Sometimes I think the United States, or at least the Obama Administration is from Mars, while Israel is from Venus. You see, Israel is kinda sorta worried about being nuked out of existence by Iran, and the U.S. is upset, shocked, and downright agitated that Netanyahu would dare speak out about this to Congress.
There’s this undercurrent. If all these talking heads were free to say what they really think, it would go something like this:
The NERVE. We’ve done enough for Israel, don’t you know!
The temerity of those Jews! The CHUTZPA!! They think the world owes them a living? After they publicly SPAT in Obama’s face?
These are the unsaid words in the current narrative of the United States in reference to Israel.
Of course, some people come right out and say what they think. Chris Wallace, for instance, didn’t bother to mince words. He called Netanyahu “wicked” for accepting Boehner’s invitation to address Congress.
By now you all know how this started, Haaretz got a scoop. A senior White House official just happened to say to a reporter at Haaretz that
“[Netanyahu] spat in our face publicly and that’s no way to behave… there will be a price.”
And that’s when it all hit the fan.
Now the Washington Post had a slightly different angle on the story. A source close to John Kerry just happened to tell Wapo that it’s not just the President who is very, very angry at PM Netanyahu, but that Secretary Kerry is also ALSO angry at Mr. Netanyahu. After all, Kerry just went up to bat for Israel at the UN. This “source” said, “Playing politics with that relationship could blunt Secretary Kerry’s enthusiasm for being Israel’s primary defender. . .”
That was Megyn Kelly’s introduction to her program yesterday, The Kelly File, in which she interviewed State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki, who (out of deference to Megyn?) was wearing (what else?) a KELLY green suit.
The first part of that conversation went like this:
Megyn Kelly: That quote from the Washington Post, are… did they get it right? Is that how Sec. Kerry feels?
Jen Psaki: Well, Secretary Kerry spoke to this a bit, uh, last week. There’s no question that he goes over and above the call of duty as it relates to our relationship with Israel. He’s made DOZENS of calls if not more on their behalf in the past couple of weeks and certainly I think he felt as we all did that the way this process went down bordered on the bizarre.
Megyn Kelly: I had Charles Krauthammer on the program on Friday and he called that response “petulant” speaking about how for Israel, Iran really truly poses an existential threat and of course Binyamin Netanyahu is going to want to make the case to anybody he can in America but in particular to the peoples’ representatives. Can that point of view…?
Jen Psaki: Well, yes. You’re right Megyn. And the fact is that Prime Minister Netanyahu has come to . . . spoken to Congress many, many times. We welcome this but this was . . . the process was a little off, odd?
So lemme get this straight: Iran has threatened to obliterate Israel with nuclear weapons and President Obama wants to lift the sanctions and enable Iran to do just that, and Israel should be grateful that Secretary Kerry has made DOZENS of phone calls for Israel?
Um. No.
We’re not grateful. PM Netanyahu is not grateful for those calls and neither am I. Phone calls about a phony peace process with real enemies doesn’t mean diddly squat when you’re facing an Iranian nuclear threat.
I want to live in a world that is SAFE. I want to be safe. I want my children and loved ones to be safe. And yes, I even want America to be safe.
That can’t happen if you silence Israel, Mr. Obama.
That can’t happen if you lift the sanctions and turn a blind eye to what Iran is doing, even if you do it in cahoots with Europe, whose Jew-hatred is once again SHOWING.
So get this, Mr. President: I really don’t care that it will upset you when Bibi goes and talks to Congress about this. And of course if Bibi had followed protocol, if Boehner had followed protocol, you would have found a way to stop them. Because you enable Iran and puts obstacles in front of Israel.
We see what you’re doing here. Oh yes we do.
Dozens of phone calls? In the face of annihilation?
That’s what they told you to say, Jen? REALLY, Jen. REALLY?
You gotta be kidding me.
Right?
