“Editors-in-chief of broadcast channels will watch and make sure that nothing the prime minister says can be construed as election campaigning,” Salim Joubran, the head of Israel’s central election committee, said in an order two weeks ago. “Any campaigning will be omitted from the broadcast.”
It seems that even in Israel, people already knew the purpose of Netanyahu’s speech in Congress had nothing to dwo with Iran and everything to do with a political event, inspired by the Republican party. So they did what we should have done here, they blocked out the live feed of the event and placed a 5 minute delay in the broadcast to filter out any campaigning.
It’s all about the politics. It’s never about what’s best for the America people or what’s best for the country the pledged allegiance to. For Republicans, it’s all about politics and what’s best for their re-election and if it means disrespecting the president, then they’re all in.
Take this current issue surrounding the upcoming Netanyahu Congressional speech for example. Congressional Republicans are using this speech to not only divide the country with many Americans calling the move a huge mistake and a slap in the face of the Obama administration, but they are also driving a wedge between America and Israel. And this fact was brought up in a recent interview between Chris Wallace of Fox News and Republican House Speaker, John Boehner.
“Haven’t you taken one of the few bipartisan issues in this country — support for Israel — and turned it into a political football?” Wallace asked.
“I have not. The fact is that we had every right to do what we did,” Boehner responded. “I wanted the prime minister to come here. There’s a serious threat facing the world. And radical Islamic terrorists are not going to go away.”
“And then when it comes to the threat of Iran having a nuclear weapon, these are important messages that the Congress needs to here and the American people need to hear,” the speaker continued. “And I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu is the perfect person to deliver the message of how serious this threat is.”
Wallace then pointed out that Boehner asked Ron Dermer, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., not to tell the White House about the joint meeting with Netanyahu.
“Why would you do that?” Wallace asked.
“Because I wanted to make sure that there was no interference. There’s no secret here in Washington about the animosity that this White House has for Prime Minister Netanyahu. I frankly didn’t want that getting in the way, quashing what I thought was a real opportunity,” Boehner responded.
Wallace challenged Boehner, commenting that the invitation created controversy.
“Shouldn’t the relationship between the U.S. and Israel be outside of politics?” he asked.
“It’s an important message that the American people need to hear. I’m glad that he’s coming, and I’m looking forward to what he has to say,” Boehner responded.
I’m still waiting for all Congressional Democrats to stand up and join Vice President Joe Biden and members of the Black Caucus in denouncing this Netanyahu mockery of American politics.
Vice President Joe Biden is expected to miss Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial address to a joint meeting of Congress because of foreign travel, Biden’s office said Friday.
The announcement comes amid deep White House irritation over Netanyahu’s decision to accept an invitation from House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, without either party consulting the administration. The White House blasted the move as a breach of diplomatic protocol and said President Barack Obama would not meet with Netanyahu during next month’s visit.
But Biden, as president of the Senate, would typically have attended a joint meeting of Congress, taking his familiar seat just behind the speaker’s podium. Whether Biden would still carry out his ceremonial duties became the focus of increased speculation this week as some Democratic lawmakers said they planned to skip the March 3 speech.
On Friday, Biden’s office confirmed that the vice president was expected to be abroad during Netanyahu’s visit. Biden’s office did not announce any details of where the vice president would be traveling, but insisted the unspecified trip had been in the works before the prime minister’s speech was announced.
All Democrats in Congress should be preparing to skip this speech. Doing so has nothing to do with Israel or the relationship that country has with America, skipping the speech will however emphasize the blatant disrespect shown by Boehner and his Republican party, and the disrespect Netanyahu is showing apparently has for the American political process.
So far, only certain high ranking members of the Congressional Black Caucus plan to skip the speech.
Reps. John Lewis (D-Ga.), the civil rights icon, and G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), the chairman of the CBC, said they won’t attend Benjamin Netanyahu’s March 3 speech before Congress to protest Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) decision to invite the prime minister without first consulting President Obama and Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill.
Butterfield said that move marked an “unprecedented overreach of the Speaker’s authority” that “goes beyond the traditions of his office.”
“It is baffling that Speaker Boehner, who incessantly proclaims executive overreach by the president, would buck long standing diplomatic protocol to extend such an invitation,” Butterfield said in a statement.
“His actions unnecessarily politicize our steadfast relationship with Israel, and potentially subvert U.S. foreign policy,” he added. “The United States is and will remain Israel’s strongest ally. However, I refuse to be a part of a political stunt aimed at undercutting President Obama.”
In an interview with the Associated Press, Lewis delivered a similar message.
“I think it’s an affront to the president and the State Department what the speaker did,” Lewis told the AP.
Both lawmakers emphasized that they are not organizing a formal boycott, but had made the personal decision to steer clear of the speech.
“The only thing I can control is my attendance,” Butterfield told the AP.
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