The reaction to Obama’s treatment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin (“Bibi”) Netanyahu was as strong if not stronger than I have seen in the comments here and elsewhere in the blogosphere on any other issue. (I didn’t let through a number of over-the-top comments.)
Why this reaction? I bet a lot of the people having this reaction only had heard of Bibi Netanyahu in passing on the news.
Who would care if our President left a foreign leader to wait in the White House while the President supposedly went to have dinner with his family? Who would care if our President broke protocol by refusing to be photographed and hold a press conference with a foreign leader? Who would care if that foreign leader left tail tucked between his legs, humiliated at home at the treatment by the leader of the free world?
Part of it certainly is that the foreign leader in question was the leader of Israel, which is tremendously popular with Americans. In Israel the clear majority of Americans see a democratic nation surrounded by implacable enemies who also are our enemies, doing what it takes to survive and thrive. In so many historical, religious and political ways Israel is our kindred spirit, more than just one among many nations.
But that cannot explain the intensity of the reaction. Obama has shown disrespect for our British friends, with whom we share an even more intense historical relationship. There are very, very few countries in the world whose soldiers would die for us, and Britain is one of those countries. Yet the reaction to Obama’s treatment of Britain has been muted.
I think the reaction to Obama’s treatment of Bibi Netanyahu hits home because it was so personal in nature, and because it epitomized how the American people have been treated by Obama and the Democrats, with arrogance and disdain.
We have seen this attitude since the Inauguration, when Obama and the crowd treated George W. Bush with disrespect, in the smears by Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and other leading Democrats against health care protesters, in the daily attacks by the left-wing blogs and mainstream media against the Tea Party members, in the treatment of Sarah Palin and Trig Palin, in the bribes and budgetary chicanery used to pass a health care bill opposed by a significant majority of the population, and in the disgusting use of the race card to stifle legitimate political dissent.
In Bibi Netanyahu we see something we have lost in our leader, an unflinching sense of national destiny, an unapologetic pride in who we are and why we are, and a willingness to stand up to tyrants and neighborhood bullies regardless of the price.
To see a leader like Bibi Netanyahu treated so shabbily by someone who treats us the same way was too much to bear.
The story of how Obama treated Bibi Netanyahu at the White House was a familiar story, which is why it has caused such a strong reaction.
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Comments
This is also why the one will only speak to a stacked deck as the folks like me would heckle and turn our backs on him, the man is classless, we will overcome this bastard child of a hippie but it will be a couple of years of turmoil. We have the patience to wear him down. As our Roman friends say,Non illigitamus carborundum
There really can't be any surprise in this if anyone was really watching and listening to Obama. When Jesse Jackson mentioned that the Jooz were going to completely loose any influence in America with Obama's election it was odd(?) that the press didn't report it before the election. Now we ALL know that Obama doesn't respect the Constitution, our history, our friends, or our right to peaceably assemble. Little hope and unexpected change!
It continues to be a pattern of insulting our friends and sucking up to tin-pot dictators like Chavez and Castro. Recall that this President failed to stand up for the rule of law in Honduras. He appeases Iran and NoKo. Now, the disastrous agreement on nuclear missiles with Russia?
Someone help? Anyone? Bueller?
BiBi put it best, Prof, in his United Nations address a while back: "Have you no shame?"
No, BiBi, regrettably, our current leadership [or what allegedly passes for it] does not … but "We, the people…" DO!
We are collectively ashamed of how our nation formally treated our staunchest ally. Please excuse the dangerous children currently at play on the "Hill" and at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
"To the law and to the testimony…"
I agree with you that this is the familiar on a large scale. But I also think that people are reacting strongly because they have grown tired of this child playing the "president game." He has shamed our nation time and again; he has also brought a volatile situation to a head because of an imagined slight. Israel is a sovereign nation; this One shows that he does not recognize its sovereignty, and that is what rankles.
Mr. Jacobson hits it square on the head. It is embarrassing to see our President treat a foreign leader, any foreign leader, this way, let alone a leader who represents a country that has been our friend and ally the past sixty years.
The progressive Left points out that in the past we dealt with the Soviet Union with some degree of courtesy and diplomacy. That was true, necessity required it. Even if Obama hates Israel as much as Reagan hated the Soviets, does he not see the necessity of treating a friend and ally properly?
Perhaps it is because the progressive Left, and a fair number of people in America, does not see the difference between Israel and a Palestinian state. I take a whack at it here at Rantburg if you're so inclined. But any American who doesn't understand what it would mean to live in a Palestinian state should be condemned to .. live in a Palestinian state. For a while.
Mr. Obama, you are shaming us.
Ed Lynch is going to lose because in two weeks because he's running in a liberal Jewish district -hmmm? That and he has some oversized flaws with tax compliance. But Mr. Lynch does seem intresting. We sent minimal donations to him and Dr. Dan.
Hey, it is all for the Israeli's own good ! Of course they dont know it and Obama alone does – the Englightened One (TM) has pushed every one into a corner, so much so that it will be humiliating for every one in the end.
For starters, Israel will continue to build in East Jerusalem. So Obama's demand is met with… a firm NO – this is embarrassing for Obama now.
In his fit of rage, he then does these extremely childish antics, that you really have to wonder if he has lost it. What ever happened to disagreeing without being disagreable?
And remember this is the same guy who has been falling at the feet of every dictator and thug that he can find. His reaction to the Iranian thugs massacring their own citizens was one that cannot be called anything but SHAMELESS. And now he is livid at Netanyahu ?? How wierd is this ? All Muslim dictators and regimes get a free pass but the Jewish guy is treated like the plague ?
Worse, the Palestinians now have an incentive to be EVEN MORE THUGGISH than Obama. And all this is going to lead to "peace" ?
I think Obama has sent a message to Israelis – he does not like the way they vote.
Tzipi Livni could either be the biggest winner in this or the biggest loser – lets see how the Israelis decide.
Somewhere Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farakkhan are cracking up in hoarse delight.
Obama's combination of arrogance, ineptitude, and recklessness exactly matches the Left's cliched image of Geore W. Bush.
It's weird – it's like we have an elitist, narcissistic, redneck for a President.
I guess there is no question now about whether or not Obama listened to Jeremiah Wright's sermons for 20 years. He cannot disguise his hatred.
I always remember what God told Abram in Gen 12:3. He didn't put a time limit on it. Only a pagan from a cult with no understanding of history would ignore it.
You write:
Obama has shown disrespect for our British friends, with whom we share an even more intense historical relationship. There are very, very few countries in the world whose soldiers would die for us, and Britain is one of those countries. Yet the reaction to Obama's treatment of Britain has been muted.
I think the reaction to Obama's treatment of Bibi Netanyahu hits home because it was so personal in nature, and because it epitomized how the American people have been treated by Obama and the Democrats, with arrogance and disdain.
Well professor, I hope you allow this comment through as it is the truth, it needs to be brought out in the open and discussed, and I will keep it as moderate as possible.
Obama does not view himself as "us". It has been clear from day one to anyone that looked into Obama and his beliefs that he is not "us". He rejected his white side, including mother and grandparents, multiple times. He wrote two books (ghost written or not) about his blackness. He has been a radical all his life or paraded around with radicals that have hated what America stood for. He was pictured reading a book titled The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria that apparently "is not a book about the decline of America, but rather about the rise of everyone else". I highly question that and a few critiques of it can be found here. A couple in particular:
A review in The New American labeled the book "socialist" for its favorable view of strong central governments, which clear away obstacles to growth.
and
Regarding the book's focus, one reviewer criticized it by writing "The Post-American World is missing precisely what its title promises: a discussion of what a world might look like that is not dominated by the United States".
This is the book your "President" read 6 months before the election. His only jaunt towards the "middle" was when he campaigned and then he has been governing from the radical left where he has been for decades. He is not the post-racial President. He is the most highly racial President that has not hidden his true colors, but the MSM certainly did. People are "waking" up because this is not a person behaving as if "president" but more of a ruler. I'll stop there.
Obama is just showing hat he has class, LOW CLASS!
You have to remember, to the left Netanyahu has been Dick Cheney before Dick Cheney was Dick Cheney — Bill Clinton sent James Carvelle over to Israel in 1999 to make sure Ehud Barak and his Labor Party defeated Likud and Netanyahu so that Clinton would have a more compliant "partner for peace" in the talks that followed in 2000 with Arafat, which were designed to get Bill the Nobel Prize Obama won for being not George Bush.
Combine that with the anti-Semitic rumblings in the past of some of Obama's key advisers, and you get a White House and a president who see Bibi in the same way they see Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin or Fox News, and thanks to their egos, believe treating him like dirt will intimidate the Israeli voters into throwing Netanyahu out of office.
That 80% of the American Jews voted for O and continue to support him is the true mystery. This cannot be laid on the MSM, surly the American Jew is aware of the hostility shown to their brethren by the Palestinians. That O openly supports enemies of the U.S. is a much more serious breach of his duties.
It is not just that the American people see in Netanyahu their own treatment by Obama and the Democrats,I believe the Amrican people are truly outraged at how Israel is being treated. We Americans know who the bad-guys are. We remember 9/11 even though the White House does not. We remember Mumbai, and hear daily about Islamist terrorist suicide bombing all over the world. I also believe that the American people know who is on the forefront to protect this counry from even more vicious attacks, and that is Israel.
That the majority of Americans voted this narcissistic-child-brat into office as the "most powerful man on the planet" does not mean they do not recognize their mistake and wish they could take it back.(I can proudly say, I saw what he was during the election and did not vote for him for any and all reasons both foreign and domestic.) The truth is that the way to mute any effect he has anywhere is to change the dynamics of Congress. Hopefully the American people will remember come November what a disaster these self-righteous, self-indulgent, pucillanimous, elitist,autocratic, lying, anti-democratic politicians, aka, the Democratic party, are and let them know what the Consitution is and how the Constitution works.
It's not just outrage at the behavior itself. I would suggest many if not most Americans are awake to the constant physical danger Israel is in. Both the violent rhetoric and the violent actions of its neighbors are well known. Not to put too fine a point on it, the Nazis tried to kill every Jew they could get their hands on last century, and the Arabs would try it again if they had the means.
That means that when the President of the United States symbolically turns his back on Israel, it's not just an insult, as similar actions were for Britain. It's a potential threat to their existence, their lives. It's far, far more immediately dangerous than merely lurching around the world being pettish and unpleasant to allies. It could have real consequences that can't be undone by the next president. And many Americans react more strongly when such stakes are on the line, as well we might.
Obama has shown his true colors, finally, in a way in which EVERYONE can see. We out here recognize the conflict in the Middle East for what it is. We also realize that our President has chosen the wrong side.
On an even deeper point, our ties with England were severed long ago. Our ties with Israel look rather to the future.
The fact that Bibi schooled over here, that only Israel actively battles terrorists and has been victimized by them time and again, and that Israel is a modern state all conspire to make her worth every dime we've ever spent.
Obama is treading a very thin line here, between blessing the sons of Abraham, and cursing them. The God of the Bible has some very strong words for those who curse Israel…
Obama is such a shameless man that his behavior is beyond comprehension. Providence4u, you are so right about how God treats those who disrespect the land where His son was born and where the people of God have lived for millennia…..
Israel is building homes and Obama treats their Prime Minister like an enemy.
Iran is building nuclear weapons and he wants to sit down and talk with them.
How is it possible that Rasmussen polls are still reflecting 47% of Americans approve of the job he's doing? Is almost half of the US population brain dead?
I have been shocked over and over by the inconsideration and stupidity this President has displayed using bad manners and lack of traditional protocol to a leader of a country who comes to the White House for any reason.
The very first reaction when I heard on the TV news that President Obama had left Netanyahu sitting while he went to have dinner with his family was shocking at how rude he was to leave a guest waiting. It is something that would never happen in my home or my parents home. Yet, this President's actions are so thoughtless and inconsiderate. Someone needs to give him a "Book of Ettiquette" by Amy Vanderbilt.
He is very unsophicated and doesn't fit the mode of a person who can conduct himself properly as the President of the United States. The idea President Obama thought Joe Biden's nasty comments were the highlight of the evening says it all. The lack of respect and moral value is no where to be found in this White House. It is shameful behavior. There is no doubt every President and someone in their presence may have said something off colored, but we have never seen that gaffe characterized through responding with acceptable laughter. President Obama so often refers to his daughters as examples in various situations, I wonder if the President would have appreciated Joe Biden using that "word" in their presence?
what can you expect from a fraud? The man should not be in the White House. He does not qualify since he is not a natural born citizen. My comment is not based on any need for a birth certificate but it is based upon the definition of a natural born citizen…. his father was a British citizen, that would mean that British citizenship was conferred upon him. Your Constitution states that natural born citizen refers to parents, not parent, which is the basis for my reasoning… nothing to do with being born in Hawaii or anywhere else.
Then there is the issue of election fraud and campaign funds fraud, including the laundering of campaign donations.
Make no mistake — I find Obama's behavior beyond disgraceful, arrogant, stupid, idiotic and a whole bunch of other adjectives. I think he set foreign policy back decades.
But I wonder a bit at the stories of him going back to have dinner with "Michelle and the girls," simply because — weren't they in NYC on their "spring break" trip? I know I have reports of waht they did and where they ate. And so — if that part of the report was wrong (and I think it was) maybe some of the other report was wrong as well.
Just an idea… I don't like to give Obama any credit at all if possible, and I certainly think the report of his behavior is credible. But I have to point out that little fact.
The glorious day our Boor-In-Chief finally leaves office should be declared a national holiday–supposing the Republic lasts that long…
I am disgusted with hussein obambi, he is evil. This past week he made fun of the heavenly signs that God alone controls. I believe that was in Iowa when he was trying to sell his garbage bill that had already passed last Sunday??? and the treatment of Prime Minister Netanyahu is unbelievable. Israel are the chosen people of God (1Ch 17:22) add to this the blessing from Gen 12:3 mentioned in an earlier post. The arrogance exhibited by obambi is frightening.
I wrote the PM a letter of support and apology and I am including the email address for those who would like to do the same.
http://www.pmo.gov.il
@Liz,
the Flatulent One (oops) was in NYC the previous week. She and the two poor creatures that have been so humiliated by their parents were in NYC the week of the debate – saw no mention that the trip was extra prolonged.
So tell me how much were you paid to sow doubt about the story?
Ok ,so you don't like one maybe?…lol
But the general idea it's good!
We (R) needs to be proud & attack the (D) back at all the topics: Economy, security , politically,expenses,spending & you name it….wow ,wait & the best of all is,
When the democrats saying it's Bush fault (for everything) we should answer: NO more.. it's Obama time & we see a big change,yes for the worse…lol
If I don't mistaken the (D) dominating/govern the hose for more then -8 years of the majority representative.
So…who or why is it Bush all the time?
They are so corrupt, it's ridiculous.