Strictly politics

This piece is not going to be a commentary on Lynda Jumilla’s popular ANC talk show.  Rather it provides my four centavos to the “House of Cards”-like drama that happened in Washington D.C. last week. Nowadays, you no longer know which is which – the reel or the real?  

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was visiting the United States but not as the guest of President Barack Obama.  Rather, he was invited by Speaker John Boehner and the Republican party-controlled US Congress to address both houses in joint session.  The topic was the ongoing negotiations regarding a potential nuclear weapons agreement between the US and Iran.

In his 39-minute address that drew 26 standing ovations (but boycotted by 60 Democrats), Netanyahu began by saying “I deeply regret that some perceive my being here as political. That was never my intention.” He then stated that “no matter what side of the aisle you sit, you stand with Israel. The remarkable alliance between Israel and the United States has always been above politics.” Ironically, his speech was stirringly political. The Israeli Prime Minister warned the US that it was “negotiating a bad deal” which could “spark a nuclear nightmare.” He said that “the deal Mr. Obama seeks will not prevent a nuclear-armed Iran but will all but guarantee it.”  

Parenthetically, President Cory Aquino’s address to the US Congress on Sept. 18, 1986 lasted for 30 minutes and was interrupted by applause 11 times, ending in a standing ovation. Democratic House Speaker Tip O’Neill called it “the finest speech I’ve heard in my 34 years in Congress.” And as President Cory was stepping down the rostrum, Republican Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole quipped, “Cory, you hit a home run.” In quick response, she smilingly replied, “I hope the bases were loaded.”

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Netanyahu is a master orator and his speech was riddled with memorable lines which would particularly resonate with the American public.  He used Hemmingway when he argued that “the deal won’t be a farewell to arms but a farewell to arms control.” And claiming that “history has placed us at fateful crossroads.., you don’t have to read Robert Frost to know.. that the difficult path is usually the one less traveled, but it will make all the difference for the future of my country, the security of the Middle East and the peace of the world, the peace we all desire.”    

Zeroing in on the world’s current problems with ISIS, he warned:  “Don’t be fooled. The battle between Iran and ISIS doesn’t turn Iran into a friend of America.  Iran and ISIS are competing for the crown of militant Islam..  Hence, “in this deadly game of thrones... the enemy of your enemy is (still) your enemy.”  

In respect of the ongoing negotiations between the US and Iran, he had the following advice: “Now if Iran threatens to walk away from the table — and this often happens in a Persian Bazaar — call their bluff.  They’ll be back, because they need the deal a lot more than you do.”

Netanyahu closed with nationalistic vitriol.  “But I can guarantee you this, the days when the Jewish people remained passive in the face of genocidal enemies, those days are over..  We are no longer scattered among the nations, powerless to defend ourselves.. For the first time in 100 generations, we, the Jewish people, can defend ourselves.  This is why, as a prime minister of Israel, I can promise you one more thing:  Even if Israel has to stand alone, Israel will stand.”

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To be fair, Netanyahu praised Obama for his public and private support of Israel. In a speech delivered a few days earlier, he said that he meant no disrespect to President Obama or to the office that he holds. But in the US Congress, he went on with a point-by-point critique of the Obama administration’s negotiating strategy.

The Democrats conceded that Netanyahu’s speech was strong in rhetoric but weak on specifics.  Obama believed that his speech was “nothing new” and “did not offer any viable alternative.” And while admitting that they shared his concerns, US National Security Adviser Susan Rice believes that Netanyahu’s position that Iran give up all uranium enrichment programs was “unrealistic” and that “we cannot let a totally unachievable ideal stand in the way of a good deal.” Netanyahu’s retort: “Now we’re being told that the only alternative to this bad deal is war. That’s just not true. The alternative to this bad deal is a much better deal. A point to ponder in our own BBL debate.

The heart of the dispute between Mr. Obama and Mr. Netanyahu is the strategy to use to curb Iran’s nuclear program. In exchange for lifting the current international economic sanctions, Iran is potentially agreeing to allow a periodic international inspection of its nuclear facilities and restrict the number of centrifuges it has for enriching uranium for at least 10 years.   Israel is widely assumed to possess the Middle East’s only nuclear arsenal.

Israel is holding general elections on March 17 so Netanyahu’s maverick move could make or break his Likud party and his bid for re-election as prime minister to a third consecutive term. And while the Congressional democrats are currently out of power and Obama’s final term ends in 2016, the Israelis cannot afford to offend their premier ally. Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi remarked that she was “saddened by the insult to the intelligence of the United States” and “the condescension toward our knowledge of the threat posed by Iran.”

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Greetings: Today is the 103rd birth anniversary of the Oreo cookie which was concocted by RJR Nabisco in 1912. It coincides with the special day of Shang Properties OIC Wilfred Woo who, like the Oreo, is hard on the outside but soft in the inside.

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“Be strong and resolute,

neither fear nor dread them.”

Moses’ parting words to the Israelites. – Deuteronomy 3:16

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