Barack Obama sat down with the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg to discuss U.S. policy towards Israel, and for the first 95% of the interview, Obama offered a solid, uncontroversial position, which included effusive praise for the Jewish state.
Asked if he perceived Israel as “a drag on America’s reputation overseas,” Obama said:
“No, no, no. 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. I am absolutely convinced of that … I want to solve the problem.”
Describing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a source of instability in the region, and a dispute in need of a resolution, hardly seems controversial.
So, House Republican leaders changed Obama’s words to make him say what they wanted to hear. By any reasonable definition of the word, they lied.
Reps. John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the first and third highest ranking Republicans in the House, issued written statements. First Boehner…
“Israel is a critical American ally and a beacon of democracy in the Middle East, not a ‘constant sore’ as Barack Obama claims,” Boehner said. “Obama’s latest remark, and his commitment to ‘opening a dialogue’ with sponsors of terrorism, echoes past statements by Jimmy Carter who once called Israel an ‘apartheid state.’”
…and then Cantor.
“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,” Cantor said.
Pathetic. House GOP leaders are well past the point of shame, but if there’s even a shred of decency among them, Boehner and Cantor will say their statements were written by overeager staffers and apologize.
(Boehner’s reference to Carter was an especially ridiculous move, given that Obama specifically denounced it in the very same interview: “I strongly reject [Carter’s] characterization. Israel is a vibrant democracy, the only one in the Middle East, and there’s no doubt that Israel and the Palestinians have tough issues to work out to get to the goal of two states living side by side in peace and security, but injecting a term like apartheid into the discussion doesn’t advance that goal. It’s emotionally loaded, historically inaccurate, and it’s not what I believe.”)
Jake Tapper concluded:
…Boehner et al are falsely accusing Obama of besmirching a nation and a people. They are accusing him of being anti-Israel, even anti-Semitic. It is false.
This kind of twisting is unbecoming a party that claims to have superior ideas to Obama’s fairly orthodox liberal record. Voters may conclude that Republicans think they have to make things up to beat Obama. Which they don’t.
Actually, they might. If clowns like Boehner and Cantor had any confidence at all in the merits of the Republican agenda or the value of ideas, they wouldn’t perceive lies like these as necessary for electoral success.
Update: The Atlantic’s Goldberg, who is a conservative, also blasted Boehner, calling the Minority Leader’s attack on Obama “mendacious, duplicitous, gross, and comically refutable.” Goldberg called on Boehner to “do the right thing, and correct the record.”
Filed Under: Barack Obama, Election 08, Right Wing Stupidity, Wingnuts
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An educated populace would laugh these morons right out of office. If only we had one.
In related news, here’s the true story behind the Hamas “endorsement” of Obama.
Required @ 1:
Hey! You dis’spectin’ Murka? luvitrleevit kawmy! lol! ;)
U.S.A! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
John “Boo Hoo” Boehner? Will the last person left in the Republican Closet turn Boehner off before they leave?
With the Republican “Brand” chained to McCrazy old dude, who is in turn chained to the Bush Administration that is at a historic low of 28% approval rating.
Voting Republican this year will be like trying to bring back dinosaurs from amber. Nice story but they are extinct.
considering carrots have higher IQs than any in the gop,
just consider the source.
Yes, keep twisting his words, make crap up, keep him on the defensive, then hopefully nobody will ever get to hear what he’s really saying.
Who really believes Karl Rove isn’t still coordinating the entire election strategy?
Ummm… Old story.
This has been beaten to death already on every other blog for the last few days. I think there’s other stories out there.
Doesn’t C&L read other blogs too?
Jesus out.
House repugs lying . . I wonder if the MSM will pick up this story!
Lying is a vital plank of the Republican platform, along with voter suppression, race-baiting, and fearmongering.
It’s only a handful of people in Israel that keep the Palestine issue from being solved. They want to keep the conflict going so that they can stay in power. They are a lot like our own Republican Party. They market fear to keep the sheep afraid.
Liberty sinking anyone?
And ?????? What else is new? ; (
Get used to it, because outright lies are going to be the cornerstone of the Republican campaign. Unless the Democrats learn how to effectively respond to outright lies promoted by the mainstream media, Obama will lose the election because Americans won’t want to vote for a three-headed Muslim space alien who eats puppies. Just as in 2004 a near majority almost voted for an intelligent anti-terrorism brush-clearing hero over a sailboarding un-American mock-hunter who lied about his Viet Nam experiences.
I suspect that the Democrats are carrying on the Clinton/Obama primary show in part to continue distracting the mainstream media with that spectacle, while delaying the McCain/Obama orgy of slander until after most Americans turn off their TVs for the summer…
I believe it is important to place this in the proper perspective. As Steve Benen notes, Obama was certainly lavish in his praise of Israel. What neither Steve Benen nor the article pointed out was that Obama did not seem the least concerned about the rights of the Palestinian people, who have been oppressed for decades by the Israeli military. Obama tries to make it appear that both countries have suffered equally, while ignoring the fact that the Palestinians have lost many more casualties, especially civilians, often unjustifiably, than have the Israelis. But apparently it would not be politically expedient for that agent of hope and change to state that obvious truth in a public forum.
This is just the beginning. The right wing will say or do literally anything to win the Presidential election so we might as well get used to it.
It really makes little difference because the overwhelming number of voters who will take part in the general election, and vote for Democrats (see the last three local elections?) will take the Presidency, the House and the Senate by a very good margin.
While I agree that the republicks were lying, why is no one really upset that Barack has to suck up to Israel in that way? I really wish for once we could have an honest dialog about that, personally I would like to drop Israel completely and focus on our own country for once it’s not as if they can’t defend themselves if they had to.
And unrelated, Clinton is now saying voting for Obama may be better than voting for McCain
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/14/clinton/
Don’t try to call the Boner on this. You might make him cry.
It’s going to get crazy.
Steel up.
um, why is it a required pre-requisite that whoever runs for political office in the USA must get on his/her knees and demonstrate their willingness to bend and blow at the will of Israel? Isn’t Obama running for President of the USA, and NOT Israel?
why is his purported stance being made an issue of whether he is Presidential? or, oh wait, ever since Truman, the more you give yourself up, the more you whore yourself, and the more you let yourself get pimped by the AIPAC and the Pro-ISraeli interests, the more Presidential you are. Sad, very sad.
Btw, Anti-Israeli does NOT equate with antisemitism. America stands for a country that accepts all people regardless of faith, creed, and race. FOr a country like ISreal to admit citizenship only to Jews and to none others, and for it to treat other inhabitants of its land as 3rd class and scum; shouldnt the real question be why we even support such a “democracy” in the first place? Were it a true democracy in the American fashion, they wouldnt limit who gets citizenship based on the yard stick of ultimate Jewery. SOrry, but that is a pathetic excuse for a state, and America supporting such undercuts what it stands for in the first place
Glenn Greenwald wrote a really good column on the Goldberg interview earlier this week. Glenn’s piece is really worth reading, because he updated it to account for reader responses. And a reader at Talking Points Memo suggested people e-mail Boehner asking him to stop spreading this slander. I did–not that it’ll make him stop, but at least I feel better.
Donnie @ 4:
America! F*ck yeah! (Name the movie?)
hmmm yeah ok @ 19:
Denouncing Israel will get you left off of Jesus’ flying saucer when he comes back to pick up all the fundies.
SCREAMING MODERATE @ 22:
Is there some kind of petition we can sign to lobby for acceleration of these alien abductions?
Boehner, the same pussy who walked out with his bitch Rethugs when a House vote to hold Miers and Bolton in contempt of Congress rather than face the music?
ANYTHING to which this moron objects is likely to be correct; I say wear it as a badge of honor!
hmmm yeah ok @ 19:
Guess who sells Israel all their weapons?
Guess who pays big bucks to both parties for their continued support?
SCREAMING MODERATE @ 22:
Haha, true true, I better start repenting!
WHEN THE DEMS OWN THE GOVT… LET’S HOPE THEY PUT THE TRUTH IN PLAIN SIGHT…
THESE BACKSTABBING BASTARD REPUBLICANS SUCK
The Republican party leadership for most of the last 8 years has consisted largely of two types of people:
1. Complete morons, like Boehner, who will do or say anything in order to “win,” regardless of how stupid they look while doing it, largely because they look only to other morons for validation.
2. Politically expedient but morally ambiguous players, like Rice, who realized that as a Democrat she might rise as high as a City Councilor, but she would be a star in the Republican Party.
Unfortunately for those in Group 1, the smart ones in Group 2 are fleeing like rats from a sinking ship, leaving only the morons to run the show, with predictable results.
The upshot is that Democrats will win the next presidency, by at least a 60/40 margin (and more likely at least 70/30). The only question then will be, “Will they blow it as bad as they have every other time they were in power?”
Obama - keep uniting ALL people.
There is a Peaceful Solution for Israel.
The good people of Israel want peace.
Just as we do.
This “issue” is the neocons wild card - to divide people.
Obama should DENOUNCE the neocons and Bush and Rice..
They have ALL set the peace process back SO far.
… more war and killing does NOT lead to Peace.
Someone should also denounce Bush’s recent gutting of the Espionage Oversight Board as well.
Make no mistake… The Bush/Cheney/Neocon espionage crime mob is operating.
Journalists are tracking
Shocking I tell you! A repugnacan lied? Absolutely shocking!
The republicans in this country are truly despicable. There is no limit to the lying and cheating on their part. They are bigots, thieves, and scoundrels. I wonder how they can look at themselves in the mirror and feel proud for their party. Do they get together and slap each other on the back and say, “Wow, nice lie you told today!” They MUST know that they are all lying. It’s so obvious.
I just hope that Obama can stick to the high road and not be dragged down by these curs.
Of course they lied..they’re Republicans.
The media should just hammer morons like these.. I cant believe people like this actually get elected..
On an unrelated note, Edwards just endorsed Obama
Stupid lying Boner.
New Word
I think that from hereon all political mistakes that are “mendacious, duplicitous, gross, and comically refutable” be referred to as “boehners”.
Required @ 1:
Considering how many public libraries are closing, and how funding is being cut for education… I’d have to say, the population of idiots will keep growing unless we do something about it.
What’s really scary is all the bibletards that keep voting for greedy, amoral, and often murderous, morons.
Just look at how the ‘chimp in chief’ became our president (dictator) for two terms.
Too bad America is populated by TOTAL F*CKING MORONS, otherwise it could be a really great country.
jake @ 38:
True, they voted for Bush twice.
“Btw, Anti-Israeli does NOT equate with antisemitism.” Yeah, thanks, we hadn’t heard that before. But you sound kind of defensive.
“America stands for a country that accepts all people regardless of faith, creed, and race.” Sure! America’s never persecuted any of its inhabitants for their race or religion (except maybe Indians, the Irish, Italians, Jews, Catholics, Muslims, etc., etc.)
“FOr a country like ISreal” — which was founded as a country for Jews, with its official religion to be Judaism — “to admit citizenship only to Jews and to none others” — wrong again, professor — “, and for it to treat other inhabitants of its land as 3rd class and scum” — Are you talking about Israeli Arabs (who vote, voluntarily serve in the military, etc.) or Palestinians (who’ve been known to suicide bomb restaurants and such)?” — ; shouldnt the real question be why we even support such a “democracy” in the first place?” — Because Israel is our proxy in the Middle East; it does the U.S.’s dirty work, does the U.S.’s intelligence work for it, is a first-world country for scientific research of all kinds, acts as a lightning rod for Arab resentment and hatred (not to mention those of some progressives) while the U.S. is invading for oil, etc. —
“Were it a true democracy in the American fashion,” — because only America is a true democracy? That wrong on so many levels it’s sad — they wouldnt limit who gets citizenship based on the yard stick of ultimate Jewery.” But they do, because it’s a Jewish country; why is that such a difficult concept? — SOrry, but that is a pathetic excuse for a state, and America supporting such undercuts what it stands for in the first place.” A pathetic excuse for a state? Wow, no bias there. Israel oppresses the Palestinians, who don’t help by rocketing, suicide-bombing, mortaring, etc., nor by refusing to recognize Israel’s right to exist. It’s a terrible issue that isn’t solved by black-and-white thinking or by conflating the government with the country itself. Looking at the U.S., you might be able to see what I mean.
dmhlt @ 36:
Do we have a word for people who “call(ed) on Boehner to, ‘do the right thing’”?
You might as well piss into the wind.
This kind of twisting is unbecoming a party that claims to have superior ideas to Obama’s fairly orthodox liberal record.
Where the fuck has Tapper been for the past 16 years? Living under a rock? On Mars!?
Unbecoming? This is SOP for the GOP you dolt.
dmhlt @ 36:
Or ‘”Boners.”
In the effort to try and bring us all together, perhaps they’re not lying. Perhaps they just misunderstood the statement; they didn’t realize that the ‘wound’ and ’sore’ statements refered to the conflict, not Israel itself. In other words, in as conciliatory a tone as I can muster, I suggest that they just might be too fucking stupid to follow that one level of indirection.
Now, can’t we all just get along?
What an extremely depressing interview.
I know Obama has to say all these stupid things to stand a chance in hell in Washington politics, and especially in a Presidential election but it seems he actually believes every word. The only message he has to the Palestinians is basically: Fuck you!
And still all this praise and defense of zionism and Israel isnt Israel-friendly enough for the Republicans…
I would have preferred Obama had left Mr Carter out of his commentary altogether.
I understand the need for Pols to tip toe on egg shells around the subject of Israeli/Palestinian conflicts but I really dislike the idea of having to refute people like Carter to remain politically safe and viable.
speaking of TOTAL F*CKING MORONS
This is why I will not travel to the US of A for a long, long time to come. And to be clear, I’ve witnessed some f*cked up shit at US airports myself, but it’s not the most important reason.
Disclosure: I’m a European who spent more than 3 years of his life in the US, has many MANY US (expat) friends and used to look past the country’s indisgressions.
Seems so long ago already.
*Not anti-American, but post-American*
not to worry! CNN will pick that up and turn it into a rev wright moment.
it will be on morning joe scumbag tomorrow morning, properly edited, of course.
This is really fucking amusing!
not only did they lie…but so did every wingnut talker
every smear run on obama has been basically to twist the words that come out of his mouth
and the sad thing is…too much of the ignorant american populice is buying into it
pinkobait @ 46:
im sorry, but jimmy overstepped his boundaries when he went to chat with hamas
he has also said many things that show him to be very skewed in his views of the conflict
trust me, they are gonna hide jimmy in a dark corner duing the convention
is anyone really surprised that they lie?
‘When in doubt, lie’….. That’s pretty much SOP for republicans in general ain’t it???? JD