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HuffPost's Sam Stein Discusses Obama, Israel On 'Hardball' (VIDEO)

Posted: 05/23/11 08:23 PM ET

HuffPost's Sam Stein appeared Monday on MSNBC's 'Hardball' to discuss President Obama's proposal for a two-state solution in the Israel.

Chris Matthews brought up recent Republican criticism of Obama's proposal. Stein explained, "what we have here is a routine of Republicans trying to make Israel a wedge for Obama ... for the Evangelicals, for wealthy Jewish Republican donors possibly. I went back, I looked at the '08 speech that McCain gave at AIPAC. It was very similar in terms of its denunciation of Obama. Only in that case it was about Obama saying he wanted to talk to his enemies without preconditions. So this is a routine."

Stein stated that "the border issue is like the easiest conceptual issue to argue about, it's lines on a map." He discussed how there are other much more complex issues to resolve, and he reiterated that Republicans are using the border issue "as a wedge to get at Obama and to drive support towards their camps."

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HuffPost's Sam Stein appeared Monday on MSNBC's 'Hardball' to discuss President Obama's proposal for a two-state solution in the Israel. Chris Matthews brought up recent Republican criticism of Obama...
HuffPost's Sam Stein appeared Monday on MSNBC's 'Hardball' to discuss President Obama's proposal for a two-state solution in the Israel. Chris Matthews brought up recent Republican criticism of Obama...
 
 
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01:55 PM on 05/24/2011
Didn't George W. Bush see that an alliance with Christian Zionists in Texas was his way of getting into the Governor's Mansion? And from there it was on to the White House. Sadly, Republicans used to stand for holding the line on Israel; now, they pander to Aipac and other Zionist groups shamelessly.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
SojournerForTruth
07:17 AM on 05/24/2011
Netanyahu and the republican party as well as some dems have signed their political suicide by openly making this political. They have also left Israel more vunerable with their cheap rhetoric than ever before and Netanyahu will not only take himself down but the republican party down as well in his disrespectful speech and actions since hes been here. Go back to the Bible and read what God said about true Israel, not "Zionist". We always hold Gods word true and will always support Israel but never Israel in the wrong. Gods promise is very specific. True Jews, sons of Abraham know what that truth is and they know what a dangerous game these false servants are playing. God is righteous and His word and promises are true for those who truly love Him. If my people who are called by my name, should humble themselves, seek my face and turn from their wicked ways then I will hear from heaven and HEAL the land!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Fred Ricardo
The white hat, Truth, Justices and theAmerican way
01:19 PM on 05/25/2011
America is firmly behind President Obama on this one. The people inside the beltway are so out of touch with what America is thinking.

Thank you President Obama for killing Osama bin Laden, now fix Israel.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
jingles32
06:49 AM on 05/24/2011
Great segment last night. Chris showed the clip of Herman Cain's embarrassing performance on on Fox last Sunday, his interview with Wallace. His Plain-esque, "In what regard, Charlie" "huh" moment, when asked how he would handle "right of return," priceless. The man had no idea what that meant, had to have it explained to him, twice, and his follow up answer, laughable. He had no idea what he was talking about. Right of return for all of those Palestinians displaced since 1948 no biggie? That issue (along with control of Jerusalem), eclipses the borders' issue; everyone knows that. Unbelievable.

WALLACE: Where do you stand on the right of return?

CAIN: The right of return? (Pause) The right of return? (Pause)

WALLACE: The right of return.

CAIN: The right of return? (Pause)

WALLACE: The Palestinian right of return.

CAIN: That is something that should be negotiated. That is something that should be negotiated
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ClarkOHrepub
BO & Co have Gotta Go!
07:53 AM on 05/24/2011
Most Americans have no idea what that means. I would bet 99% of liberals on this board had to look it up when they first heard the term.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
BlueFloyd
The Antidote to Ayn Rand...
08:56 AM on 05/24/2011
Most americans arent running for president.

Most americans do not understand macroeconomics either, and that is quite apparent from reading many posts....however, they DO expect their potential leaders to understand it, or at least not to be so easily stumped in explaining basic concepts.

I can't read a cover 2 defense or even describe it correctly, but I fully expect my football team's quarterback to read it and defeat it.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
BlueFloyd
The Antidote to Ayn Rand...
08:58 AM on 05/24/2011
Many people probably had to look up the bush doctrine as well, when charlie asked that famous question....but that didnt stop people from expecting a candidate to undestand it or at least command the question so as not to appear clueless.

What was your point anyway?
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robertdaniel
All the wrong people have self-esteem
05:40 AM on 05/24/2011
Politicians will never speak honestly until there comes a time when special-interest contributions are taken out of the election equation. Campaign Finance Reform is the only hope for honest politicians. If the government is the only campaign financer and coporation and special-interest dollars banned, we will approach a real democracy.
04:52 AM on 05/24/2011
Chris Matthews has often some topics or something good to say, BUT Chris does not allow his guests to talk. It is almost impossible to watch his shows. It is a shame.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Tugar
"We The People"
05:47 AM on 05/24/2011
Agreed ! Chris does get to the heart of any issue discussed on his show ! But he really needs to STOP TALKING SO MUCH, OVER WHAT HIS GUESTS & PANELISTS is saying !

This is a very annoying habit that he has !
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Fred Ricardo
The white hat, Truth, Justices and theAmerican way
01:27 PM on 05/25/2011
I hate it when he has a panel show and all four of his guests start to talk over one another all at once. Click!
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Middle America
01:46 AM on 05/24/2011
Republicans always allign with the foreign leader (any Israel's PM), against our president...hm....isn't it like a treason ?
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robertdaniel
All the wrong people have self-esteem
05:34 AM on 05/24/2011
To do so in public? I'd say so.
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
k6007
Obama/Biden 2012!
07:23 AM on 05/24/2011
My thoughts exactly.
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THE GREAT PURIFIER
If you are going through hell, keep going.
01:18 AM on 05/24/2011
Sam Stein discussing Israel is like Lloyd Blankfein discussing the reform of the investment banking.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Relpo Miraculous
Psychobiological Anthropology
01:00 AM on 05/24/2011
Stein is treading water. And now this bombshell that Stein needs to assure his audience he has never signed onto:

Report: Activists 'should portray Israel as undemocratic'
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?ID=221926&R=R1

NGO Monitor accuses human rights groups of undermining Israel’s justice system; Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch cited.

A new NGO Monitor report published on Sunday accuses pro-Palestinian organizations of seeking to undermine the legitimacy of Israeli courts and investigatory bodies in an effort to internationally isolate Israel and paint it as an antidemocratic state.

According to the report, titled “Rule of Law and Due Process: NGO Campaigns to Discredit the Israeli Justice System,” groups such as Al Haq, Palestinian Center for Human Rights, FIDH (France), Badil, and DCI-PS, all of which receive funding from European governments, have been pursuing this strategy at the UN and the International Criminal Court to in hopes of charging Israeli officials of war crimes.

“Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have joined these efforts, with allegations that Israeli investigations, in particular, the Turkel Commission on the May 2010 ‘Free Gaza’ flotilla, lack independence and transparency,” the report said.

Read more at the link.

Stein needs to address this. Immediately. In this thread.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Sal Glen
10:27 PM on 05/23/2011
The awkward fact is that the 270,000 Arabs who live in East Jerusalem may not be very enthusiastic about joining Palestine. The survey, which was designed and supervised by former State Department Middle East researcher David Pollock, found that only 30 percent said they would prefer to be citizens of Palestine in a two-state solution, while 35 percent said they would choose Israeli citizenship. (The rest said they didn't know or refused to answer.) Forty percent said they would consider moving to another neighborhood in order to become a citizen of Israel rather than Palestine, and 54 percent said that if their neighborhood were assigned to Israel, they would not move to Palestine
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02:19 AM on 05/24/2011
exactly why jerusalem will remain completely under israel authority. However, hopefully if/when the new palestinian state is established it will be just as livable as israel and many of those arabs will change their mind
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Ronju01
Live and let Live
05:04 AM on 05/24/2011
David Pollock??
09:54 PM on 05/23/2011
Why is Obama calling for renewed peace talks at this time?With chaos in Egypt and Syria;continuing protests in Baharain, Jordan and Yemen, no one would disagree the Middle East is in unprecedented turmoil. Why then, at the end of a long Middle East speech, tack on a call for renewed peace talks?
Why would Israel get involved in that process not knowing what kind of governments will be on its borders six months from now? Why then Obama's call for renewed talks? Why speak publicly about such sensitive subjects as borders? Why give this speech a day before Netanyahu's visit?
I don't profess to know the answers. But I do not think anything was done accidentally.
10:24 PM on 05/23/2011
When would be a good time?
11:35 PM on 05/23/2011
It is a good time since Palestinian leaders are about to go to the U.N. for official recognition and the Jasmine Revolutions in the middle east have put the region's issues on the agenda.
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09:18 PM on 05/23/2011
This is a much bigger issue than they're getting at. GOP talking heads are fundamentally altering what Obama said to mean something totally different (a return to 1967 borders). This goes far beyond spin and into the realm of creating a separate reality for their base. This is a newer tactic and it is growing.
08:53 PM on 05/23/2011
What we have here is spin from the extreme left. Obama said the pre-1967 war lines were a starting point which is not going the fly in Israel, period.
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mogendaved
10:54 PM on 05/23/2011
He did not say that.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Uhgg
Just another Neanderthal
12:29 AM on 05/24/2011
Yes he did at 42:36
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-M_CA0orW08
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morefreethings
fixed income analyst
12:31 AM on 05/24/2011
it blows the collective american mind that you guys continue to vote for dems, brilliant move by obama imo, he knows at most he will lose a few thousand jewish voters by his statement, nothing more...
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ekstatik
Granfalloon-free!
01:08 AM on 05/24/2011
And what Israel says goes, right?