Barack Obama and Israel: More GOP Lies
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.
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John, this is why the Republicans will suffer a massive political defeat in November. People are frankly tired of their lies, distortions, and their nonsense. The best way to fight them, as Barack recently said, is with the TRUTH. Expose them for the frauds and liars that they are. It is their inability to cope and deal with reality on a one-to-one basis that has exposed the United States and its citizens to all sorts of problems. And the consequences for their toxic skulduggery will become painfully evident to them in November. Their three recent congressional losses in what were once strong Republican districts should be an important harbinger of things to come. And it can't happen soon enough.
This is excellent advice. Assuming you democrats are squeaky clean yourselves. Therein lies the problem.
I don't usually like the technique of calling on a politician to "reject and denounce" something that someone else has said. Most of the time when this tactic is used the politician clearly had no relationship with the controversial statement.
This case is different. These two men are obviously serving as attack dogs for John McCain. Combine McCain's "Hamas comments" with the idea that these two men "coincidentally"came up with the EXACT SAME MISINTERPRETATION reveals the presence of a coordinated effort. Someone is feeding these talking points to members of Congress. Since the obvious beneficiary is the McCain campaign, they have to be at the top of our list of suspects.
McCain should be called upon to "reject and denounce" these comments.
Boehner and Cantor are why the American people don't trust their gov't. They are an example of why the Republican party is falling apart.
John Boehner never had, does not have and will never have any ethics. One day in the not too distant future the illegal underhanded dealings of Boehner will come to light and a thorough examination of him will show him for the crook he is, profiting from his position in Congress.
tell that to Senator Feinstein's husband or Nacy Pelosi's brother in law.....they all steal from the gov't....it isn't an exclusive GOP affliction
The Republicans have no morals, no dignity, respect, we have 8 years of proof, of what the Republicans have done to this Country, that will take 20 years or more to recover from.
Republicans say one thing and do the other, and it usually costs people their lives and their livelihoods. No morals and no dignity...well put.
Republicans know that Americans (in fact the whole world) are really sick and tired of their brand of dirty politics, and yet they keep at it. As to why, I keep remembering the story of the frog and the scorpion. As they are both sinking into the depths, the frog asks the scorpion why he did it, even though he knew it would result in both of their deaths. "I knew I said I wouldn't do it, but it's in my nature."
The neo-cons have been practicing their particular brand of dirty politics for over 50 years, and it is so deeply ingrained into their psyche that they cannot do anything else, even though they realise intellectually that the public has come to detest them for it.
Apparently you have studied republican politics more than democratic politics. Ever hear of Chicago and the dead voters for JFK? How about Lyndon Johnson? If you democrats ever want to draw yourselves up out of the slime you live in you must be more honest about your own inadequacies. Republicans are going through something similar to what you went through after only two years of Slick Willie.
Kerry, I just watched "hacking democracy".
Why didn't you challenge the whole paperless electronic voting fraud like you promised?
A two state solution can not work. Only equal rights for all people living in Palestine (the land between Lebanon and Egypt) and an equal vote can work. One State with justice and rule of law for all. This would include the prosecution of criminals that have stolen land and kill civilians. A return of all stolen property. A land of justice rather than torture, murder and genocide.
Why should Irael have to change its name to Palestine, a name given it by the Romans just to upset them? To satisfy you?? Thanks Sen. Kerry for telling the true story-don't let this guy get swift-boated by these lies! I am a strong supporter of Israel, and will vote for Obama , should he be the Dem nominee! It's the Repukes who continue to put pressure on Israel-especially Condi and Chimpy-and of course-Cheney-the oil cartel's best pals!
The Palestinians had their own independent, sovereign state handed to them on a silver platter by the United Nations in 1948. Instead of gracefully accepting independence, the way the Jews did, the Palestinians and their allies chose the route of genocide, war and bigotry by attacking Israel.
The result of that was a small loss of Palestinian territory to Israel -- and the complete takeover of the vast majority of Palestinian land by Egypt and Jordan. The Egyptians and Jordanians then condemned hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to live in squalid refugee camps, with no political rights, for the next twenty years. The West Bank and Gaza only ended up under Israeli rule in 1967, after Israel responded to a crippling blockade (blockades are acts of war under international law) and a lengthy unprovoked rocket barrage coming from Syria.
I support a two-state solution because there is no way these two populations can coexist in the same country. The UN made that decision in 1948 and they were right -- as subsequent history has shown.
Thank you, Senator Kerry...you're the best!!!
What happened in this case typifies why the nation is rejecting Republicans in race after race.
The GOP has a choice. They can foreswear the use of mostrous dirty tricks and big lies, and try to work with the rest of the nation toward a better future, or they can continue the policies that we have all come to recognise and despise, and that leave us all with no choice but to reject them.
One cannot compromise with leaders who embrace lies and dirty tricks as standard operating procedure. Only sincere, considered positions on important issues deserve to be taken seriously. Hate mongering and lies are not a great position from which to bargain.
"Hate mongering and lies are not a great position from which to bargain"
Well they have been for 30 years. It is just that the obvious truths of the economy, heathcare, and the war cannot be spun so easily as a, year over year, gradual decline in American prosperity, the reason they were chosen in the first place.
Republican policies never made any sense. I was there when Reagan got elected, and have witnessed and counted the days and dilution of American prospects. The foxes were put in charge of the hen house and the chickens are finally figuring out that the foxes do not care if they live or die, even though he probably should. But then they would not be foxes.
A loser like Kerry should be seen and not heard. If Obama has a problem with what these two guys in the GOP said about him, let him fight it out. Kerry had his chance to fight the Republicans four years ago and we all know how that turned out. Every time he opens his mouth, John McCain comes that much closer to the White House.
In sports a loser does not make the playoffs, let alone go to the SuperBowl. Kerry didn't get the ring, but the public was more to blame than he. People voted for the idiot instead of the smart guy. They do that because, statistically, half of Americans are below the IQ curve. All you have to do is get 51%.
Sure, whatever you liberals have to tell yourselves to justifying losing election after election.
Kerry is a great asset to Obama which is why he chose him as his surrogate. If the GOP leadership said something untrue about our presumptive nominee than every dem should stand up for Obama and defend him and that is just what Kerry is doing. The blame for the 2004 loss lies with the American people who vote for Bush not Kerry.
Who is John Kerry?...oh yea... that duck hunting loser from 2004..another phony.
John Kerry, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart. Swiftboat that if you want.
Kerry's problem was that the time had not come for the public to switch from Republicans. The public was behind the curve. Had the election been held in Nov. 2005, the results would have been entirely different.
Everything he and Obama had said about Iraq had been illustrated in spades by then. Do not try and discredit a man for being right and the public not being bright enough to realize it.
Kerry is a war hero who served his country with honor and integrity.
John Kerry who didn't even finish his first tour of duty because of a cut and a splinter.
How was your tour?
Loser? My senator is a Great American. He is a war hero and generous public servant. Please show him some respect.
When a Republican opens his mouth a lie is about to ensue. I am old enough to remember I time when there were political consequences for being caught in a lie. Nixon was brought down by it.
But then Reagan was not able to recall funding the Contras and the whole world changed. Bill never had sex with that woman. Kerry did not earn his Purple Hearts. McCain had an illegitimate love child. Sadam had WMD and we do not torture. Hillary was never for NAFTA.
The Fourth Estate is to blame for opening this floodgate. The politicization of journalism has enabled the campaign of lies to be every bit as effective a persuader as a well considered argument. The public seems to have concluded that it is necessary to lie in order to beat the liars. It shows ‘toughness’.
So American politics is reduced to screaming heads on TV competing for the most evocative sound bite, emulating the genre that, itself, is a parody of civil discourse.
I don’t know about you, but I watch TV, and seldom, to ascertain what the studio heads are thinking and not to attend to their spin on what is news. The unfiltered information morass of the internet is more likely to yield truth, even though it is more work.
Damn few, if any, politicians can be counted on to offer fact over fiction. This does not bode well for America’s future. Still the mind recoils at that destiny.
Obama's entire campaign platform is based on changing this. When he talks about change, this is exactly what he means. If if you're totally skeptical of his authenticity, you have to give credit to the fact that he's really the only major presidential candidate in the last 20 years who's made this issue a focal point (only other exception being McCain in 2000 - not now of course).
Just more mumb-jumbo garbage. When Barack Obama was in the Illinois legislature, he was very sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, and had close ties to professor and humanitarian activist, Edward Said. However, now that he is on the verge of the presidency, he has completely changed his tune and fallen in line with the status quo regarding Israel: "Israel is our ally" "Israel has a special significance for me" etc etc etc...Why? Political survival. Israel is the one remaining taboo topic in this country. You do not dare criticize it if you plan to seek political office.
I say grow some damn balls and speak the truth for once, somebody....anybody! Ralph Nader is the only one I have heard who is not afraid to speak the truth about this issue. The bottom line is the greatest obstacle to peace has been Israeli/American rejectionism over the last 30 years. Put your bias aside (whichever side it is on), do the research, review the documentary record, and you will reach no other logical conclusion. The truth is there, but it's buried underneath the propoganda from the mainstream media, from politicians, and from powerful lobby groups.
I do not like my tax dollars being used for killing, expelling and humiliating Palestinians...or anyone else for that matter!
Said was a good man. The problem with the AIPAC worldview is that they automatically assume that the majority has ingested the poison, that we think that Palestinians should somehow forfeit their human rights. They are wrong. This country has more moral vision than they allow. The ME hypocrisy is being enforced by threats and money, and it is not the true view of the majority.
Said was a good man. His defense of the Palestinians was humanistic and not Islamist:
"I have spent a great deal of my life during the past 35 years advocating the rights of the Palestinian people to national self-determination, but I have always tried to do that with full attention paid to the reality of the Jewish people and what they suffered by way of persecution and genocide. The paramount thing is that the struggle for equality in Palestine/Israel should be directed toward a humane goal, that is, co-existence, and not further suppression and denial.'
His parents were Palestinian Christians.
I recall hearing him play the piano in his apartment across the hall from mine when I lived in Columbia University housing in the early 80's.
Nader is Lebanese and pro Arab! I personally saw his anti-Israel diatribe when he announced for the presidency-again- on Meet The Press! He is no fair arbiter here-get the facts right-then open up your big mouth-but do it in that order,for crissakes!!!
So, anti-Arab/pro-Israel is your idea of fair. Nader is far more knowledgeable and clear sighted about the Middle East than any Democratic or Republican politician.
Wow, you are pretty passionate about this. Are you an ardent card-member carrying Zionist?! No answer necessary - it's pretty clear.
Here is the Ralph Nader "diatribe" on Meet The Press you referred to regarding Palestine/Israel. Everything he says is rational, logical and absolutely true (starts at 1:30).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz7EkulVyHo
Whether the next President is Obama, Clinton, or McCain is irrelevant, as it pertains to the question of Palestine, because they are all in line with the status quo: unconditional support for Israel's illegal occupation of another people and another peoples' land.
I had heard that Barack was sympathetic to the Palestinian Cause, if the American People were told the truth about the two sides of this issue, American's would be more sympathetic to the Palestinians too. I have heard polls that 65% of the people living in Israel don't like the way the Palestinians are being treated. Israel may be an ally, but God forbid you say anything negative about poor little Israel, or your considereded Anti-Semetic.
The bottom line is this, Israel needs to give up all the land it has taken, stolen, and bulldozed, back to the Palestinians, Syria & Lebanon, according to the original agreements in 1967. Israel should change its behavior towards this issue, quit starving and making the Palestinians live in an Over-sized Prison Camp. Until Israel changes its behavior, they will have no peace, you can't back people into a corner and expect them not to try and get out.
To John Kerry, the American People are more aware of what is going on than you think. It is G.W. Bush failure in the last 8 years to do anything to bring peace anywhere in the World. He has created more havic in the World than most Americans can can possibly imagine or realize that he has done. The next President, Barak Obama, will have to address the uproar in the Middle East that is brewing quickly..
The great thing is that this lowly disinformation crap is working less and less. For example, I give you todays MS special house seat election; third in a row for Dems in very red territory.(LA, IL, MS) Hope is a wonderful thing! Those who deny having it are patent liars.
This is just the tip of the iceberg! My friends here in Hawaii have been talking about how far the wingnuts will go to avoid losing control of the Justice Dept and being investigated for multiple crimes, and maybe a few trips to the Hague.
Many of us believe that wingers in Israel and America have a plan to let Israel bomb Syria, Lebanon, and/or Iran before the election. We think their plan is to have America jump in to help Israel, and try to get the Jewish vote to desert the dems by saying that Obama or Clinton hate Jewish people. They will try to force the country into a new war right before the election, and say anyone who disagrees hates Israel.
Boner and Cunter are just jumping the gun a little, because they see their careers ending If the dems get huge majorities in the house and senate. Some may even go to jail. They want the bombing to start now, but Cheney/Rove want to wait until September.
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