Republican Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty is performing a political move to make a name for himself by giving a speech deriding Obama’s response to the Arab Spring. The speech is “being billed as a major foreign policy address” from the very guy who has trouble distinguishing Iraq from Iran.
Although not as manically jingoist as his fellow candidate Rick Santorum, Pawlenty gives the same old rap that every Republican attempts to give a Democratic President: You’re too soft and don’t love Israel enough.
“He has been timid, slow, and too often without a clear understanding of our interests or a clear commitment to our principles,” Pawlenty is to say.
[…] Pawlenty, the conservative former governor of Minnesota, will say that it is essential that the United States make clear its unabashed support for Israel.
“Israeli-Palestinian peace is further away now than the day Barack Obama came to office. But that does not have to be a permanent situation. We must recognize that peace will only come if everyone in the region perceives clearly that America stands strongly with Israel,” he is to say.
The first comment about timidity and lack of understanding of our interests or principles carries almost no information at all. It is a catchall crafted to let people write in their own vague grievances with Obama’s foreign policy. It’s no different than “Change you can believe in” in that the change can be a million different things to a million different people listening. Additionally, Obama has acted out every hawkish, interventionist, imperial wetdream in response to the Arab Spring in presumably the same way Pawlenty would have conformed perfectly to the national security culture that subsumes the bubble of presidential life. Despite what the speech is made to seem like, the policies of the two men are virtually identical; Pawlenty is just playing on people’s preconceived political grievances which have been ingrained in the public’s collective mind for decades.
As for not showing Israel enough support, this is too clearly false to warrant an explanation. But it must be said if the speech is going to accomplish its goals. First, play on the ignorant public’s feelings. Second, pander to the Israel lobby.
Does the US give aid to Israel and should it be stopped? Absolutely yes. But the US gives the Arabs four times as much money. That should also be stopped. End ALL US foreign aid, not just to Israel.
The United States does not give Arabs four times as much money! Arab countries are not allowed to bid on all Federal Government contracts — Israel is. Arab countries do not have trade agreements with the United States such as Israel has that are only beneficial to Israel at the expense of the U.S. Indeed, Israel was spying on the U.S. trade negotiators when the agreement was drafted and received everything they requested. U.S. citizens are taxed for Israel which has "free" college education for its citizens while the U.S. middle class struggles to educate its children. It is claimed that the U.S. cannot even afford tax credits for what U.S. families spend for tuition. Israel has a 6% unemployment rate while the U.S. has 9% acknowledged but a higher rate if all are counted. All contributions to Israel are tax deductions while U.S. citizens are too often denied deductions for projects that aid the poor of our country. Israel receives U.S. aid in cash — no other country in the world receives "cash dollars" in foreign aid!
Israle gets all its money upfront, so it can earn interest on it. It is also has special exemptions on the use of that money.
Yes Israel receives U.S. "cash" and gains interest paid while the United States citizens "pay" interest on the cash Congress borrows in order to give money to Israel. The U.S. Congress considers this a "good" deal for the citizens of the U.S. who are taxed to pay for the borrowed money as well as the interest due. We have to vote out all the current members of Congress. They do not seem to recogize they are treating we taxpayers as "suckers" for Israel.
Furthermore, there should be no aid given to any country that has a lower unemployment rate than the United States, and has the money to offer its citizens free education through college and professional degrees while U.S. students and middle class families struggle to educate their children. No Israeli doctor graduates with loans; while U.S. doctors graduate with loans as high as $150,000-200,000 owed. It is time to vote out all current members of Congress! Interest groups such as AIPAC may be able to buy the Congress — but we have the votes!
Are you all not aware that most of the aid money Israel receives come back to the US for subsidies on jets? Foregin aid is bad for both the country giving the aid and the country reveiving the aid. Why are we trying to only bash Israel for this? The US government should get the blame for this ridiculous foreign policy.