A friend called my attention to a very inmportant article from Al Jazeera on reactions by ranking military officials to House Speaker John Boehner’s invite to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to speak before a joint session of Congress. If you haven’t been reading past the headlines, Boehner’s invitation was hatched in secret talks with Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Ron Derner, himself a former GOP operative. The invitation was extended without the knowledge of President Obama, and has been widely regarded as a direct attempt by Boehner to subvert current American foreign policy towards Iran.
The Al Jazeera piece is by Mark Perry, “Netanyahu’s Congress invitation raises eyebrows among some US generals.”
As my friend wrote, “an example of Al Jazeera adding perspective.”
The uniformed leaders of the U.S. military have had a testy relationship with President Barack Obama since he took office in 2009, with a number of relatively public spats revealing discord over how his administration has approached the use of military force. So it might be assumed that when a politician confronts Obama, portraying his policies on threats overseas as naive, many in the senior uniformed ranks would nod in silent affirmation. But that’s not what has happened since House Speaker John Boehner invited Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attack Obama’s Iran policy in Congress. Instead the speech, planned for next month, has rallied senior military figures behind the president, with some warning that there’s a limit to what U.S. military officers consider acceptable criticism of the commander in chief.
It’s definitely worth a few minutes to read.
See also:
Washington Post, “Netanyahu’s Congress speech stirs growing backlash in Israel and the U.S.”
NY Times, “Netanyahu Talk Stirs Backlash in Israeli Race”
NY Times editorial, “Playing politics on Iran”
Haaretz, “Netanyahu’s planned Congress speech roils Jewish lawmakers”
Haaretz, “Netanyahu’s Iran speech in Congress is a recipe for an explosive U.S.-Israel clash”
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Imagine the GOP inviting a War Criminal, Netanyahu, to advise on Iran. Israel has nuclear weapons that threaten its neighbors, violates International Law on Human Rights of Palestinians, illegal occupation of land and water rights of Palestinians. People of Hawaii should demand that our Congressional Reps. sen. Boycott such affront to our Constitution.
A number of years ago in 2007 Richard Halloran, formerly of the New York Times but writing in one of his frequent columns in the Sunday Focus section of the Honolulu Advertiser, cited a Washington securiy analyst as suggesting serious thought might be put to limiting US security arrangements to just five sovereign nations in the world, and he named them. None of the five were on the European continent. Two of them are our closest neighbors of course and their defense is in our national interest. That left only three: Israel for good 2007 reasons, Japan for good 2007 reasons, and Great Britain.
To put this in rather brilliant 2015 perspective is a new best seller, “America in Retreat – The New Isolationism and the Coming Global Disorder”, by the former Jerusalem Post journalist Bret Stephens who discussed his fiery new book on http://www.charlierose.com last week.
There was a time when partisan politics was said to “end at the nation’s shore.” When the House Speaker, elected by voters of one Congressional district, has the gaul to upend all tradition and civility to invite a head of state (on the eve of that official’s reelection bid no less) and without prior warning to the Executive Branch, it is an appalling situation. The Executive has the lead in foreign affairs, subject to Senate concurrence on treaties and the House on tariff measures. Boehner has gone beyond the pale.
Obama’s policy toward Iran is foolish and reminiscent of Neville Chamberlain. Access to nuclear power and weapons by a radical Islamic theocracy that regularly threatens to anniliate Israel represents an existential threat to the State of Israel. While folks wish to politicize this from both the left and right, let’s not forget that Israel’s very survival could be at stake if Iran goes nuclear. For people faced with an existential threat, survival is more important than protocol.
Alan, that is pure Zionist bull shit. Israel has loads of nuclear weapons and sociopaths for leadership. Iran threatens no one, but Israel on the other hand threatens everyone.
Patty – The USA has nuclear energy and nuclear weapons PLUS this is the only country that has actually used nuclear weapons. Yet you attack Israel for possibly having them.
It is believed that Israel has nuclear weapons and I believe it. That said, the truth is that Israel’s status as a nuclear power has never been confirmed. Israel neither denies these claims nor endorses them. So one of two things is true. Either Israel has nuclear weapons OR it allows the world to believe that it does (for deterrent purpose). As I said above, I tend to believe it does.
It is funny how people who are leftwing peaceniks who typically oppose nuclear weapons and all forms of nuclear energy, aren’t going “ballistic” (no pun intended) about the prospects of a nuclear Iran.
Also interesting the claim that Iran threatens no one. Hmm, I think the Sunni world would think differently about that statement as would Israel. Iran is also a supporter of international terrorism and provides money and weapons to Hezbollah and Hamas, two organizations internationally classified as “terrorist.”
Ian – in just read two articles today indicating that Bibi didn’t accept Boehner’s invite until AFTER the Obama administration was informed. The New York Times even published a correction on 1/29/15 but no one seemed to notice.
For some reason, this page won’t let me post a URL. I am in mobile mode. I will email you this link.
Got it working. Here is one story from Tablet magazine.
http://tabletmag.com/scroll/188814/the-correction