Since the new Koch Congress has already solved every one of America’s pressing issues and desperately need cheerleaders to advance their agenda, Speaker of the House John Boehner invited Benjamin Netanyahu and Pope Francis to address Congress. No doubt the two ‘religious’ leaders will inspire a rousing standing ovation from Republicans, and then they will launch into discourses that are so typically Republican it will indeed be painful to watch. In fact, it will be torture to listen to Netanyahu impose his foreign policy recommendations on America, but it will be particularly arduous to listen to Pope Francis do his imitation of a conservative Republican; more on that later.
It is obvious now that America is not in an ‘official war,’ Republicans need a fear-mongering diatribe from Netanyahu on the pressing necessity for anything to draw America into another Middle East war. Republicans beholden to Israel, and not America, have panted for a war with Iran since before 2008, and with a fair number of Democrats have sought desperately for any means to derail the United Nations negotiations to roll back Iran’s nuclear program. Netanyahu will dutifully do his part as fierce opponent of the nuclear agreement with Iran and will lend his voice to Republicans and some Democrats rebuttal to the President’s diplomacy first policy; because they are in lock step with Israel’s foreign policy that according to their mindset is in America’s best interest.
First, Boehner’s inviting a foreigner to address a joint session of Congress without consulting or notifying the President or the State Department is considered “a departure from usual diplomatic protocol, and bizarre.” Boehner blew off normal diplomatic protocol and said, “Congress can make this decision on its own. There is a serious threat that exists in the world, and the president last night just papered over it. The fact is that there needs to be a more serious conversation in America about how serious the threat is from radical Islamic jihadists and the threat posed by Iran.” Of course, when it comes to pushing for another Middle East war; who better to provide Americans with a “serious conversation” that warmonger Netanyahu? Apparently Lindsey Graham and John McCain are losing their luster.
In Israel, the opposition parties have remarked, loudly, that Netanyahu is “trampling on the framework of our relations with the U.S. for political gain ahead of a general election.” The Meretz Party in Israel said it was filing a complaint with the Central Elections Committee to prohibit Israeli television and radio stations from broadcasting Netanyahu’s “campaign speech” and “rebuttal to President Obama’s foreign policy” it claims is a “blatant violation of campaign laws;” so typically Republican. It is also another opportunity for Netanyahu to pressure the United States Congress into furnishing more of Israel’s military funding courtesy of the American taxpayers.
According to a deputy minister close to Netanyahu, “it’s the prime minister’s right to stand by ‘his’ position as much as President Obama has a right to stand by his, and to demonstrate how we think about how to deal with Iran.” Let that sink in for a moment. Republicans are allowing a foreign leader to not only campaign in front of joint session of Congress, but to lay out Israel’s proposals for America’s foreign policy in the Middle East. Boehner is not about to allow America, or President Obama set the nation’s foreign policy and complained that “the president warned us not to move ahead with sanctions on Iran. His exact message to us was, ‘Hold your fire.’ He expects us to stand idly by and do nothing while he cuts a bad deal with Iran. Two words: ‘Hell no!’ … We’re going to do no such thing. I am specifically asking him (Netanyahu) to address Congress on the threats posed by radical Islam and Iran to send a clear message to the White House about our commitment to Israel.”
Boehner’s rhetoric is pathetically sickening; although not surprising. If anyone does not need a foreign warmonger to inform him about the threat from radical Islam it is President Obama. The President has been decimating radical Islamists to great effect without taking counsel from Netanyahu. In fact, the President takes a world of criticism for ordering “too many” drone strikes killing terrorists and their leadership.
As reported yesterday in the world press, “Over the last 24 hours, ISIS has been defeated in every front in Iraq in unprecedented way. From Mosul to the north to Anbar to the west and Diyala to the east, Iraqi government forces, Shiite militias, Sunni tribes and Kurdish forces were all victorious in battle. Since the start of the U.S.-led air campaign, ISIS has lost its momentum in Iraq and lost some of the cities and towns that it captured in June 2014.”
According to a statement by Secretary of State John Kerry, “Two days after President Obama told Congress that Islamic State’s advances in Syria and Iraq were being halted, thousands of the fighters had been killed and 270 square miles recaptured in Iraq.” Barack Obama does not need Benjamin Netanyahu to “send a clear message to the White House” about the threat of radical Islam; or the need for more hundreds-of-millions of American taxpayer dollars to fund Israel’s military.
So there it is. Speaker of the House Boehner is calling in a foreign leader and war monger to send “a clear message to the White House” about “Republicans commitment to Israel;” not to America, not to the American people, and not to American interests in peaceful negotiations and diplomacy as opposed to another preemptive Middle East war in Israel’s best interests.
One wonders, seriously, if Boehner and McConnell will task federal park employees to remove all American flags in and around the nation’s Capital and festoon the area with Israeli flags because it is painfully obvious Boehner and Republicans’ allegiance is to Israel; not America. It is entirely plausible, and likely that John Boehner has Republicans brushing up on the Israeli national anthem for a rousing rendition to impress Netanyahu with just how devoted to Israeli national interests Republicans really are.
Born in the South, raised in the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn't look good.
Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.
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