Everyone knows that the Israelis are pressing hard for the Obama administration to set a a relatively short-term deadline for progress in its prospective diplomatic engagement with Iran to bear fruit, after which it would move to tighten sanctions, hopefully in coordination with the EU and the other permanent members of the UN Security Council, against Tehran. If, after an additional period of time, Iran proved unresponsive, the Israelis hope that Washington would either take military action on its own or give the green light to Jerusalem to do so. By all accounts, Prime Minister Netanyahu will make some understanding about such a time line his Priority Number One in his talks with Obama in the White House Monday.
Now, on the eve of those talks, the administration appears to be preemptively rejecting this pressure, at least publicly. How else to interpret the following exchange today between reporters and State Department spokesman Ian Kelly about a report in Thursday’s Wall Street Journal headlined, “U.S., Allies Set October Target for Iran Progress: If Benchmarks on Nuclear Negotiations Aren’t Met, Sanctions Would Follow…†and an earlier — and remarkably similar — report that appeared May 10 in Haaretz? Read the rest of this entry »
We will know whether Israel and America are ready to split the sheets when Obama goes to Cairo next month to outline his Israeli/Palestinian peace plan. If Obama sets firm dates for a Palestinian state to be created, expect the “spoiled brat” colony to howl in outrage. If Obama buys into Bibi’s “Iran must be dealt with first” schtick, it’ll be samo-samo.
Pretense. It’s all pretense. Obama will do EXACTLY as Bibi commands.
Israel is going to be the ruin of America.
All this talk about tension between Obama and Netanyahu is a lot of BS. Its the typical good cop/bad cop maneuver. Anybody with just a morsel of sense would have suspected something extraordinary was afoot when a black African with the name Hussein was elected president of the U.S., and even more bizzare his wife in a photo-op with the Queen of England–the epitome of royalty–in violation of all protocal, her arms wrapped around her waist. Well, the Chinese only this week let the cat out of the bag. The strategy, accordingly, is aimed at China. Netanyahu would make a lot of noise about attacking Iran and Obama would win Iran’s goodwill and gratitude (which it hoped to turn into a strategic advantage) by cautioning restraint. This would result in short-circuiting China/Islamic relations, thereby cutting off an essential energy souce to China. The unexpected blacklash that seems to be materializing, however, is that China now says it is prepared to sell a sophisticated missile defense system to Iran, and henceforth will supply defense weapons to Syria and its surrogates, Hizbollah and Hamas, also any other Arab nation that so desire. What we do not know, however, is how far China would be willing to play this game. John Kurius
I’m so sick of seeing these little glimmers of hope come and go. Remember the Chas Freeman glimmer? Weren’t we all so excited?
AIPAC always, always, always wins. Israel owns America and will continue to destroy us for its own purposes, until we’re all used up and wiped out, and that’s it. It’s safer not to invest oneself in any hope whatsoever.
“Israel owns America and will continue to destroy us for its own purposes, until we’re all used up and wiped out…”
That is what parasites do.
I am sure you are right (in fact, I wouldn’t bet a dime against a C note on it) but, I am willing to wait another 20 days to give Obama a chance. I did have high hopes that a street-smart black man might see thru another Zionist con job better than some WASP jock with a low IQ was able to do.
Eric,
I am sure you are right. But I am willing to wait another couple of weeks to see if Obama will do the right thing. I am sure that Obama, given his time on the streets of Chicago, must be able to recognize Bibi’s game as another 3 card “follow the queen” street con. Some dope from Midlands Texas might not, but Obama should.
Let me rephrase my comment more bluntly – I am interested to know if our Mid East policy is based upon treason or just stupidity
It’s based upon what AIPAC wants. Since AIPAC is only loyal to Israel and couldn’t care less about America you can’t call that treason. At least not on AIPAC’s part. You could say it is treasonous of America’s corrupt, dysfunctional, bought and paid for political establishment to allow all this to happen. Stupidity is also a big part of it. The apathy and indifference of the American sheeple, many of whom are also very stupid, plays a role too. It really is amazing how one small, determined group has been able to so completely hijack the foreign policy of such a huge and powerful country and substitute their own – one that is so at odds with said country’s own best interests. Nothing points to the corruption and dysfunctionality of American politics better then AIPAC does.
For about a year now, Lobe has been wearing rose colored glasses when it comes to Obama, portraying him as offering a credible counterpoise to AIPAC’s ownership of our Middle East policy. The time for the definitive test on that question has come and gone: Charles Freeman. No less a Stephin Fetchit for the Lobby than for the financial interests, Obama is proving himself day after day to be the amoral filth most here knew he would be last year at this time. Over at Counterpunch, Paul Craig Roberts does a much better job than I’d ever do laying out the problem:
http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts05142009.html
There is but one solution to this dilema and it has absolutely nothing to do with elections or third parties: Direct action. Nothing, not one syntilla of meaningful change will be experienced in connection with the on-going outrage that is American political life until the citizenry is prepared to change its fundamental structure through demonstrations and the general strike.
Obama is a joke, but it is certainly good to see that Obama has decided to take Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan down with America, and his presidency.
Is Ross in Trouble?NO!
The US,and the world is in big trouble.