President Obama's visit to Israel has caused some hand-wringing among his supporters. His backing of the isolated country was strongly apparent on Wednesday during a press conference with Prime Minister Netanyahu, thankfully; but not everyone was pleased the presidential visit.
Photo Source: Majdi Fathi via Facebook
Although the White House and Israeli officials have been "playing down expectations" that the trip will result in peace or will affect the Iranian nuclear program, As noted by theTimes.co.uk, it is refreshing that Obama spoke strongly of America's continued friendship and support for Israel. Foreseeably, anti-Israel activists and some in the left-wing mainstream media were less than impressed.
Ahead of the trip, Palestinian activists took to the street, where they indulged in their typical United States flag-burning and shoe-throwing activities.
Photo Source: Nasser Shiyoukhi/AP via TheTimes.co.uk
Much angst and speculation was expressed by the some in the mainstream media over the president's trip. For example, Janine Zacharia of Slate, clearly not a fan of Israel, said that the White House was "rewarding" Netanyahu's backing of Mitt Romney. She desperately tells her readers that "Netanyahu will be seen as the victor in his battle with Obama..." which goes to show that for some on the radical left, politics trumps common sense.
John Cassidy of the New Yorker laments, "What is Obama really up to?" He speculates that perhaps he is simply being diplomatic by "visiting a close ally," while "playing to the Israel lobby?" But perhaps Obama's real reason, Cassidy wonders, is that the visit is "a precursor to something more serious: a determined effort to restart the peace process and achieve a two-state solution before it's too late?" It is interesting that even fans of the president do not take his intentions at face value. Despite the murmuring and despite the President's "real" intentions, it is reassuring that President Obama has come out strongly in support of Israel.
Watch the Press Conference here:
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Comments: 32
Israel honors Obama
In another symbolic moment, Obama received Israel's highest civilian honor -- the Presidential Medal of Distinction -- Thursday night from Israeli President Shimon Peres at a state dinner that emphasized the close ties between their countries.
Love it!
Renee Nal Mar 22, 2013, 11:58am EDT
I don't trust him for one second, Nikita. He has already shown himself to be a liar.
Gerald Ford never visited either. And the most recent GOP President, George W. Bush, waited until his final year in office to visit the Holy Land, twice, obviously thinking it less important than the 77 presidential trips he made to his ranch instead. Mitt Romney didn't visit Israel until his 2012 Presidential campaign that he just happen to lose.
Probably because he had far more important things to do when he was President like forging better relations with Russia which by the way began the ending of the cold war. Has British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, his staunch ally, wrote that Reagan had "achieved the most difficult of all political tasks, changing attitudes and perceptions about what is possible. From the strong fortress of his convictions, he set out to enlarge freedom the world over at a time when freedom was in retreat—and he succeeded.
When he was not doing that he was rekindling a sense of the possible, rescuing America from defeatism and much of the world from tyranny. He restored your country's confidence in the presidency itself.
In between doing all that and many more things he was recovering from a bullet wound when John Hinckley, Jr tried to kill him
No wonder he never went to Israel the fact is he never had time.
Or maybe this might help you understand how wrong you are...
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/israeli-defense-minister-praises-obama-doing-more-for-israeli-security-than-previous-presidents/
Renee, didnt it take him 5 yrs though to visit there?
When words are written people have a tendency to inject their own meaning when that meaning was not intended. When one speaks with the voice there is no cover up, the voice speaks for itself.
President George W. Bush declares if anyone in his administration had anything to do with revealing the identity of a CIA agent they will be fired. But he accepted the resignation and then commuted the sentence. President George W. Bush swears they are not using any wire taps with out a warrant. A few days later, yes we are. President George W. Bush cut his vacation short by three days because of Katrina, then claims that they could not get into New Orleans to help rescue, meanwhile dozens of people were down there doing just that and it isn't there job. President Bush admits lying to congress, the US and the UN about having proof of WMDs because "Saddam was an evil man and needed to be stopped" When asked why he lied about it he said he doesn't believe the citizens of this country are intelligent enough to understand that. Bush administration caught using personal email accounts (yahoo and such) in an attempt to circumvent the right to monitor emails, oh and the mere fact they did that was illegal also. Several members of Bush administration ignored and found in contempt of congress when they refused to go before congress despite the fact they were served subpoenas.
Since you mention Bush (no shocker there), let's take a look at your criticisms, shall we?
Warrantless Wiretapping,
CIA Firing Threats, Katrina
Bush lied about Iraq
Perhaps, but if he did, many others did as well....
"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line."
- President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998
"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program."
- President Bill Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998
"We must stop Saddam from ever again jeopardizing the stability and security of his neighbors with weapons of mass destruction."
- Madeline Albright, Feb 1, 1998
"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983."
- Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998
"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs."
Letter to President Clinton.
- (D) Senators Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, others, Oct. 9, 1998
"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process."
- Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998
"Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies."
- Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999
"We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandate of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and th! e means of delivering them."
- Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002
"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country."
- Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
"Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power."
- Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction."
- Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002
"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons..."
- Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002
"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force -- if necessary -- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security."
- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002
"There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years ... We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction."
- Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002
"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members ... It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons."
- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002
"We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction."
- Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), Dec. 8, 2002
"Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real..."
- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003
List of Democrats who Voted for Iraq War
Max Baucus (Mont.)
Evan Bayh (Ind.)
Joe Biden (Del.)
John Breaux (La.)
Maria Cantwell (Wash.)
Jean Carnahan (Mo.)
Tom Carper (Del.)
Max Cleland (Ga.)
Hillary Clinton (N.Y.)
Tom Daschle (S.D.)
Christopher Dodd (Conn.)
Byron Dorgan (N.D.)
John Edwards (N.C.)
Dianne Feinstein (Calif.)
Tom Harkin (Iowa)
Fritz Hollings (S.C.)
Tim Johnson (S.D.)
John Kerry (Mass.)
Herb Kohl (Wis.)
Mary Landrieu (La.)
Joe Lieberman (Conn.)
Blanche Lincoln (Ark.)
Zell Miller (Ga.)
Ben Nelson (Neb.)
Bill Nelson (Fla.)
Harry Reid (Nev.)
John Rockefeller (W.Va.)
Charles Schumer (N.Y.)
Bob Torricelli (N.J.)
Bush administration caught using personal email accounts (yahoo and such) in an attempt to circumvent the right to monitor emails,
refused to go before congress despite the fact they were served subpoenas.