Hubris

After more than four years of dumping on the Israeli Prime Minister, Bibi Netanyahu, (refusing to meet with him in New York, making him exit the White House via the back door, etc.), President Obama has made a dramatic u-turn with his first trip to Israel and the Israelis don’t know why (see: Breitbart Story ).  Actually they do suspect why … Obama’s over-sized ego has caused him to try to reach around Netanyahu and influence Israeli politics directly with his charming personality and good looks.  This tactic has worked for Obama his entire life so why not pull a Cairo (as he did in the early days of his Presidency with his speech there) and make his case directly to the people … particularly the young people … see: FT Story.

Perhaps the looming Iranian nuclear threat is one reason he wants the Israeli citizenry on his side when he opts for containment rather than confrontation when Iran finally has the bomb (my on-going speculation)?  Possibly, another aim is that he wants the Israelis to embrace Egypt’s President Morsi and the Arab Brotherhood like he himself has?  And maybe he will also try to influence them to stop their West Bank settlement expansions?  We will have to wait to hear his speech to the Israeli students to understand all of his motivations for this seeming "humble-pie" trip.  But, be assured, President Obama has not left his hubris back in Washington.

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This AM on Morning Joe there was a discussion between two Senators of different parties (names unimportant) about the upcoming UN session and Obama's unwillingness to meet then face-to-face with Israel's Prime Minister, Bibi Netanyahu (see my previous blog post: Shame).  Aired during this back and forth were Romney's and Obama's comments on this issue in their 60 Minutes interviews yesterday.  Basically, Romney said (and I agree) that this dissing of Israel by Obama sends the wrong message to Iran during these tempestuous times.  Obama's excuse was that he is in "constant" contact with Netanyahu by phone and therefore such a meeting isn't necessary (I think we know of one half-hour call a week or so ago).

My immediate thought was perhaps The Barry could make Bibi his Facebook friend ... which would then clearly show the world (and Iran) the degree of the United States's solidarity with Israel?

Shame

There is no other word for it … shame. For the United States to abandon our ally, Israel, in its time of crisis is a humiliation beyond ignominy. President Obama has refused to meet with Bibi Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister, when he visits the United States at the end of September (see: Bloomberg Story). Whatever the feeble excuse, this is a clarion signal to Iran to have its way with its blood-sworn enemy. Israel is left swinging in the wind of our calculated indifference (see: CBS Story).

And this happens on the same significant day, September 11th, that the U.S. embassy in Cairo is attacked and the American flag replaced with the black flag of Islam (see: USAToday Story) … and our consulate in Libya is set on fire with one staffer being killed (see: Ahram Story). The symbolism of these three events cannot be ignored. The United States, under the crisp leadership of Obama and his aide-de-camp, Hillary Clinton, have tilted so far toward the Arab world that it is returning the favor with vengeance instead of gratitude. The “Arab Spring” has become “America’s Winter.”

And I cannot read anything else into these events other than a hidden pleasure-taking on the part of our smirking foreign-policy leadership. We are losing badly in the Middle East (and elsewhere) and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama seem indisposed and perhaps even secretly thrilled. Is this darling duo not supposed to project a U.S. foreign policy of hegemony instead of lily-liveredness? How can we take pleasure in our humiliation? Perhaps that was the plan all along … shame and degradation as recompense for our past sins, imagined and real?

Update: The U.S. Ambassador and three other staffers were killed in the aforementioned Libyan attack (see: Reuters Story).  President Obaba has condemned this radical Islamic action.