I have an idea how the White House can respond to this Bibi/Boehner business. They should formally and (most importantly) PUBLICLY ask Netanyahus office for a chance to address the Israeli people from the floor of the Knesset. And they should schedule it for prior to Bibis address to Congress, if possible. Whats he gonna do, say no? No, to the leader of the country that sends him $8 million per day? If Bibi was that reckless, it would put the nail in the coffin of our special relationship. The White House should make this request as soon as possible, and as I said, try to schedule it for just before Bibi addresses Congress, which I believe is March 5th. Its pretty clear what Bibis going to say, and the White House speech writers will have to craft a pre-buttal based on the situation as it stands at that date. President Obama could then make his case for why its so crucial that we at least let the Iran talks play out, and if they fail, only THEN should further sanctions be considered. He could then segue into why America doesnt offer the center ring to foreign politicians so soon before an election (a situation Bibi has masterfully wormed his way into). He could then say something like; But whats done is done, and Mr. Netanyahu will give his address to a joint session of Congress next week. Im sure the timing was an oversight on his part, because I know him personally, and I know him to be a man of integrity. He would never be so scheming, so self-serving, that hed ever dream of scheduling his address to Congress for such a devious purpose; to manipulate Israeli public opinion with just days to go before your elections. Even though he himself suggested the address to Mr. Boehner, not the other way around, Im sure his intentions were honorable. Obviously, Barack Obama isnt the smart ass I am, so he couldnt be that overt in his digs at Bibi, but something pseudo-snarky that would expose whats been going on behind the scenes between Bibi and the Souse of the House ... You get my drift. If Barack Obama gets just 20 minutes before the Knesset, I have no doubt that hed give a veritable kick in the matzo balls to whatever Bibi plans to say to our Congress. In a perfect world, it would be better if Obama could address the Knesset AFTER Bibi gives his speech, but there wont be enough time then. Netanyahus target audience is back home in Israel, to the Israeli electorate. If President Obama is to succeed in neutralizing this disgusting stunt, it has to be preemptive. Once Bibi speaks, public opinion in Israel will begin to shift one way or the other, and anything Obama might have to say afterwards would probably be too late. You have to give Bibi credit for how he timed this. Hes a sneaky S.O.B. And if Netanyahus office refuses to give President Obama equal time before the Knesset? That too will have an impact on Israeli opinion, and not a good one. The White House would have a field day with it in the media, with just days to go before the March elections: We dont understand why the Prime Minister is so opposed to affording President Obama the same hospitality the American people granted him. Why would he object to welcoming his greatest ally? I hope the same idea has dawned on the White House. Tit-for-tat. And if in fact Bibi did object to equal time for President Obama to make an argument for negotiating with Iran rather than further belligerence, then it would rip the scab off any notion that America has a special relationship with the Likud government. And itll be time to reassess that relationship at long last. Benjamin Netanyahu has not only been catastrophic for the region, he may yet be catastrophic for his own country. The Israelis would be wise to dump his ass ASAP.
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 14:17:00 +0000
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