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Obama’s little overseas adventure, and his (not so) subtle message to Israel

April 6, 2009

It’s only 96 days into 2009, and the world has woken up to something quite different. Instead of a faux horse hating cowboy who swaggers onto stage and jokes about his own lack of knowledge, the world sees a careful, concerned, educated, deep-thinking man representing America. 

Considering how Europe and Asia strive to school their diplomats and politicians, their response was predictably warm and excited. And why not? They see in the new guy the kind of professional pol and serious diplomatic partner with whom they can work. For those who do not recall the last days of BushCo, Euro leaders pretty much snubbed Little George in his last days. At the same time, they were uniformly afraid of and disdainful of his vice-president. As for the previous SecState? The less said, the better. 

All that has changed. America has a new leader, one who listens and learns, not lectures and imposes American will. The reactions from China, Russia, France, Germany, UK, Italy, Poland, Turkey, and even Belgium, have been extremely promising. 

Two hot spots created the only blemishes that defaced Obama’s little overseas adventure.  And no, one of them is NOT Iran. No, the delicate dance between Iran and the US will be slow, careful, always ready to retreat, and not willing to chance some mistake that would have adverse political/social/election in both countries. But, to the relief of both countries, and all of their neighbors, both countries finally seem ready to jaw jaw, rather than war war. With decades of mistrust, we can easily take a year or two to get it right this time.

The first blemish? North Korea, run by a cognac slurping, pizza eating, syphilitic despot , managed to rain missile parts on everyone’s parade with its most recent launch over our friend Japan. And to prove that nothing much has changed, they announced a complete success, even though the missile actually fell apart 1400 miles downwind. More on NK in the future. 

The second blemish, and the bigger story, is what country our new President did not visit, and why. 

Dick Cheney, feisty to the last, continues to spew lies about Iran, Hussein and Al Qaida. He continued to push for a preemptive attack on Iran, and was the source of the orders causing two large carrier groups to linger around Iran’s ocean boundaries, in hopes of starting a Tomkin incident. His lies about Iraq, Iran, Al Qaida and issues like security, torture, and more, are so pathetic and damaging, that if we were not a democracy, with a DOJ that is slowly mending from 8 yrs of abuse, it would be likely that no one would ever hear from him ever again. Luckily for him, our wheels of justice move slowly. 

Along with Cheney’s lies, Israel began an all out campaign, using AJC, AIPAC, plus all of its bribed and wholly owned US Senatwhores and Congresscritters. Israel  even sent high ranking delegates to bring more pressure onto Obama’s administration. 

On March 13, 2009, in a highly publicized and coordinated PR move, Israeli army chief of staff Lieutenant Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi flew to the US for talks over Iran’s nuclear program. As hard as AJC, AIPAC, and Israel’s lapdogs in the Senate and House tried, they could not pry open the White House or DOD doors for a cabinet level meeting. Only two lowly aides were permitted to meet Gabi, each of whom repeatedly claimed that they had no authority to speak on policy issues. 

The AJC and AIPAC continued their drumbeat for war after his trip. Even Dick Cheney slithered out from under his undisclosed rock, and tried to push Americans into some fear-based attack against Iran.  The AJC produced terrorizing radio ads, claiming that Iran was about to attack Israel and the USA. The PR campaign was so vile and baseless, that General David Petraeus corrected the record and flatly stated that Iran is years away from having any highly enriched uranium, despite Israel’s repeated claims that Iran could build a bomb within a year. (March 29th)

So, what is the result of Israel’s all out PR campaign, and America’s quiet, subtle response?

Barack Obama comes to terms with Russia about total nuclear disarmament for the globe, he comes to terms with China about close diplomatic, cultural, economic, and even military cooperation, he makes peace with France, and instead of visiting Israel, he travels to Turkey and re-starts a dying relationship almost destroyed by Cheney, Rice, and Bush. The snub is obvious, even though low-key. 

Of course, there have been some carrots sent Israel’s way. Given how many bombs, missiles, tank parts, jet parts, and anti-personnel and anti-farm shells were stolen by those evil Palestinians and Lebanese, who dared put up houses, farms, and business in the way of those weapons, Israel has run short of some critical parts, especially some of the more high tech devices.  The US is quietly resupplying Israel with most, if not all, of its depleted arsenal. After all, killing unarmed, stone-throwing, or camera-carrying individuals takes a lot of ammo, and creates much wear and tear on your equipment. 

When one looks at the Middle East from a distance, the countries who have caused the most damage to that region are

USA and Israel. Both countries have caused more attacks, more deaths, and far more damage than any other country or political group. It is not a proud record for the US. Iraq’s losses will shock our conscience, assuming that our MSM starts doing its job, investigating, researching and reporting, instead of being cheerleaders like Judy Miller.  It is not a proud record for Israel, either, and it is good to see a growing rational movement growing within our ally’s borders. That movement is small, but welcome. 

After 8 years of hubris, our policy has changed for the better. We no longer support greedy, criminal US contractors in Iraq who poisoned the water, electrocuted our troops, and stole our investment. We are rebuilding in Afghanistan, as well, with far more mixed results. But, it is the least that we can do. Perhaps a new policy is necessary, but again, more on that later. 

The Obama Administration has sent a huge message to Israel. Either start working with Palestine, or watch for our patience to finally run out. It is a welcome, timely, and important message. I hope that Israel hears it and sees the reasons behind it. 

The alternative is decades more bloodshed. 


14 Responses to Obama’s little overseas adventure, and his (not so) subtle message to Israel

  1. woody188

    April 6, 2009 at 4:16 pm

    I know I risk a ban here, but it must be said. Given this statement as truth:


    Is it really such a stretch to say Cheney allowed 19 hi-jackers to crash into the Twin Towers as a means to enable his plans for taming the Middle East and turning the United States into a police state?

    It is particularly damning when we consider he was a signatory to a document that claimed only such an event, a new Pearl Harbor, would influence the US citizens into allowing another Middle East invasion to occur.

    So far as Israel is concerned, money talks and BS walks. Not much of a snub so long as the money continues to flow. Besides, Israeli representatives can apparently walk right into just about any US government building and demand to meet with our top officials whenever they please. They can do this, even after they have been caught stealing secrets via the AIPAC-Franklin connection, which we still never hear about from the lamestream media.

  2. gazelle1929

    April 7, 2009 at 8:16 pm

    “Is it really such a stretch to say Cheney allowed 19 hi-jackers to crash into the Twin Towers.. . ?”


  3. RichardKanePA

    April 6, 2009 at 5:12 pm

    I am thankful for your comments on changes in US policy toward Israel. A lobbyist for Saudi Arabia, Chas Freeman wants to convince us that nothing has changed.

    I was beginning to believe that only the squeaky wheels got any grease.

    Still, today Palestinians are hungry, cornered by Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Arabia has been down on Palestinians ever since Palestinians sided with Saddam despite lavish Saudi aid.

    I wish someone would suggest ways to encourage Obama to move a little faster. And is he waiting for right wing Cubans to say enough of the blockade before ending it.

    The economic meltdown could collapse into a massive run on the banks. If so, Muslim banks in the US that have plenty of money and don’t charge or pay interest, and have a large percentage of deposits, to prevent any idea of a run on these banks, could keep the currency afloat if Omama stopped Bush’s earmarking certain Muslim charities as terrorist organizations.

    The Cuban boycott hurts the US economy as well and could potentially be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

    If the US decides to crack down instead of compromising with banking fraud, we will desperately need Cuban and Venezuelan assistance. And allowing Medicaid patients and SSI recipients to keep 20% of reimbursements overseas could save US taxpayers and be a boon to the Cuban economy.

    By the way as to the previous comment, the Saudi government also spends lavish amounts lobbying. And Saudi lobbying isn’t necessary in the opposite direction of Israeli lobbying.


  4. DejaVuAllOver

    April 7, 2009 at 12:22 am

    Great piece, Rob as usual. If you have time, would you care to elaborate on Israel being unable to get replacement parts? I hadn’t heard this. Let’s hope the tide really has turned and we stop sanctioning and fighting every war and atrocity the zionists cook up.

  5. barak

    April 7, 2009 at 9:02 am

    Yeah, let’s get the Zionists and their American pawns.

    Baloney! We may give them disproportionate amounts of armaments, but they are the one pro-American country in the entire middle east. They support us unconditionally.

    Stop with the nonsense that arabs only throw stones. They shoot lots of rockets–and at civilians, not army bases. There would be peace if the rockets stopped. Try it. See.

    There are great opportunities for a new President to make a difference. Whether he can make a Peace, well I doubt it but time will tell. He certainly has the tools and the intelligence to give it a good start. I, an ardent supporter of the State of Israel, really hope Obama can succeed where all others fail. I lived near Gaza a long time ago. It is a scary place where even then you had to send a guard with a machine gun to protect the tractor driver spraying the orchards at night. I came under a rocket attack on a subsequent visit, and it made all the hair on my body stand up although the rocket was far from me.

    Stop the rockets. That is step one. It must be done. The Israeli’s are not pleading for peace because they are at the point of extinction. They want something for them to sit at the table with Hamas or Hezbollah or Fatah–they want a cessation of agression against Israel. Talking is far more productive than rocketing.

    Give peace a chance…

  6. Rob Kezelis

    April 7, 2009 at 9:25 am

    The IDF acted like a murderous thug in Gaza. You expect Palestinians to respond with hugs and roses? Certainly not hugs. Not with their arms blown off, building demolished, children dying in front of IDF forces who prevented EMTs and ambulances from attending to the wounded. Roses? Where would they find those? Israel destroyed precious farm land on purpose. If any other country but Israel had acted like they did in Gaza, America would be demanding sanctions in the UN. The shame of it all is that Israel’s army and military leaders are culpable, while a growing number of Israelis see the futility of their current "Might Makes Right" policy.

  7. Chick

    April 7, 2009 at 8:32 pm

    You talking about baloney?

    barak says: “Baloney! We may give them (Israel) disproportionate amounts of armaments, buth they are the one pro-American country in the entire middle east. They support us unconditionaly.”

    From my perspective, they (the Israeli government) support us because we follow their demands and they need us. Their support is conditional on the USA continuing to follow their demands.

    The rockets against Israel that you specify are not much more effective than stones. Granted, the stones do not induce peace. Neither does the Israeli retaliation which is not stone-like. Is it?

    But, you’ll never recognize that their is a responsibility on both sides, will you? Body counts mean nothing as long as the other side is disproportionately losing.

    Peace? Right.

  8. RichardKanePA

    April 7, 2009 at 7:08 pm

    Thanks Barak for your comment. I like the way CapitolHillBlue likes to attract people of contradictory points of view. But earlier people posted all kinds of hate including supposedly Jewish CEO’s that was 1/3 out of date by 2001, without anyone like Barak challenging it. Everyone let’s be careful not to chase opposing opinion away.

    Barak, I’m glad you crave peace. Perhaps you can mention the Rush Limbaugh linking Hispanics and Muslims, if welcomed by Jews, which I so far don’t see, would be the reversal of what Hitler was mad at. He saw as an inherited deformity of otherwise fit people siding with what Hitler called misfits. I hope I am not giving you a hard time.

    Thanks Kelezis for praising Obama, Nader and Ron Paul inspire, but they won’t be with us much longer. So far I see only unreasonable people like Rush Limbaugh inspiring. If this doesn’t change, Obama’s is our only hope despite his timid approach to banking fraud. Thanks for mentioning a growing rational movement within Israel. I would have wanted to hear a lot more.

    I am petrified of a world where people think blaming the Jews will be the solution, but Woodie is right about Hamas observing the ceasefire. When Hamas, out of nowhere, won a surprising victory despite exit polls to the contrary, they at first behaved themselves to an amazing degree as Israel continued to assassinate from the air. Fortunately Israel of late is arresting instead of assassinating.

    Beside being scared of antisemitism, I am scared of a possible world where many believe both the lies about Jews and Muslims, who are then chased out of the west to supposedly fight their wars in their part of the world not ours, with would be a dream come true from bin Laden’s point of view.

    Anyway I am really troubled on how to criticize Israel without making a hate future more likely.


  9. gazelle1929

    April 7, 2009 at 8:20 pm

    “North Korea, run by a cognac slurping, pizza eating . . ..”

    What the hell do you have against cognac slurpers and pizza eaters?

    Good comment. And I hope that a bunch of people who go around spouting all the crap about Obama’s being in bed with the Zionists take a moment or two to think about what has happened in the last few weeks.

  10. Rob Kezelis

    April 7, 2009 at 9:48 pm


    Honestly, I have NOTHING against slurping cognac or pizza. As for the rest of the stuff, oh, well. . . . .

  11. woody188

    April 7, 2009 at 9:54 pm

    Yup, big difference putting Navy carriers in harms way and hoping they are attacked versus having the Air Force stand down and allow airliners to smash into buildings.

  12. gazelle1929

    April 8, 2009 at 10:05 am

    There’s also a big difference between discussing facts and spouting conspiracy crap and unprovable statements about what someone is hoping.

    And the stuff about having the AF “stand down” on 9/11 is just pure made-up tripe. People who continue to spout this stuff are doing a disservice to their country.

  13. DejaVuAllOver

    April 9, 2009 at 11:26 pm

    “Never Forget” works equally well for the Palestinians. As soon as the Jews forget about the Holocaust, the Palestinians will forget about theirs. Then and only then, the rockets will stop. So don’t hold your breath.