October 1, 2012

"Daylight" between the United States and Israel.

From a Wall Street Journal article by Mitt Romney:
The president began his term with the explicit policy of creating "daylight" between [he United States and Israel]. He recently downgraded Israel from being our "closest ally" in the Middle East to being only "one of our closest allies." It's a diplomatic message that will be received clearly by Israel and its adversaries alike. He dismissed Israel's concerns about Iran as mere "noise" that he prefers to "block out." And at a time when Israel needs America to stand with it, he declined to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In this period of uncertainty, we need to apply a coherent strategy of supporting our partners in the Middle East—that is, both governments and individuals who share our values....

It means placing no daylight between the United States and Israel.

27 comments:

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

THe US and Israel are independent states, with independent interests, histories and alliances. For there to be no daylight between these two independent states would require a form of diplomatic pathology.

edutcher said...

That's been the pathology for 64 years.

Of course, the Liberals ditched that idea in '67 when it became clear that the Palestinian terrorists were backed by the Russkies and they certainly weren't going to go against the Russkies.

Robert Cook said...

"That's been the pathology for 64 years.

"Of course, the Liberals ditched that idea in '67 when it became clear that the Palestinian terrorists were backed by the Russkies and they certainly weren't going to go against the Russkies."


Talk about pathological!

Nichevo said...

Please Cook, if not a pro forma communist you are certainly a communist bootlicker. We let you do it, nobody's going to fry you. So why can't you just be honest about what you really are?

Michael K said...

Well, we wouldn't want to be the ally of a country with advanced medicine and computer science that invented, for example, the drone aircraft and the best automatic weapons that the Secret Service uses.

We (Obama) would rather be the ally of a state whose population has gone from 14 million to 60 million in 60 years and its ability to grow food has been stagnant. We are seeking allies in a huge population that has a GDP slightly less than Finland and ignoring another state that shares our values, economic system and religious tradition.

That makes a lot of sense to those people who don't like reason.

vet66 said...

Romney is correct. The only pathology here is Obama's narcissism and arrogance in the face of history leading to decisions that prove his incompetence.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

vet66 said...
Romney is correct.


Romney is pandering, in a very transparent fashion.

prairie wind said...

It means placing no daylight between the United States and Israel.

It means placing daylight between the United States and Obama.

Beta Rube said...

Muslim nations are similar to American inner cities. They have had trillions of dollars transferred to them, in the Middle East from oil revenue, in our own cities from Great Society welfarism, yet neither improve much and both lay the fault clearly at the feet of others.

Liberals accept the blame on behalf of the rest of us. God forbid we ask the affected populations to change.

James Pawlak said...

Islam has been at war with all others for 1400-years. That now includes the USA. Supporting Islam is aiding the enemies of the USA and, per the Constitution, TREASON.

Unknown said...

Please Cook, if not a pro forma communist you are certainly a communist bootlicker.

The right wing nutjobs at Althouse say the craziest things.

Sam L. said...

Jake, so do the left-wing nutjobs.

MadisonMan said...

The USA should be all about promoting freedom and democracy. Which middle eastern states are democracies?

Hagar said...

Explain to me, real slow, how it can be good for either country to have its government dependent on internal political developments in the other.

Hagar said...

It seems to me that Israel did quite well for itself in the first 30 years of its existence, when there was plenty of "daylight" between the foreign policies of our two countries.

Baron Zemo said...

Barry Soetoro learned everything he needed to know about Israel from his schooling back in Indonesia durning his most formative years.

Reinforced in the long year he worshiped at Rev. Wright's church.

He will hang Israel out to dry.

He had plenty of time to yuk it up with David Letterman but no time to meet with the Prime Minsiter of Israel when they were both in New York.

Baron Zemo said...

There is no daylight between Barry and Cedarford.

Cedarford said...

AReasonableMan said...
THe US and Israel are independent states, with independent interests, histories and alliances. For there to be no daylight between these two independent states would require a form of diplomatic pathology.

===============
It is a leftist stance, but as opposed to the conservative Base's Goober Christian Zionists belief that US-Israel is a God-blessed wedding and the eagerness of Israel to exploit that Israel-First sentiment..

The Left's position is more in tune with reality.

1. The US has never had a defense treaty with Israel.
2. It was declared a "strategic" partner, along with the likes of Pakistan and Afghanistan..to qualify for lowered costs on US weaponry.
3. Nations have no friends, only mutual interests. Save in spheres of common culture and ethnicity that go back centuries (Britain-Commonwealth, Scandanavia, Germany-Austria, US-Canada). Or long history of living alongside one another with peaceful shared Borders. Israel-US does not qualify on that account.
And even there, a recognition that daylight, some space on issues, and picket fences are in mutual interest.
4. Times when past declarations of "no daylight!" between two nations usually means the one with the most influence calling the shots- the other "friend" subserviant.

Cedarford said...

Zemo - He had plenty of time to yuk it up with David Letterman but no time to meet with the Prime Minsiter of Israel when they were both in New York.

As the right media let lie after lie made by Obama and his minions about Romney and Republicans pass with hardly any comment, for a month they swallowed the distraction Obama handed them hook line and sinker.
"Obama won't meet with Bibi, as Bibi demands!!"

Right wing media made that, and not the economy, the main channel of their Outrage!! against Obama.

As if:

1. They assume the public shares their love, and insist on calling only one of 186 other nations leader's by their first name. 96% of Americans don't give two shits about Hu's, or Vlad's, or Felix's, or Bibi's, or Helen's demands!!
2. Their vote is going to rest on who leaps when fingers of other leaders are snapped. Like "Dave" (UK), 'Bibi'(Israel), "Vlad" (Russia), "Felix" (Mexico), "Dilma" (Brazil, Seretse (Botswana).
3. That somehow, a "good" US President instantly bows and scrapes when a leader of a major power demands a summit...let alone as the French said "shitty little countries that go about thinking they are bigger and more important than they actually are".
(Some irony, of course. As France is far less consequential than it was 100 years ago and has had difficulty accepting that. But Neocons have also had a hard time understanding the US is not the Hyperpower, but a wastrel debtor nation far less important and consequential than we were 50 years ago.)


Baron Zemo said...

Not meeting with Bibi with a nuclear exchange between Israel and Iran a real possiblity is not as important as being on "The View" or "Late Night."

Of course Cedarford and his Valkyrie handmaiden Inga the She Wolf would be more than happy when Israel is destroyed.

Barry would just shrug and go back to his waffle.

Robert Cook said...

"...a nuclear exchange between Israel and Iran a real possiblity...."

Yes, if by "nuclear exchange" you mean Israel walloping Iran with a bunch of nukes.

Baron Zemo said...

They could have done that anytime they wanted to Robert.

It didn't happen when Israel was in really dire straits and they had the bomb then.

It is Iran that is the problem.

Of course not to you and the other lefties who love to make excuses for the barbarians at the gates.

Cedarford said...

We have already spent far too much blood and treasure on wars and conflicts in Israel-Muslim "regions". And paid the cost of neglecting other more vital regions and US interests. And paid the cost in jobs and treasure by relying on Muslim oil, and refusing to build a domestic energy infrastructure.

Time to get off Muslim oil, and distance ourselves during the great Islamic Revival. If Islam fails to better their lives, and it will fail - us being gone removes the big excuse (America!!)Islamists give on why their countries have become even bigger shitholes despite more radical Islam, and allows them to insist on ever more radical Islamist solutions.

Baron Zemo said...

Ignoring a problem is always the best solution.

Or maybe your final solution. Eh.

Robert Cook said...

"It is Iran that is the problem."

If we're worried about nuclear states launching their weapons, we have to worry about the states that have nukes, and that are belligerent.


Baron Zemo said...

Right.

That's why we bribe Pakistan and have a strong bond with their enemy India as set up by the Bush administration.

And there is no chance that Iran might be "belligerent."

Right.

Darrell said...

This current Administration can't see daylight with its head so far up its ass.

Is it possible to turn inside out?
We'll just have to see.