Vladimir Putin will arrive in Israel on Monday to attend an unveiling of a monument commemorating the Red Army's victory over the Nazis. Putin is visiting Israel, notwithstanding tension between Russia and Israel involving Russia's ongoing support of Syria and Iran.
Query: Why does Obama still refuse to visit Israel as president of the US? After all, Obama's "tough love" strategy for Israel has not reaped dividends in the Muslim Middle East. As reported by the Pew Research Center (http://www.pewglobal.org/2012/06/13/global-opinion-of-obama-slips-international-policies-faulted/), "confidence in Obama" in Muslim countries has slipped from 33% in 2009 to 24% in 2012.
With the US economy still in decline, a Supreme Court decision concerning the constitutionality of Obamacare expected next week, Iran thumbing its nose at the P5+1, and elections fast approaching, Obama and crew appear mired in inertia.
An Obama visit prior to November to Israel, where some 150 rockets from Gaza fell over the past week, in order to show solidarity with an ally? It's not in the cards.
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He's busy posing - the pictures of his smiling family are everywhere. BTW, why do you think I hit the high note of pomposity when in 2007 I declared that I'd rather die than vote for him. No, I am not a Tea Partier, I am not even a Republican.
ReplyDeleteI am disgusted.
Jeff, you make the perfect argument for the President to visit Israel and yet he won't come. It doesn't take a genius to infer his true feelings toward Israel. But why does Obama get a free pass? It makes no sense because on the whole, Americans like Israel. So where's Mitt Romney to bring this issue into the mainstream? It seems like easy points in an election year. What am I missing?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, thanks for your comment.
ReplyDeleteYou're not missing anything. Yesterday, I conveyed an invitation to Mitt Romney to visit Israel via one of his advisers. I'm awaiting a response.
Sweet. Thanks for doing your part.
DeleteThere's more to this than meets the eye. Let's see how it evolves.
DeleteI think we shouldn't forget ....
ReplyDeleteI am following now another theme - Alice Walker and her flotillas and friends, including Oprah, Obama's promoter. I even didn't mention the Reverend, or, frankly, many reverends, including Jesse Jackson. Yes, we shouldn't forget about black bigotry.
I don't think Obama is a bigot. However, I do think he harbors various "new left" views, including an antagonism toward Israel, which will he will only manifest if re-elected.
ReplyDeleteJeff, the "new left" isn't much different from the old "Central European" far right with antisemitism at its center. There is a "new left"/far right/islamism nexus and non-antisemites don't participate in it.
ReplyDeleteMy ex-friend who considers herself "left" and loves Chavez/Ron Paul/"religion of peace"/Helen Thomas/Chomsky/Answer and every antisemite in the world is a good example.
Antagonism toward Israel is of course antisemitic.
Jeff, why do you think Putin is visiting Israel?
ReplyDeleteObama's Middle East initiatives have failed: his outreach program involving Syria, his outreach program involving Iran, his attempt to bring Israel and the Palestinians to the negotiating table. Moreover, Obama's standing and popularity in the Middle East have never been lower.
ReplyDeleteGiven that Obama will not attempt additional initiatives in the Middle East prior to November, the power vacuum created by the so-called "Arab Spring" has grown more pronounced. Putin's sojourn in Israel, followed by visits to the Palestinian Authority and Jordan, represents an attempt to fill that vacuum and enhance Russia's role as a regional power broker.