The Poodle Gets Kicked
Actually, Joe set himself up. From the moment he set foot on Israeli soil, our vice president was in full pander mode.
First, he headed to Yad Vashem memorial, where he put on a yarmulke and declared Israel "a central bolt in our existence."
"For world Jewry," Joe went on, presumably including 5 million Americans, "Israel is the heart. . . . Israel is the light. . . . Israel is the hope."
Meeting Shimon Peres the next day, Joe confessed that when he first visited at age 29, "Israel captured my heart."
In Peres' guestbook, he wrote, "The bond between our two nations has been and remains unshakeable."
He then told Peres and the world, "There is absolutely no space between the United States and Israel when it comes to Israel's security."
As Peres spoke, Biden took notes. When Peres called him "a friend," Joe gushed, "It's good to be home."
Even at AIPAC, they must have been gagging.
Walking around the corner to Prime Minister Netanyahu's office, Joe called him by his nickname, "Bibi," declared him a "real" friend and said the U.S. relationship with Israel "has been and will continue to be the centerpiece of our policy."
Then the sandbag hit.
Interior Minister Eli Yishai announced construction of 1,600 new apartment units in Arab East Jerusalem. Stunned and humiliated, Biden issued a statement saying he "condemned" the decision.
He then retaliated by coming late to dinner at Bibi's house.
Netanyahu has apologized for the timing, but they are going ahead with the apartments. What are the Americans going to do about it? At this point, nothing but bluster.
Indeed, a day later, at Tel Aviv University, Joe was back at it: "(T)he U.S. has no better friend . . . than Israel."
On his departure for Jordan, Ha'aretz reported that Israel plans to build 50,000 new homes in East Jerusalem over the next few years.
Biden may feel he was played for a fool, and Americans may feel jilted, but we got what grovelers deserve. And if we wish to understand why the Arabs who once respected us now seem contemptuous of us, consider that battered-spouse response to a public slap across the face.
Consider also the most remarkable statement of Biden's first 24 hours.
"Progress occurs in the Middle East when everyone knows there is simply no space between the United States and Israel."
Biden is saying we are a more effective force for Mideast peace in a region where Arabs outnumber Israelis 50 to one if everyone knows we sing from the same song sheet as Israel and have no policy independent of Israel's.
How can America be seen as an honest broker between Arabs and Israelis if there is "no space" between America and Israel?
Even with the closest ally in our history, Britain in World War II, there was space between Winston Churchill and FDR on where to invade—North Africa, Italy, France, the Balkans?—whether to beat Stalin to Berlin, Prague and Vienna, who should be supreme allied commander, even whether the British Empire should survive.
Israel keeps its own interests foremost in mind, and when these dictate actions inimical to U.S. interests, Israel acts unilaterally. David Ben-Gurion did not seek Dwight Eisenhower's permission to attack Egypt in collusion with the French and British in 1956, enraging Ike.
Israel did not consult JFK on whether it could steal enriched uranium from the NUMEC plant in Pennsylvania for its atom bomb program.
Israel did not consult us on whether it could attack the USS Liberty in the Six-Day War, or suborn Jonathan Pollard to loot our security secrets, or transfer our weapons technology to China. They went ahead and did it, knowing the Americans would swallow hard and take it.
Ehud Olmert did not consult President-elect Obama on whether to launch a war on Gaza and kill 1,400 Palestinians. Nor did Netanyahu consult us before Mossad took down the Hamas minister in Dubai.
What Netanyahu and Yishai are telling Obama with their decision to keep building on occupied land is, "When it comes to East Jerusalem and the West Bank, we decide, not you."
And if Netanyahu has jolted Joe and others out of their romantic reveries about Israel, good. At least now we no longer see as through a glass darkly.
Israeli and U.S. interests often run parallel, but they are not the same. Israel is concerned with a neighborhood. We are concerned with a world of 300 million Arabs and a billion Muslims. Our policies cannot be the same.
If they are, we will end up with all of Israel's enemies, who are legion, and only Israel's friends, who are few.
And if our policy and Israel's are one and the same, the Arab perception will be what it is today—that America cannot stand up to Israel, even when her national interests command it.
Joe's performance before he got the wet mitten across the face only underscored the point: The mighty superpower is a poodle of Israel.
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The question in foreign affairs is not always, "Why do they hate us?" Sometimes the question should be, "Why do they not respect us?" The answer is obvious: "It is hard to respect a gaggle of duplicious milk-sops."
Whatever the political differencess between the likes of Pat Buchanan and Benjamin Netanyahu, at least they resemble men in their actions. Pat is right when he says, "What Netanyahu and Yishai are telling Obama with their decision to keep building on occupied land is, When it comes to East Jerusalem and the West Bank, we decide, not you.” Fair enough, but are there not other matters closer to home that America should be deciding instead of Israel?
For instance it has been reported that, U.S. Miltary leaders had been tasked in December by the chief of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) to submit reports to him about the impact of Washington’s failure to make progress on Israeli-Palestinian peace on the perceptions of Arab leaders on U.S. standing and influence.
The result was a briefing presented to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Michael Mullen, in January and subsequently communicated to the White House that underlined the growing conviction in the region that "the U.S. was incapable of standing up to Israel, that CENTCOM’s mostly Arab constituency was losing faith in American promises, that Israeli intransigence on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was jeopardizing U.S. standing in the region, ....
If the Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan are going to be doing some of the heavy lifting in that part of the world for the forseeable future, what's wrong with hearing a little from their leaders who also speak and act like men --- As we when they say: "You do whatever you need to do, and we will do whatever we need to do."
Mr. Buchanan, President Obama's offense at Isreal's expansion, and Israel's reaction to his offense, are a start in no longer aligning ourselves with them.
The date of this piece happens to be the anniversary of the IDF's reckless or willful killing of an American college sudent, Rachel Corey, who was crushed when a bulldozer that was razing a Palestinian home rolled over her, stopped, and then backed up and rolled over her again.
It is nearly impossible to believe that the Israeli soldier who was driving the bulldozer did not see her. Shades of the U.S.S. Liberty--except that this girl was a civilian, not a soldier in uniform.
The State of Israel whitewashed the whole affair. Why be surprised?
I wouldn't hold my breath on our finally "seeing the light" with Israel.
Yes, beautiful, young Rachel Corey was dragged back and forth beneath an Israeli army bulldozer. A photo of her just before the incident shows her standing on a pile of dirt with a bullhorn, so they murdered her in the knowledge the MSM here would whitewash the story, and America's dishonor was complete. Joe Biden's kissing the hand that just slapped his face only confirms the obvious.
The dispensationalists had Bush's back on Israel. They have Obama's back, too. They will tolerate a lot, even on issues like abortion and gay marriage, if Obama does not stray from Israel. It would seem that Biden's visit, at least the "words" associated with it, was aimed at securing their support.
Mr. Peters,
Would you mind to briefly explain dispensationalists to me? Its history, affiliations and wealth? It is hard for me to understand how or why anyone would or could believe anything of Rev. Hagee or Binny Hinn. But I understand from my friends that it is not sheer emotionalism, borderline hysteria or glossalia. My question then, what is it? It is not like any Southern Baptist or Assembly of God congregation I have ever seen or heard. Thank you.
robbertll @ 7
There are likely folks who frequent these fora who can better explain dispensationalism than can I; for instance, Aaron Wolf, among others; however, I deal with dispensationalism as the primary view of eschatology among fellow Baptist. It was not always so. In the local congregation of my youth, dispensationalism was not preached, taught or embraced, although it has had a hold on much of conservative Protestantism since the advent of the 20th century. While those who hold to dispensationalism will claim New Testament and early church antecedents, the "theology" thereof was formalized by and most closely associated with John Nelson Darby and C.I. Schofield. The Scofield Commentary Bible of the King James Version has become a "word" unto itself among many dispensationalist.
In summary, there are three "competing" forms of dispensationalism: tradition, progressive and hyper.
Dispensationalists hold that there are either six or four dispensations.
Important to my post is that dispensationalist believe that Israel and the Church as separate dispensations and that there will be, based thereon, a literal restoration of Israel, quite apart from the Church. This restored Israel heralds "the end times." This has a political impact, because those who hold to dispensationalism believe that people or nations who thwart, directly or indirectly, God's purpose for establishing a literal Israel will incur God's wrath. Good are those who support such an establishment.
If I recall, the notion of the "rapture," the stealth return of Christ, was a spawn of Increase and Cotton Mather. It made a sojourn in Scotland and returned via Darby to the U.S. Most who hold to the rapture and dispensationalism hold that the "Church" will be "raptured" prior to the "tribulation," which will be a literal seven years and during which Israel, the literal, reestablished one, will be "tried."
Dispensationalism, the rapture and the literal Israel were jump started in the popular culture of "Christian" religion by Hal Lindsey's book The Late Great Planet Earth in the 1970's.
My simple understanding of all of this as a layman is that dispensationalism, the literal Israel and the rapture represent a return of both the Judaizers and the Gnostics heretics to the Church.
In the context of Mr. Buchanan's article, it is dangerous because a huge block of voters and influential people have the core of their faith tied to this set of errors and will give no quarter is supporting Israel, to the detriment of the welfare of these states united if necessary.
"And if Netanyahu has jolted Joe and others out of their romantic reveries about Israel, good. At least now we no longer see as through a glass darkly."
Obviously he did what he did because he thinks he has friends in high places i.e. Congress, who will allow him to so.
However this is an opportunity for the first time since the Bush I Administration to split the establishment on support for Israel which encourage or more questioning and dissent over U.S. policy in the Middle East. Anything the Obama Administration does to re-order that relation in the wake of Joe Biden's Humiliation Tour, should be strongly encouraged.
In fact we should egg the Administration on after they got the sand kicked in their faces.
The quote from Sarah Palin below speaks for itself (from her blog). Is PJB being disingenuous when he writes like the above while zealously advocating Sarah Palin and the Tea baggers as representative of "conservatism," or is he ignorant that the politicians who maintain the "intimacy" with Israel the most are PJB's allies. And how many more American soldiers will die due to the actions of al Qaeda's "combat multipliers," Israel and the "American Right"?
Fro Sarah's blog:
"Once again, the Obama Administration is missing the boat on a very, very important issue. They need to go back to the basics and acknowledge Palestinian leaders have not progressed any peace process since President Obama was elected. As Israel makes concessions (and is still criticized by the Obama Administration), Arab leaders are just sitting back waiting for the White House to further pressure Israel. The Obama Administration needs to open its eyes and recognize that it is only Iran and her terrorist allies that benefit from this manufactured Israeli controversy. Vice President Biden was actually right when he said last week, before the construction announcement, that “one necessary precondition for progress is that the rest of the world knows...there is absolutely no space between the United States and Israel when it comes to security.” Right now, thanks to the Obama Administration, there is a chasm. It’s time for President Obama to push the reset button on our relations with our ally Israel."
So, what else is new?
#8 Mr. Peters,
Many thanks. You are a gem of a teacher and writer. rr
#8 Mr. Peters,
Many thanks. You are a gem of a teacher and writer.
Poor Joe though he was in Brooklyn that's all...............
When Mrs. Clinton meets with Mr. Netanyahu next week, she should afix to her ample backside a "Kick me!" sign emblazoned with the official seal of The United States first.
In fact, it should now be required that all US officials wear them whenever in Israel.
Here's a project suggestion for Sarah Palin, and the Republicans (et tu PJB?); start a Habitat for Humanity project for Israeli "settlors," to accelerate the developments in the West Bank. A TV series could be developed around it. Of course Democrats like Joe Biden would demand to be part of it but let's not forget that no matter how much Biden pandered; if Sarah Palin were VP today, she'd of demanded of the Israelis that she be allowed to be the one to announce construction of 1,600 new apartment units in Arab East Jerusalem, not the Israeli Interior Minister.