Netanyahu Address

[IrishinSyria]

Haven't seen any talk of this on here, apologies if there's already a thread on it.

Anyway, I feel pretty strongly that congress embarrassed itself and this country yesterday. Netanyahu has a long track record of being dead wrong when it comes to the big questions in the middle east, and yet he was treated like a rock star when he came into the seat of OUR government and proceeded to criticize our foreign policy. Watching the way our legislators reacted to him, you would have thought that America was Israel's client state and not the other way around.

Is there anyone who disagrees with this? Who didn't find the speech and the reaction to it embarrassing?

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Haven't seen any talk of this on here, apologies if there's already a thread on it.

Anyway, I feel pretty strongly that congress embarrassed itself and this country yesterday. Netanyahu has a long track record of being dead wrong when it comes to the big questions in the middle east, and yet he was treated like a rock star when he came into the seat of OUR government and proceeded to criticize our foreign policy. Watching the way our legislators reacted to him, you would have thought that America was Israel's client state and not the other way around.

Is there anyone who disagrees with this? Who didn't find the speech and the reaction to it embarrassing?

Just giving their (real) employers a good value for the pay!

 

[AdmiralBackhand]

I didn't watch the speech but caught a breakdown on the radio, but I do disagree with all you wrote. I am just putting this out there and unwilling to argue the points.

 

[GoIrish41]

Haven't seen any talk of this on here, apologies if there's already a thread on it.

Anyway, I feel pretty strongly that congress embarrassed itself and this country yesterday. Netanyahu has a long track record of being dead wrong when it comes to the big questions in the middle east, and yet he was treated like a rock star when he came into the seat of OUR government and proceeded to criticize our foreign policy. Watching the way our legislators reacted to him, you would have thought that America was Israel's client state and not the other way around.

Is there anyone who disagrees with this? Who didn't find the speech and the reaction to it embarrassing?

The point of his talk was that Iran can't be trusted and is a bad negotiating partner. Making a deal with them threatens the security of Isreal. All of this, of course, threatens to blow up the negotiations that the United States is currently conducting with Iran to ensure Iran does not pursue a nuke weapons program. This was an aweful move by John Boener to invite him to speak to Congress ... especially without the consent of the White House. It is also problematic because it appears that the U.S. Congress is now actively involved in the elections of Isreal and Netanyahu's campaign to hold onto power. The only alternative to the negotiiations with Iran appears to be war with Iran, and that seems to be precisely what Netanyahu is advocating for. And, closer to home, when Congressional republicans boldly cheer these troubling comments, it is in direct contridiction to what the White House is trying to accomplish with a diplomatic solution. You are absolutely right, the GOP's open contempt and disrespect for the White House is embarrassing, not only for the Congress but also for the country.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

The point of his talk was that Iran can't be trusted and is a bad negotiating partner. Making a deal with them threatens the security of Isreal [sp]. All of this, of course, threatens to blow up the negotiations that the United States is currently conducting with Iran to ensure Iran does not pursue a nuke weapons program. This was an aweful move by John Boener to invite him to speak to Congress ... especially without the consent of the White House. It is also problematic because it appears that the U.S. Congress is now actively involved in the elections of Isreal and Netanyahu's campaign to hold onto power. The only alternative to the negotiiations with Iran appears to be war with Iran, and that seems to be precisely what Netanyahu is advocating for. And, closer to home, when Congressional republicans boldly cheer these troubling comments, it is in direct contridiction to what the White House is trying to accomplish with a diplomatic solution. You are absolutely right, the GOP's open contempt and disrespect for the White House is an embarrassing, not only for the Congress but also for the country.

Liked the highlighted all. Navy and bold shows an embarrassing miscalculation, the reason Boener is probably done, and the second shows what the American public got by electing more of these Schmendricks to office.

 

[BobbyMac]

What is embarrassing to me is our government and the Israeli government skipped protocol and proper decorum allowing this to play out. I stand with Israel on most issues but not to be their puppet... more of their keeper.

I agree with what Bebe said. I like that he says Israel can stand alone. I'm all for taking the collar off the pitbull and letting them handle their business. With Syria and Iraq in shambles, their F-15's have a clear path to Tehran.

As of now, I don't believe our olive branch to Iran will bare fruit they never did anything to deserve it.

Did Bebe play America yesterday? Yes. That's his job.

He told the world yesterday that if the Obama administration doesn't put in place a structure that Israel feels will stop their nuclear capabilities, they will. That's their right.

We'll see how it plays out but I'd say the money is on Israel sending their Eagles and Falcons in pretty soon. It's too bad if it happens that way. It won't be Israel's fault or America's fault. It will be solely on the Iranians but it would have been nice if the world could have brokered a deal years ago. Israel thinks the days for talking are over.

.

 

[IrishinSyria]

I didn't watch the speech but caught a breakdown on the radio, but I do disagree with all you wrote. I am just putting this out there and unwilling to argue the points.

Thanks for voicing your opinion.

 

[pkt77242]

What is embarrassing to me is our government and the Israeli government skipped protocol and proper decorum allowing this to play out. I stand with Israel on most issues but not to be their puppet... more of their keeper.

I agree with what Bebe said. I like that he says Israel can stand alone. I'm all for taking the collar off the pitbull and letting them handle their business. With Syria and Iraq in shambles, their F-15's have a clear path to Tehran.

As of now, I don't believe our olive branch to Iran will bare fruit they never did anything to deserve it.

Did Bebe play America yesterday? Yes. That's his job.

He told the world yesterday that if the Obama administration doesn't put in place a structure that Israel feels will stop their nuclear capabilities, they will. That's their right.

We'll see how it plays out but I'd say the money is on Israel sending their Eagles and Falcons in pretty soon. It's too bad if it happens that way. It won't be Israel's fault or America's fault. It will be solely on the Iranians but it would have been nice if the world could have brokered a deal years ago. Israel thinks the days for talking are over.

.

I think that part of the reason a deal is possible now is because the current Iranian President is more moderate then his predecessor and is more likely to come to an agreement that is acceptable to both sides.

 

[BobbyMac]

I think that part of the reason a deal is possible now is because the current Iranian President is more moderate then his predecessor and is more likely to come to an agreement that is acceptable to both sides.

Deals are always possible. Is making a deal with the moderate guy who was ushered in to get the deal... and the time to finish their long held goals a good deal? Not saying that is the fact, just bringing forth a possible angle.

As far as there being a new governmental leader... it doesn't matter. There is only one leader in Iran, the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. Is this the guy you want to make a deal with? Here's a tweet from his account two days ago:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Increasing global hatred of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Israel?src=hash">#Israel</a> is a sign of divine help. Today Israel is more isolated&its supporters are more embattled
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ShutDownAIPAC?src=hash">#ShutDownAIPAC</a></p>— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) <a href="https://twitter.com/khamenei_ir/status/572486111269810177">March 2, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Would you sign a deal with the Clinton if Obama was making these sort of tweets at the same time? Good luck to them all.

.

 

[ab2cmiller]

I'm sure Iran will honor whatever deal is negotiated.

 

[Wild Bill]

The point of his talk was that Iran can't be trusted and is a bad negotiating partner. Making a deal with them threatens the security of Isreal. All of this, of course, threatens to blow up the negotiations that the United States is currently conducting with Iran to ensure Iran does not pursue a nuke weapons program. This was an aweful move by John Boener to invite him to speak to Congress ... especially without the consent of the White House. It is also problematic because it appears that the U.S. Congress is now actively involved in the elections of Isreal and Netanyahu's campaign to hold onto power. The only alternative to the negotiiations with Iran appears to be war with Iran, and that seems to be precisely what Netanyahu is advocating for. And, closer to home, when Congressional republicans boldly cheer these troubling comments, it is in direct contridiction to what the White House is trying to accomplish with a diplomatic solution. You are absolutely right, the GOP's open contempt and disrespect for the White House is an embarrassing, not only for the Congress but also for the country.

He did offer an alternative:

Iran's nuclear program can be rolled back well-beyond the current proposal by insisting on a better deal and keeping up the pressure on a very vulnerable regime, especially given the recent collapse in the price of oil.

Now, if Iran threatens to walk away from the table -- and this often happens in a Persian bazaar -- call their bluff. They'll be back, because they need the deal a lot more than you do.

 

[GoIrish41]

He did offer an alternative:

He contradicted himself during the speech. His overarching theme seemed to be that Iran cannot be trusted ... that no matter what deal they agree upon they are going to break their promises. Then he discussed a better deal.

He suggests that if they don't live up to their agreement on his new better deal that we should be willing to force them to do so. And, why can't we do that with the deal that is being hammered out now? It seems that he wants them to make consessions that there is no way in the world that they will be willing to make. And, if they don't agree, then he wants to force them to agree with military intervention.

incicently, he has no idea what is on the table in the ongoing negotioations so I am forced to ask myself how his proposal better than something of which he has no knowledge. He is interfering with U.S. foreign policy AT THE INVITATION OF THE SPEAKER IF THE HOUSE. It is wrong on so many levels, and it is borderline treasonous of the GOP members who orchastrated it.

 

[EddytoNow]

What is embarrassing to me is our government and the Israeli government skipped protocol and proper decorum allowing this to play out. I stand with Israel on most issues but not to be their puppet... more of their keeper.

I agree with what Bebe said. I like that he says Israel can stand alone. I'm all for taking the collar off the pitbull and letting them handle their business. With Syria and Iraq in shambles, their F-15's have a clear path to Tehran.

As of now, I don't believe our olive branch to Iran will bare fruit they never did anything to deserve it.

Did Bebe play America yesterday? Yes. That's his job.

He told the world yesterday that if the Obama administration doesn't put in place a structure that Israel feels will stop their nuclear capabilities, they will. That's their right.

We'll see how it plays out but I'd say the money is on Israel sending their Eagles and Falcons in pretty soon. It's too bad if it happens that way. It won't be Israel's fault or America's fault. It will be solely on the Iranians but it would have been nice if the world could have brokered a deal years ago. Israel thinks the days for talking are over.

.

I'm no fan of Iran, but if Israel attacks Iran without Iran first striking Israel, I fail to see how the blame can be placed solely on the Iranians. Netanyahu is anxious to go to war. It is not our place to assist him. We should be a neutral party making a sincere effort to avoid war.

 

[Wild Bill]

He contradicted himself during the speech. His overarching theme seemed to be that Iran cannot be trusted ... that no matter what deal they agree upon they are going to break their promises. Then he discussed a better deal.

Overarching theme or the unfortunate reality?

He suggests that if they don't live up to their agreement on his new better deal that we should be willing to force them to do so. And, why can't we do that with the deal that is being hammered out now? It seems that he wants them to make consessions that there is no way in the world that they will be willing to make. And, if they don't agree, then he wants to force them to agree with military intervention.

Why shouldn't we force a deal down their throats? They want/need a deal more than the US and they'd be embarrassed by the Israelis on the battlefield (and they know it). It's in our best interest to delay "death to America" and "death to Israel" for as long as we can so let's use the leverage we enjoy at the moment.

 

[BobbyMac]

I'm no fan of Iran, but if Israel attacks Iran without Iran first striking Israel, I fail to see how the blame can be placed solely on the Iranians. Netanyahu is anxious to go to war. It is not our place to assist him. We should be a neutral party making a sincere effort to avoid war.

It's Iran's fault because they let Ahmadinejad run his mouth for years, spewing incendiary rhetoric towards Israel. It's their fault because their Supreme Leader tweets the same garbage daily. I want peace as much as anyone, I wish we could go back 10 years and construct a framework in which meaningful dialog could have taken place. I don't see it now. Israel's not on board.

I think the bells been rung folks. It's always been a matter of time. There are too many people in the world who think that it must happen.

.

 

[GoIrish41]

Overarching theme or the unfortunate reality?



Why shouldn't we force a deal down their throats? They want/need a deal more than the US and they'd be embarrassed by the Israelis on the battlefield (and they know it). It's in our best interest to delay "death to America" and "death to Israel" for as long as we can so let's use the leverage we enjoy at the moment.

The more we try to delay this, the more they hate American and Isreal. It doesn't make things better it makes things worse. A wound never gets better if you keep picking at the scab. Maybe we should examine how we have been handling things in the Middle East and come up with a different plan. Negotiating in good faith with Iran seems like a good place to start.

 

[BobbyMac]

Overarching theme or the unfortunate reality?



Why shouldn't we force a deal down their throats? They want/need a deal more than the US and they'd be embarrassed by the Israelis on the battlefield (and they know it). It's in our best interest to delay "death to America" and "death to Israel" for as long as we can so let's use the leverage we enjoy at the moment.

I hope that's the plan. It's a strange dynamic in motion to make that happen. It would be brilliant if President Obama played it this way and went to the Ayatollah right now and said, "I can't hold them back any longer. Bebe's gone rogue. You better take this deal or he will destroy everything you've built in 48hrs. You can't stop him, hell I can't stop him and the American people are behind him. He's like the Jewish Kanye right now. If you don't sign it by Friday, say hello to Allah for me"

.

 

[phgreek]

Haven't seen any talk of this on here, apologies if there's already a thread on it.

Anyway, I feel pretty strongly that congress embarrassed itself and this country yesterday. Netanyahu has a long track record of being dead wrong when it comes to the big questions in the middle east, and yet he was treated like a rock star when he came into the seat of OUR government and proceeded to criticize our foreign policy. Watching the way our legislators reacted to him, you would have thought that America was Israel's client state and not the other way around.

Is there anyone who disagrees with this? Who didn't find the speech and the reaction to it embarrassing?

I was a little uncomfortable with congress hosting him, and yea I was uncomfortable with the "rock star" treatment...Yea it felt a little intrusive on a foreign policy strategy. But I still think that message needed delivered in the frank manner in which it was delivered, and the mainstream media and Obama weren't going to enable it...so, just as rules, laws, precedent, customs are ignored routinely by this administration to achieve their vision of "right", they got a little taste...seems by their response its just as bitter tasting going the other way.

I'd prefer we didn't do things like that... Nothing to be necessarily proud of here except that it may instigate some discussion based in reality.

I do think "negotiations" with Iran that include ANY form of enrichment now and into the future legitimize Iran as someone worth considering as a steward of such equipment, end products, and byproducts. No one sane thinks they are fit to be stewards of enriched dog shit...that they are going forward is not in doubt...what will come of it is not in doubt. What is in doubt is the ordinance Iran will have strapped to their missiles when we bomb enrichment sites.

 

[IrishinSyria]

The issues with the speech can be separated into 3 broad categories:

1: The invitation. I have yet to see a cogent defense of the way this was handled. For the speaker of the house to go around the President and the State Department's back to invite a head of state to speak is unprecedented.

2: The content of the speech itself. Netanyahu didn't say anything he hasn't been saying for at least 20 years. It's tough to see what his endgame is outside of committing American troops to a ground war in Iran. If that's what people want, then ok, but it's probably best if we don't let a foreign leader make that decision for us.

3: The reaction of Congress to the speech. THIS is what has me bothered, and this is what my original post was about. There was nothing dignified about the atmosphere displayed. Congressmen and women were tripping over each other to be the first up at every applause line in the speech, to shake Netanyahu's hand, to enthusiastically show their support each time he made a point they like. The Democrats get no pass from me on this: Pelosi's attempts to visually manifest her disgust every time she disagreed with him were almost as bad.

In short, it looked more like a campaign rally than it did a policy speech. Given that Netanyahu's up for reelection in 2 weeks, that's exactly what it was. And the vast majority of our Congress- the elected representatives of the most powerful nation the world has ever known- played right into the charade. They treated a foreign head of state like he was a conquering hero. And the ones who didn't CLAP LOUD ENOUGH (Rand Paul) are being attacked for their failure to show enough enthusiasm. This bothers me. When the President bowed before the Saudi King, I didn't care one bit. That was a common show of respect from one head of state to another in the host's country. This was something altogether different.

 

[IRISHDODGER]

the GOP's open contempt and disrespect for the White House is an embarrassing, not only for the Congress but also for the country.

The same was said about the Dems and their open contempt & disrespect for the WH when GWB was POTUS. The more things change, the more they stay the same. I'm glad I never joined or claimed the Democratic or Republican Parties. They're both embarrassing and there's rarely a nickel's worth of difference between them.

 

[Polish Leppy 22]

The more we try to delay this, the more they hate American and Isreal. It doesn't make things better it makes things worse. A wound never gets better if you keep picking at the scab. Maybe we should examine how we have been handling things in the Middle East and come up with a different plan. Negotiating in good faith with Iran seems like a good place to start.

Nevel Chamberlain, back from the dead! How ya been?

Iran hated the US and Israel far before we got involved over there years ago. I have zero interest in negotiating with Islamo Nazis and I have zero problem with anything Bibi said. If your neighbor hated you and was building a bomb, you'd wanna make your case too.

what is this new "plan" you want to drum up in dealing with a country that hates the US and wants Israel wiped off the map? I've got my popcorn ready.

 

[GATTACA!]

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7FYTc55nGEI?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Irish Steeler]

Haven't seen any talk of this on here, apologies if there's already a thread on it.

Anyway, I feel pretty strongly that congress embarrassed itself and this country yesterday. Netanyahu has a long track record of being dead wrong when it comes to the big questions in the middle east, and yet he was treated like a rock star when he came into the seat of OUR government and proceeded to criticize our foreign policy. Watching the way our legislators reacted to him, you would have thought that America was Israel's client state and not the other way around.

Is there anyone who disagrees with this? Who didn't find the speech and the reaction to it embarrassing?

=====
Hilarious! Completely 100% the OPPOSITE of what you are saying, LMAO!

 

[Polish Leppy 22]

He contradicted himself during the speech. His overarching theme seemed to be that Iran cannot be trusted ... that no matter what deal they agree upon they are going to break their promises. Then he discussed a better deal.

He suggests that if they don't live up to their agreement on his new better deal that we should be willing to force them to do so. And, why can't we do that with the deal that is being hammered out now? It seems that he wants them to make consessions that there is no way in the world that they will be willing to make. And, if they don't agree, then he wants to force them to agree with military intervention.

incicently, he has no idea what is on the table in the ongoing negotioations so I am forced to ask myself how his proposal better than something of which he has no knowledge. He is interfering with U.S. foreign policy AT THE INVITATION OF THE SPEAKER IF THE HOUSE. It is wrong on so many levels, and it is borderline treasonous of the GOP members who orchastrated it.

in all the years, paragraph 3 might be the most laughable thing you've posted. Treasonous? Based on what?! An ally of the US came here and spoke for his country. Ahmadinejad, the guy who wants to blow up Israel, has given speeches on US soil. As for the invitation, you're nuts. First, Bibi doesn't need an invitation from any president. Assume he did...the pres can ignore and circumvent Congress but not the other way around? Get real.

 

[kmoose]

I didn't watch the speech, because I was already worn out from the bickering over the invite to speak. Congress (The Legislative Branch) is it's own branch of the government. They don't need the Executive Branch's permission, or even approval, to invite someone to come and speak to them. The President is allowed to completely invalidate the Congress by overturning laws he doesn't like through Executive Orders, but he expects Congress to ask for his approval on a guest speaker?

This whole thing has stunk to high heaven. And it's not a Democrat v. Republican, or Republican v. Democrat thing. This is about what type of government you end up with, when politics becomes a profession. Politics was never intended to be a career. It was a person volunteering to serve their country for a few years, and then go back to their actual profession. But somewhere along the way, politics became a very lucrative industry, and people started to make it their profession. So now we have come to a place where our politicians are no longer concerned about what is best for our country. Their sole concern is for the furtherment of their professional career. Don't get caught up in their petty little games. Do the research to find out if your representative has been voting in the country's best interest, or in their own. And vote accordingly.

Also, don't let them turn a guest speaker in Congress into anything other than what it was: a guest speaker in Congress.

 

[phgreek]

The issues with the speech can be separated into 3 broad categories:

1: The invitation. I have yet to see a cogent defense of the way this was handled. For the speaker of the house to go around the President and the State Department's back to invite a head of state to speak is unprecedented.

2: The content of the speech itself. Netanyahu didn't say anything he hasn't been saying for at least 20 years. It's tough to see what his endgame is outside of committing American troops to a ground war in Iran. If that's what people want, then ok, but it's probably best if we don't let a foreign leader make that decision for us.

3: The reaction of Congress to the speech. THIS is what has me bothered, and this is what my original post was about. There was nothing dignified about the atmosphere displayed. Congressmen and women were tripping over each other to be the first up at every applause line in the speech, to shake Netanyahu's hand, to enthusiastically show their support each time he made a point they like. The Democrats get no pass from me on this: Pelosi's attempts to visually manifest her disgust every time she disagreed with him were almost as bad.

In short, it looked more like a campaign rally than it did a policy speech. Given that Netanyahu's up for reelection in 2 weeks, that's exactly what it was. And the vast majority of our Congress- the elected representatives of the most powerful nation the world has ever known- played right into the charade. They treated a foreign head of state like he was a conquering hero. And the ones who didn't CLAP LOUD ENOUGH (Rand Paul) are being attacked for their failure to show enough enthusiasm. This bothers me. When the President bowed before the Saudi King, I didn't care one bit. That was a common show of respect from one head of state to another in the host's country. This was something altogether different.

Disagree...in the last 20 years, how often has the united states entertained negotiations with Iran much less where enrichment was legitimately "on the table"...Thats a pretty recent concern...

 

[IrishInFl]

Netanyahu Feeling Like Trip To US To Start World War III Went Pretty Well | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

 

[pkt77242]

Nevel Chamberlain, back from the dead! How ya been?

Iran hated the US and Israel far before we got involved over there years ago. I have zero interest in negotiating with Islamo Nazis and I have zero problem with anything Bibi said. If your neighbor hated you and was building a bomb, you'd wanna make your case too.

what is this new "plan" you want to drum up in dealing with a country that hates the US and wants Israel wiped off the map? I've got my popcorn ready.

When do you think that Iran started hating the US?. Iran and the US were on pretty good terms until the 1950's when it started to fall apart because our CIA treated Iran like its personal playground.

Can you not understand that many of the countries that dislike us do so because of our previous actions, and that our current actions (or proposed actions) are just going to keep on creating new generations that dislike us. It keeps us stuck in an infinite loop of hate. I am hopeful about negotiations with Iran but I am not optimistic.

Also lets be honest, Netanyahu was mostly here to help himself get re-elected.

Also why would anyone believe Netanyahu?
Benjamin Netanyahu and Iran’s Nonexistent Nuclear Weapon: The Boy Who Cried Wolf | Global Research

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/03/02/brief-history-netanyahu-crying-wolf-iranian-nuclear-bomb/

 

[BobbyMac]

in all the years, paragraph 3 might be the most laughable thing you've posted. Treasonous? Based on what?! An ally of the US came here and spoke for his country. Ahmadinejad, the guy who wants to blow up Israel, has given speeches on US soil. As for the invitation, you're nuts. First, Bibi doesn't need an invitation from any president. Assume he did...the pres can ignore and circumvent Congress but not the other way around? Get real.

Oh Lord. I didn't even make it to the part of the paragraph containing the treasonous talk. He lost me at the Israelis have no idea what's on the table. Know one thing above all else regarding world affairs... the Mossad knows everything. CIA personal go home knowing they have tomorrow to finish their work. Mossad agents don't... plus couldn't go home anyways, they were too busy sifting through Sec. Clinton's personal email that she didn't have on the US servers. (What TF is that about?)

 

[phgreek]

Netanyahu Feeling Like Trip To US To Start World War III Went Pretty Well | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

was funny when it was published in 2012...still funny today.