Sunday, November 13, 2011

With Allies Like Israel, Who Needs Enemies?

What a headline.  From the UK Telegraph:

Israel refuses to tell US its Iran intentions
Israel has refused to reassure President Barack Obama that it would warn him in advance of any pre-emptive strike on Iran's nuclear capabilities, raising fears that it may be planning a go-it-alone attack as early as next summer.


The US leader was rebuffed last month when he demanded private guarantees that no strike would go ahead without White House notification, suggesting Israel no longer plans to "seek Washington's permission", sources said. The disclosure, made by insiders briefed on a top-secret meeting between America's most senior defence chief and Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's hawkish prime minister, comes amid concerns that Iran's continuing progress towards nuclear weapons capability means the Jewish state has all but lost hope for a diplomatic solution.
Let me see if I can get this right.  It was a group of people inspired by a White Paper some of them created in the late 1990s for Netanyahu, then in his first term as Israeli Prime Minister, who then regrouped to form the Project for the New American Century, that kept on pushing for a war against Iraq, largely to help protect Israel.  They got what they wanted, much to our country's detriment.

Now they're pushing for war against Iran, even though such a conflict would not only seriously over-stretch our defense establishment, it would endanger our  military forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and throughout the Persian Gulf area.

Tens of thousands of Americans.

A lone Israeli attack on Iran would probably result in attacks upon all our naval vessels within reach of Iranian missiles.  It  would result in Shia attacks on US forces in Iraq.  It would seriously endanger US forces in central and western Afghanistan.  It would certainly result in attacks on shipping in the Persian Gulf, Straits of Hormuz and approaches to those areas.  Don't get me started on the ramifications for several country's economies, including our own.

We give these assholes billions a year for weapons.  Our president serially abases himself on their behalf.  If Israeli agents gave our congress and senate a bill to pass, saying "Benjamin Netanyahu is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life," it would be passed by overwhelming majorities in both chambers, even if the line's provenance was discovered during the rushes to co-sponsor and to be the first to vote.

If Alaskans look down upon some more than we do mooches, it is ingrates.  One Israeli government after another seems to want to outdo its predecessors in being both.

Allies?  My ass!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Our president serially abases himself on their behalf."

B-b-but it's OBAMA doing it! Don't forget he's a DEMOCRAT!

Democrats = GOOD!
Republicans = BAD.

And when Obama stands back when Israel finally starts WWIII, which wipes us all off the face of the earth?

Typical Obama-bot: ::: shrugs ::: At least Obama's a DEMOCRAT! Vote DEMOCRAT!

(No, really, the typical Obama-bot will be shitting her pants like the rest of us. Complaceny will be vaporized along with the human race.)

Anonymous said...

Obama is the worst President we have ever had. Everyone who voted for Obama should be ashamed.

Gloria said...

Israel/U.S. relationship has always reminded me of the bratty little kid that bullies all the other kids, then runs and hides behind his teenage brother crying that the other kids are picking on him.

I, too, have always heard this myth that Israel is our ally, but I have never seen it. We have no military bases there. No "brave Israeli soldiers" in the "Coalition of The Willing" in Iraq or Afghanistan. We went and beat up the kids while Israel bravely hid behind us.

My guess is that the reason Israel is wanting war at the moment is because even Israelis are getting tired of it all. They are experiencing many of the same things that are happening here in the U.S. - disproportionate wealth, increasing tuition, corruption, etc. Young people are protesting, many are refusing mandatory military service and a majority want their government to negotiate with Hamas.

But nothing brings the country together like a perceived threat and another outcry of how they are being victimized once again because they are God's Chosen People. Israel doesn't get it. People are fed up with Israel and it's not because they are Jewish, it's because they are assholes.

...and to the previous poster who has a problem with Obama...are you forgetting that the alternative was John McCain and Sarah Palin? They would be on their knees kissing Israel's ass by now.

Anonymous said...

I guess the righties did not hear of the poll taken across Europe a couple of weeks ago which shows over half the nations feel Israel is the MOST DANGEROUS country in the world and most likely to start a war.

Anonymous said...

Its interesting which information you choose to listen to. Its says a lot about who you are, and your bias against Jews and Israel that your consistently anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic posts descend into a sort of idiotic, frothing rant, while your posts on other subjects seem have at least a level of coherence.

I live in Israel, and know the difference between a real progressive and someone like you. I also know the difference between legitimate criticism of Israeli policies and garden-variety anti-Semitism.

You Phil, are just a pathetic anti-Semite. I don't say that based on this particular hysterical post of yours, but based on the countless posts that denigrate Jews, Judaism, and Israel. I know its all the same to you, anyway.

Its what you choose to believe, out of all the information out there, that speaks volumes about you. Go get a shrink or something and quit spreading your hate. Its really not at all "progressive."

Anonymous said...

"We have no military bases there..."

Please. Find out the hard facts on what there is and where. And think for a minute how and why that might be.

Anonymous said...

2:18 am - I made a comment that Mr. Munger should travel to Gaza and see things from every perspective. Being hosted by both Palestinians and Israelis, so that he might be exposed equally to everything. The good and the bad.
He rejected the comment.

Gloria said...

"Find out the hard facts on what is there and where."

Well, finding the hard facts is a little difficult to do when dealing with Israel since they like to lie about things like that. Their favorite response is to "neither confirm nor deny." Are you referring to the 5 secret bases that supposedly don't exist?

"And think for a minute how and why that might be."

OK, I'm thinking. Hmmm...my guess is because Israel is a bully. They have no shortage of spies, assassins and Mossad agents - just a shortage of real men.

Let's find out more hard facts...perhaps you can find out for me just how many nuclear weapons Israel actually has. I've never been able to because they continue to "neither confirm or deny." I hear it's about 200.

Just how many nuclear weapons does Israel need to feel safe?