Look, I've been around politics long enough to know that it's a contact sport. Words will be abused. Phrases will be taken out of context.
But the latest distortion from the GOP, frankly, shouldn't give us all pause -- it should spring us into action.
Here's the story, if you haven't heard - yesterday, Jeffrey Goldberg published a very interesting and engaging interview with Barack Obama, where they spoke at length about Barack's ties to the Jewish community in Chicago and his views on the Middle East peace process. When speaking about the decades old violence that has threatened our ally Israel, Barack said:
But what I think is that this constant wound, that this constant sore, does infect all of our foreign policy. The lack of a resolution to this problem provides an excuse for anti-American militant jihadists to engage in inexcusable actions, and so we have a national-security interest in solving this, and I also believe that Israel has a security interest in solving this because I believe that the status quo is unsustainable.
Does anyone seriously dispute that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a constant, open wound in the Middle East -- exploited by those who would like to see Israel and the United States driven out of the region? Of course not.
It's simply undeniable that the conflict affects all of our Middle Eastern foreign policy. For decades, these have been bi-partisan views:
There remain enemies of this peace, extremists on both sides who feel threatened by the peace and will be tempted once again to kill it with violence. We can defeat that kind of threat by building a genuine Israeli-Palestinian partnership that will stand the test of time -- Bill Clinton
Only through the process of negotiation can all the nations of the Middle East achieve a secure peace. -- Ronald Reagan
Even George W. Bush has said:
For the sake of all humanity, things must change in the Middle East.
It is untenable for Israeli citizens to live in terror. It is untenable for Palestinians to live in squalor and occupation. [...]Permanent occupation threatens Israel's identity and democracy. A stable, peaceful Palestinian state is necessary to achieve the security that Israel longs for.
But of course, today, rather than seriously disputing that, or, even better, offering a vision of their own on how to find peace in the Middle East and security for Israel, Rep. John Boehner and Rep. Eric Cantor - senior leadership in the House GOP -- decided to ignore the actual meaning of English words and simply invent something Barack Obama didn't say. Here is what they said
Israel is a critical American ally and a beacon of democracy in the Middle East, not a 'constant sore' as Barack Obama claims. -- John BoehnerIt is truly disappointing that Senator Obama called Israel a 'constant wound,' 'constant sore,' and that it 'infect[s] all of our foreign policy.' These sorts of words and characterizations are the words of a politician with a deep misunderstanding of the Middle East and an innate distrust of Israel -- Eric Cantor
This is so mendacious that the objective journalist Jeffrey Goldberg himself felt compelled to reply. He writes:
I have no doubt that Mr. Boehner will issue a correction to his press release in which he states the obvious, which is that Obama expressed -- in twelve different ways -- his support for Israel to me.
If he doesn't, however, I would, sadly, have to agree with my colleague, the less-forgiving Andrew Sullivan, who called Boehner's statement a "flat-out lie." In fact, I would add to Andrew's post, by calling Boehner's statement mendacious, duplicitous, gross, and comically refutable. So Mr. Boehner, do the right thing, and correct the record. I'll be happy to post the correction right here.
These statements by Representatives Boehner and Cantor are so bad they rise to the level of a danger to our foreign policy. America's allegiance to Israel has always been bi-partisan and unshakeable. It still is, with either Sen. McCain, Sen. Obama or Sen. Clinton as President. But how can we actually have a debate on foreign policy, if the other side simply makes up statements on which to base phony, contrived outrage?
No, people need to hear the truth -- now.
Here's what Barack said about his personal feelings about Israel in the very same interview:
I think the idea of Israel and the reality of Israel is one that I find important to me personally. Because it speaks to my history of being uprooted, it speaks to the African-American story of exodus, it describes the history of overcoming great odds and a courage and a commitment to carving out a democracy and prosperity in the midst of hardscrabble land. One of the things I loved about Israel when I went there is that the land itself is a metaphor for rebirth, for what's been accomplished. What I also love about Israel is the fact that people argue about these issues, and that they're asking themselves moral questions.
In other words, he said exactly the opposite of what Boehner and Cantor scurrilously allege. The Washington Post gave both Boehner and Cantor multiple Pinocchios for their performance.
Barack Obama has spoken time and time again on the importance of our alliance with Israel, and on how important Israel is to him personally. He has spoken movingly about the inspiration he draws from Israel's historic struggle for independence and its current struggle for security, as well as his deep resolve to continue working to strengthen security for all of Israel's people. He has called America's commitment to Israel's security "unshakeable," a commitment built on the bedrock of the deep friendship between the two nations.
But the Republican Party insists on twisting his words so far they resort to actually lying about their meaning.
We have a foreign policy mess in the Middle East. The Bush administration's Iraq debacle has weakened our diplomatic standing in the region and limited our options in working on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. No wonder all Representatives Boehner and Cantor can do is to create imaginary strawmen to knock down in self-righteous indignation.
I'm not alone in condemning this remark. Here's the statement from Rep. Robert Wexler:
In his dishonest and ridiculous distortion, John Boehner has shown us the new depths that a truly desperate Republican leadership will sink to in its attempt to smear Barack Obama's strong and unshakeable record of support for Israel. This absurd parsing would be laughable if it wasn't so sad to see the U.S.-Israel relationship used as a political wedge instead of a cause to unite all Americans around a common purpose.
And here's Rep. Rahm Emanuel:
On the eve of Israel's 60th anniversary, Congressman Boehner should remember that Israel enjoys bipartisan support and commitment to its security. Nothing could be worse for Israel at this time than for it to become a proxy for Congressman Boehner's political games. Senator Obama's record is clear when it comes to Israel's security and friendship with the United States.
The politics of character assassination from Republicans on the important issues needs to stop. Playing games to drive political wedges as part of some political strategy does great disservice to our country. We need to talk about how to chart a new course, not spread these kinds of distortions.
We deserve better in this country, but we won't get it from the GOP in this election. Already we've seen John McCain trying to describe Barack Obama as Hamas' candidate. That's beneath the John McCain I used to know. But -- sadly -- that is the only way these Republicans have to try and win an election
We deserve better. We need to have an honest and important conversation about how to reorient our foreign policy to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
What we don't need are lies, distortions, and rhetoric designed only to whip up fear. That's part of what got us into this mess, and it won't get us out.
Call Sen. McCain's office at 202-224-2235 and ask him to condemn these statements from his supporters.
From Haaretz today:
Participants at a recent inner cabinet meeting were listening to details of the Egyptian mediation initiative between Israel and Hamas on a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip recently, when a senior minister reportedly reminded those present that Israel does not negotiate, directly or indirectly, with Hamas. Shin Bet security service head Yuval Diskin interrupted, saying there was no other way to describe the talks.
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/05/is-israel-appea.html
when will the American media and government stop lying to the American people about the nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Iran has not attacked another country in CENTURIES, but Iran cannot have nuclear weapons like China, Pakistan, India, North Korea and Israel, why????? Israel has over 200 warheads, but the US media NEVER prints that. Why?
The failure our government to ackknowledge Israel as a nuclear power, gives us no credibility whatsoever in the Middle East and around the world. Who believes you? The ones we threaten to bomb into submission? That strategy hasn't worked thus far.
The American people are not stupid and a great country deserves the truth and competent patriotic leaders. Instead the government is run by neocon traitors who lied us into a war and outed agents who disagreed with their treason.
Our hypocrisy towards Israel has destroyed all that was left of America's credibility. No one believes America because our foreign policy is based on lies and wars for Israel to profit from Arab misery.
It would have to work that way wouldn’t it John? That is to say, if we normal johns and our kids get up every morning and pledge our allegiance to the United States of America, and you’re saying that he USA pledges its allegiance to the Zionist state of Israel, just what the hell is going on!
I suspect John that you didn’t mis-speak, and that you and the rest of the Washington same-olds really do covertly pledge our allegiance to that foreign rogue state. That is why real and deep change needs to occur now. The betrayal of Americans and the flowing of noble blood for foreign tyrants must stop.
It’s a red herring to think that the ‘middle east problems’ are about Jews verses Arabs, or religion verses religion. These ‘problems’ are proxies for the simple greed and lust of ultra rich parties who are using our military, taxes, and the lives of young soldiers to enrich themselves even more and snuff out the last vestiges of humanity and decency we all possess. Really, it must be stopped.
Seems pretty low.
Let's change that, folks. Bush brought out the word dujour - appeaser. Republican Rep. Tom Davis says they must divorce themselves from Bush to win in November. Let's place the adjective of appeaser where it rightly belongs and that is on the GOP Congress who over the past many years gave Bush anything he wanted at the expense of all Americans.
SO THE APPEASERS, FOLKS, ARE THE GOP AND ANY OF THEIR HIT ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE
PLACATED TO THE BUSH/CHENEY CABAL.
Use the term "appeaser" regularily, folks, when speaking of the Bush administration and their enablers the GOP Congress.
BBC article about USAID food shipments to North Korea.
Food aid is a part of the negotiating process.
And North Korea's been accused of aiding both Syria
and Iran with nuclear development and is part of Bush's
Axis of evil (a term that recalls the fascist allies of WW2 -
including Japan)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7405497.stm
Sen. Barack Obama is our perfect Democratic candidate for President of these United States,he makes John Mccain, Boehner, Huckleberyy and especially George Bush the real idiots they are !!
I am sure the citizens of our great Nation cannot wait for the debates, so Sen. Obama can show the world what an idiot and liar Bush's twin brother John really is LOL !!!!
"I think the idea of Israel and the reality of Israel is one that I find important to me personally. Because it speaks to my history of being uprooted..."
What "history of being uprooted" does Barack refer to? Leaving the paradise island of Hawaii and going to Indonesia at the age of 6 and then returning back to Hawaii at the age of 10? Or going to live in Los Angeles after high school? Or leaving there to attend Columbia in New York?
He certainly can't be referring to his father, who came to America as an exchange student (of his own free will) and then abandoned the family when Barack was 2 years old. Barack holds NO claim to the African-American history of slavery.
This is stretching it, folks, to assume the mantle of the oppressed and compare yourself to the State of Israel -- a haven to survivors of the Holocaust and an oppressed minority throughout the world -- when your biggest trauma was being torn away from the beaches and basketball courts of Hawaii.
And bear in mind he made no claim that his experience was equivalent, only that his own experience made him sympathetic.
So you have it all figured out about what Obama meant? We don't allow repubs to interpret since we can all read the English very well.
DR has a better explanation since kids get moved around by their parents all the time and it is hard to settle in again to another school. We'll leave the pandering to John McCain "the green candidate", or the "send home the troops candidate".
I just saw Boehner being interviewed by Stephanopoulous on the Sunday a.m. show. He called the increase in gas prices the last year plus as the "Pelosi Premium." The man clearly doesn't care what comes out of his mouth and will twist words and lie in his desperation. To hold the last remnants of the Republican party above water.
Bottom line, they tied their boat to the neocons and their lead idiot, and rode the wave out to the middle of the ocean. Meanwhile, the neocons were jumping ship every nautical mile of the way while the ship took on water. They are now under water and Bush, in his alternate reality of a world, doesn't even know he's wet. Cheney, meanwhile, will sail away on the lifeboat of fortune he's collected from his war businesses.
Meanwhile, we're all back here in America dealing with runaway inflation (despite those fake CPI numbers), lost homes and no new jobs.
I don't believe it, Jay. Just having a little sport with the old "turnabout is fair play" thing. Republicans seem to twist the words of others so easily, they don't quite seem to realize how theirs can be twisted as well.
>Meanwhile, we're all back here in America dealing with runaway inflation (despite those fake CPI numbers), lost homes and no new jobs.<
I'd love to track down every Repug I've argued with over the last two years, on this blog and others, trying to make them realize that our economic picture was going Dorian Grey. Much as I hate to see folks learn the hard way, I do hope they now understand.
***
And Obama and his campaign simply invented the word "Obama" out of the word "Some".
"Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals..." Does anyone see Obama's name here? Kerry needs to check HIS 'actual meaning of English words'.
Before Bush spoke to the Knesset, a back door press release was issued telling some key reporters to listen carefully to Bush's speech because he'd be referring to Senator Obama in it.
unequivocally that THE BUSH ADMIN ALERTED THE PRESS THAT THE SHRUB WAS GOING TO SAY CONTROVERSIAL THINGS AT THE KNESSET. They sent out a lot of alerts, IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO THE SPPECH, guaranteeing that his "remarks" would be covered
They knew exactly what they were doing
What you call "crying foul" I call "fighting back", something Republican bullies aren't used to. But they better GET used to it.
Its a red herring to suggest there isn't criticism and a flat out lie to suggest the criticism is way out of proportion.
Israel is a Democracy last time I checked with many political parties and their Arab population which makes up about 1/5 of Israel fully represented as well. Very different from any Arab country in the entire region where Jews have been driven out if not killed, but no one ever mentions that fact.
As for its occupation of others, perhaps "others" ought to keep occupation and other ramifications in mind next time"others" decide to declare war - ooops didn't they just vote overwhelmingly for a political party that has vowed to destroy not only Israel but the Jews themselves?
You know grn1, you can't have it all ways or are you just against Israel defending its citizens or perhaps just against Israel in general or maybe against Arabs taking responsibility for literally anything they do ?
But what I think is that this constant wound, that this constant sore, does infect all of our foreign policy. The lack of a resolution to this problem provides an excuse for anti-American militant jihadists to engage in inexcusable actions, and so we have a national-security interest in solving this, and I also believe that Israel has a security interest in solving this because I believe that the status quo is unsustainable.
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It's embarrassing to see two or more fellow humans fighting over such an empty, meanngless load of gobble. The grandiloquent, done-nothing senator's silly "word salad" says absolutely nothing. It's what you might expect from someone who heard about Israel today for the first time, and wasn't really listening. However, I'm sure he said it very, very loftily.
It would be hilarious to see the likes of you try to elucidate what the grandiloquent, done-nothing tyro Obama thought he was saying, if anything.
P.S. "Anyway." (snicker)