of Iraq (an estimated 60,000 troops will be left behind for "counter-terrorism" efforts), pro death penalty, pro nuclear energy, pro bio-diesel (AKA food for fuel), and now this...

Our current relationship in the middle east is based on military dominance rather than diplomacy. I think Palestinians and Israelis deserve better. Sadly, no one in this country votes on the issues -- Obama's popularity is proof of that!

[lapleve]

C'mon people be realistic...........do you realy think that babba in his pickup truck is going understand why barrak hussein obama should treat the palestinians fairly? Obama has to shake off that unpatriotic secret muslim image if he wants to get anywhere near the white house.

[Levittown]

If the UN and the powers that be in the middle east had put a damper on Hamas ad the Hezbola. The Saudis and their Opec buddies were afraid of terrorist at their doors so they let them prosper at Israels expense and the Palestinians are the worse off because of this. A combined effort by the Saudis and Jordan and Egypt will be a start for the Palestinian statehood. Russia wants peace and China wants peace. They are anxious to move ahead in world trade and a war will decimate even the mighty. Iran is running amuck with a false sense of worldwide power and middle east dominance. It won't take much for the a spark to set the wire burning.

[lapleve]

Hamas' unendorsement of Obama and Kuttab's dissapointed at the senator, should be seen as a badge of honor, for a black presidential candidate whose middle name is hussein and whose father was a muslim man from kenya. The Sionist lobby has successfuly convinsed the american public that israel's interests , are american interests.

Hense, If sen. Obama wants to get the vote of the hard working whites, he most appear to be more sionist that ben gurion, more patriotic than nascar. Anybody who wants to keep the neocons out of the white house would have to get used to seeing their candidate transform into a general election canditate.

A clinton supporter resently said: 'Obama can't win in the general election with african-americans and eggheads alone"

[MM5]

I only hope Obama had his fingers crossed behind him.

[texastornado]

What a liar Barack Obama turned out to be pandering to Isreal lobbyists. What happend to " It's time for change?"

[texastornado]

Barack Obama said he would "change' the way government does business and would no longer pander to lobbyists. AIPAC is a lobbyist organization. What a liar he turned out to be.

[loupbouc]

Israel ought to be zero miles wide -- and zero miles long: zero square inches total.

Israel began with Zionist terrorism that slaughtered hundreds of Palestinians and destroyed their homes and expelled most Palestinians from a region that was their people's homeland since at least the 7th century AD.

Israel has continued to steal Palestinian land with terrorism. Israel subjugates millions of Palestinians with its terrorism.

Israel is the world's second worst terrorist state, whose terrorism has killed or maimed millions of Arabs and rendered them refugees or concentrated them forcibly in wastelands, just as the expanding late 19th century US imprisoned indigenous Americans in "reservations."

If Obama becomes President, will he continue the US's status of being the world's worst terrorist state -- partly by backing Israel so it can use Israel as a proxy terrorist? Or will his actual policy differ from his AIPAC speech?

AIPAC has tainted our government by using political terrorism against our politicians. If a US politician resists AIPAC, AIPAC "swiftboats" the politician or plies the politician with threats of character-assassination, even with criminal coercion, and it makes its threats credible with actual "swiftboatings" and actual character-assassinations.

Oh, I am half Jew, zero Palestinian, zero Arab, zero Iranian. I am not a Muslim, but an atheist. I am ashamed because the Holocaust's victims have become Zionists who practice the terror and genocide the Nazi's used against Jews.

[texastornado]

I agree with you 100%.

[texastornado]

I'm sorry to say that with Obama it's going to be the "same ol same old". If Isreal says " sit, lie down,roll over" the United States will meekly comply. If Isreal says " bomb Iran" we'll Bomb Iran. If Isreal says " fork over thirty billion dollars" we'll scrimp and borrow the money to give to Isreal. The hell with our roads and bridges and schools. Isreal comes first.

[kynandog]

It would be easier to take to heart the criticisms of his "content" if it didn't seem to come from someone who failed College English.

Perhaps a little review, spell-checking, some deep breaths and slower typing, maybe even consider running that copy by an editor before rushing it online, could keep you from undermining your own credibility.

[Jocko]

I couldn't agree more. You've expressed my profound disapointment exactly.

[Producer1]

This is a laughable post. While I am no friend of AIPAC I realize the influence their money buys. No candidate can be elected POTUS without staunchly supporting Israel. As Americans we have to understand that Israel is not only our consistent ally in that region, it is also the toehold for much of Western Europe. Obama's no fool. Either he massages AIPAC's bloated ego or all that AIPAC money goes to John McCain. Meanwhile. the key to Middle East peace is to take away their bargaining chip. It's time to dive into alternative energy and leave these people without friends, money or power. That's the best way to support Israel.

[MM5]

Israel our consistent ally? What exactly has Israel done for the US except be a cause for many people and nations around the world to dislike us? This is a one way relationship - US gives(money, weapons, lives of our young men and women), Israel takes.

The only reason that I can see for Obama to have said what he did on Wednesday is for Jewish votes. Fine with me as long as he changes his tune once he gets into the White House.

[PatrickforO]

Agreed. The same concept applies to his position on abortion - if the policies he advocates are put in place, abortions would go way down. If we have an energy policy that makes in less dependent on oil from this region, then it will be easier for us to be leaders in bringing peace, instead of invading for oil.