No Senate Democrats block measure backing Bibi’s speech
The Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution welcoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to America and endorsing his speech before a joint session of Congress.
Critics of the Obama administration view the unanimous approval as a rebuke to the White House and Democrats, who have vowed to boycott Netanyahu’s address and work to counter his warnings about the dangers of a nuclear Iran.
No Senate Democrats sponsored the measure, which attracted 50 Republican cosponsors. However, none attempted to block its passage, signaling that support for Israel and Netanyahu’s message has outweighed a pressure campaign by the Obama administration to sabotage the address.
“The Senate warmly welcomes the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, on his visit to the United States, which provides a timely opportunity to reinforce the United State-Israel relationship,” the resolution states.
Congress “eagerly awaits the address of Prime Minister Netanyahu before a joint meeting of the United States Congress,” it continues.
The lawmakers go on to reaffirm their “commitment to stand with Israel during times of uncertainty” and vow to “strongly support Israel’s right to defend itself from threats to its very survival,” according to the measure.
Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas), the chief sponsor of the resolution, said in a statement that the United States must be vocal about its support for the Jewish state as the Obama administration works toward a final deal with Iran that critics argue would permit it to retain the most controversial aspects of its nuclear infrastructure.
“During this time of such great instability and danger in the Middle East, the United States should be unequivocal about our commitment to one of our closest and most important allies,” Cornyn said. “I hope all my colleagues will join me in welcoming Prime Minister Netanyahu to Washington so we can continue to work together to advance our common security interests.”
Passage of the measure came on the same day it was revealed that Netanyahu would be meeting with top senators in a private meeting about Iran. The two events indicate a forceful and coordinated pushback against claims that the speech is partisan in nature.
Netanyahu is expected to tell Congress in his address—which comes as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) holds its annual conference—that the White House is on the cusp of agreeing to a deal with Iran.
Some congressional Democrats have already promised to boycott the speech, claiming Netanyahu’s presence in the United States is an attempt to interfere with the White House’s diplomacy.
The White House is already laying groundwork behind the scenes to oppose Netanyahu’s remarks. Administration officials will take to the Sunday morning news shows and other avenues to speak in favor of a deal, the Associated Press reported earlier this week.
One pro-Israel political strategist said the passage of the resolution welcoming Netanyahu highlights an internal struggle taking place among Democrats.
“By refusing to block this resolution that passed unanimously, Democrats are showing they’re still grappling with this new political situation surrounding the U.S.–Israel relationship,” said the source, who requested anonymity. “Clearly, they’re still in the process of formulating how they’re going to respond to this new context.”
“And you can see part of the internal struggle of these members play out in public when Democrats don’t cosponsor the resolution, but don’t object when it’s brought up for unanimous consent,” the source said. “Even the most liberal Democratic senator didn’t object when it would have been easy to do so if they wanted.”
The campaign against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s scheduled address to joint houses of the Congress of the United States just 72 hours from now, mounted by Mr Obama and being pushed foolishly by his national security advisor Susan Rice, has come to naught. The unanimous welcome to Mr Netanyahu by the United States Senate, signed onto by the Senate Republicans but arousing no opposition from the Senate Democrats, many of whom seem to be diverging from Mr Obama’s expectations that the senators of his own party would battle to save his amour proper.
Now, it increasingly looking to the whole USA that Mr Obama actually fears Mr Netanyahu’s presence among the entire Congress. I envision Russian Premier Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, that consummate world-class chess player of international power relationships, sneering in contempt of his American counterpart, who, unfortunately for all of us here in the USA, is only a golf player, and at that, probably couldn’t best one of Tiger Woods’ most insignificant competitors.
Also in the news here today is the full-page advertisement in the main news section of the Saturday New York Times, with which Rav Shmuley Boteach tears Susan Rice a new reputational asshole. To whit:
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Susan Rice
has a blind spot:
Genocide
Both the Jewish people’s and Rwanda’s.
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It seems Ms Rice told Ambassador Samantha Power, after some 800,000 men, women, and children were hacked to death, while the American diplomatic and security advisors were wondering how to label such an event:
“If we use the word ‘genocide’ and are seen as doing nothing, what will be the effect the on November election?”
Now, she and Mr Obama are pushing a policy in which the State of Israel could face likely nuclear extinction at the hands of the Iranian ayatollist leadership, courtesy of Mr Obama’s 1938-revisited Peace in Our Time policies that turned Czechoslovakia over to Adolf Hitler.
I am not interested in the Jesus-the-Jew or sexual highlife notions of Rav Boteach. But I am glad he raised the cash to blitz Ms Rice.
In consideration of all of the above, and again, HaShem willing, I think Prime Minister Netanyahu will deliver one of the most important speeches in the histories not only of the Jewish nation and the State of Israel, but also of the long history of the Congress of the United States. Hopefully his speech will not depend on cardboard assemblages showing ticking time-bombs, etc. By now, one of his key people must have reminded him that stage props may be appropriate for sales pitches at commercial convention, but not at all where the prime minister of a friendly country is invited to spell out a foreseeable and terrible danger to both our countries, in a setting of governmental deliberations where one expects august majesty.
Taking into account all of the above considerations, and an assumption that Mr Netanyahu will not blow it, part of the upshot will include capture for him of a significant number of still-undecided voters for the Knesset election only 14 days after his address to the Congress of the United States.
One more upshot that I sincerely hope for. That is a greatly improved relationship with Russia and China. Mr Obama and his administration is openly hostile to Premier Putin’s long-term goal of rebuilding control by the Russian Federation of all of Russia’s western and southern borderlands. That is a key reason Mr Putin making moves all across the Middle East. I think these moves are not aimed at Israel, but in fact are part of his playing of power chess against Mr Obama in a nearby but different part of the world. In any case, I think Russia will win that particular struggle, and that he will also rebuild Russia’s international position in the Balkans and will pick apart Ukraine, all while Mr Obama mutters threats of trade sanctions.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
Any member of the congress who does not WATCH the BB speech is against the US. There is no absolute need to be in W DC.
The whole Adm will hide to watch.
Congratulations Mr. Netanyahu. Now we would ask you to please use this great opportunity for effect.