Barack Obama and Israel: More GOP Lies
Posted May 13, 2008 | 04:43 PM (EST)
by John Kerry
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-kerry/more-gop-lies-about-barac_b_101561.html
Look, I've been around politics long enough to know that it's a contact
s****t. Words will be abused. Phrases will be taken out of context.
But the latest distortion from the GOP, frankly, shouldn't give us all
pause -- it should spring us into action.
Here's the story, if you haven't heard - yesterday, Jeffrey Goldberg
published a very interesting and engaging interview with Barack Obama,
where they spoke at length about Barack's ties to the Jewish community
in Chicago and his views on the Middle East peace process. When speaking
about the decades old violence that has threatened our ally Israel,
Barack said:
But what I think is that this constant wound, that this constant
sore, does infect all of our foreign policy. The lack of a resolution to
this problem provides an excuse for anti-American militant jihadists to
engage in inexcusable actions, and so we have a national-security
interest in solving this, and I also believe that Israel has a security
interest in solving this because I believe that the status quo is
unsustainable.
Does anyone seriously dispute that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a
constant, open wound in the Middle East -- exploited by those who would
like to see Israel and the United States driven out of the region? Of
course not.
It's simply undeniable that the conflict affects all of our Middle
Eastern foreign policy. For decades, these have been bi-partisan views:
There remain enemies of this peace, extremists on both sides who
feel threatened by the peace and will be tempted once again to kill it
with violence. We can defeat that kind of threat by building a genuine
Israeli-Palestinian partner****p that will stand the test of time -- Bill
Clinton
Only through the process of negotiation can all the nations of the
Middle East achieve a secure peace. -- Ronald Reagan
Even George W. Bush has said:
For the sake of all humanity, things must change in the Middle East.
It is untenable for Israeli citizens to live in terror. It is
untenable for Palestinians to live in squalor and occupation. [...]
Permanent occupation threatens Israel's identity and democracy. A
stable, peaceful Palestinian state is necessary to achieve the security
that Israel longs for.
But of course, today, rather than seriously disputing that, or, even
better, offering a vision of their own on how to find peace in the
Middle East and security for Israel, Rep. John Boehner and Rep. Eric
Cantor - senior leader****p in the House GOP -- decided to ignore the
actual meaning of English words and simply invent something Barack Obama
didn't say. Here is what they said
Israel is a critical American ally and a beacon of democracy in the
Middle East, not a 'constant sore' as Barack Obama claims. -- John Boehner
It is truly disappointing that Senator Obama called Israel a
'constant wound,' 'constant sore,' and that it 'infect[s] all of our
foreign policy.' These sorts of words and characterizations are the
words of a politician with a deep misunderstanding of the Middle East
and an innate distrust of Israel -- Eric Cantor
This is so mendacious that the objective journalist Jeffrey Goldberg
himself felt compelled to reply. He writes:
I have no doubt that Mr. Boehner will issue a correction to his
press release in which he states the obvious, which is that Obama
expressed -- in twelve different ways -- his sup****t for Israel to me.
If he doesn't, however, I would, sadly, have to agree with my
colleague, the less-forgiving Andrew Sullivan, who called Boehner's
statement a "flat-out lie." In fact, I would add to Andrew's post, by
calling Boehner's statement mendacious, duplicitous, gross, and
comically refutable. So Mr. Boehner, do the right thing, and correct the
record. I'll be happy to post the correction right here.
These statements by Representatives Boehner and Cantor are so bad they
rise to the level of a danger to our foreign policy. America's
allegiance to Israel has always been bi-partisan and unshakeable. It
still is, with either Sen. McCain, Sen. Obama or Sen. Clinton as
President. But how can we actually have a debate on foreign policy, if
the other side simply makes up statements on which to base phony,
contrived outrage?
No, people need to hear the truth -- now.
Here's what Barack said about his personal feelings about Israel in the
very same interview:
I think the idea of Israel and the reality of Israel is one that I
find im****tant to me personally. Because it speaks to my history of
being uprooted, it speaks to the African-American story of exodus, it
describes the history of overcoming great odds and a courage and a
commitment to carving out a democracy and prosperity in the midst of
hardscrabble land. One of the things I loved about Israel when I went
there is that the land itself is a metaphor for rebirth, for what's been
accomplished. What I also love about Israel is the fact that people
argue about these issues, and that they're asking themselves moral
questions.
In other words, he said exactly the opposite of what Boehner and Cantor
scurrilously allege. The Wa****ngton Post gave both Boehner and Cantor
multiple Pinocchios for their performance.
Barack Obama has spoken time and time again on the im****tance of our
alliance with Israel, and on how im****tant Israel is to him personally.
He has spoken movingly about the inspiration he draws from Israel's
historic struggle for independence and its current struggle for
security, as well as his deep resolve to continue working to strengthen
security for all of Israel's people. He has called America's commitment
to Israel's security "unshakeable," a commitment built on the bedrock of
the deep friend****p between the two nations.
But the Republican Party insists on twisting his words so far they
resort to actually lying about their meaning.
We have a foreign policy mess in the Middle East. The Bush
administration's Iraq debacle has weakened our diplomatic standing in
the region and limited our options in working on the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. No wonder all Representatives Boehner and Cantor can do is to
create imaginary strawmen to knock down in self-righteous indignation.
I'm not alone in condemning this remark. Here's the statement from Rep.
Robert Wexler:
In his dishonest and ridiculous distortion, John Boehner has shown
us the new depths that a truly desperate Republican leader****p will sink
to in its attempt to smear Barack Obama's strong and unshakeable record
of sup****t for Israel. This absurd parsing would be laughable if it
wasn't so sad to see the U.S.-Israel relation****p used as a political
wedge instead of a cause to unite all Americans around a common purpose.
And here's Rep. Rahm Emanuel:
On the eve of Israel's 60th anniversary, Congressman Boehner should
remember that Israel enjoys bipartisan sup****t and commitment to its
security. Nothing could be worse for Israel at this time than for it to
become a proxy for Congressman Boehner's political games. Senator
Obama's record is clear when it comes to Israel's security and
friend****p with the United States.
The politics of character assassination from Republicans on the
im****tant issues needs to stop. Playing games to drive political wedges
as part of some political strategy does great disservice to our country.
We need to talk about how to chart a new course, not spread these kinds
of distortions.
We deserve better in this country, but we won't get it from the GOP in
this election. Already we've seen John McCain trying to describe Barack
Obama as Hamas' candidate. That's beneath the John McCain I used to
know. But -- sadly -- that is the only way these Republicans have to try
and win an election
We deserve better. We need to have an honest and im****tant conversation
about how to reorient our foreign policy to meet the challenges of the
21st century.
What we don't need are lies, distortions, and rhetoric designed only to
whip up fear. That's part of what got us into this mess, and it won't
get us out.
Call Sen. McCain's office at 202-224-2235 and ask him to condemn these
statements from his sup****ters.
|
