1/22/2015

41 Responses to “President Obama Will Not Meet With Netanyahu Next Month”

1. Hello.

   Dana (8e74ce) — 1/22/2015 @ 8:10 pm

   
   

2. well since there’s nothing at stake:

   megyn-kelly-reports-iran-developing-inter-continental-missiles-that-can-reach-far-beyond-middle-east

   narciso (ee1f88) — 1/22/2015 @ 8:26 pm

   
   

3. It is an extraordinarily safe bet to assume that Obama will not be seen as taking Bibi’s side. In anything.

   JD (86a5eb) — 1/22/2015 @ 8:37 pm

   
   

4. One rule for New Zealand, another for Israel. Obama was quite happy to meet John Key in the runup to *our* election.

   http://www.radiolive.co.nz/Duncan-Garner-John-Key-planning-White-House-visit-in-general-election-lead-up/tabid/674/articleID/42287/Default.aspx

   scrubone (c3104f) — 1/22/2015 @ 8:56 pm

   
   

5. Reading the Times of Israel, it seems Bibi arranged the trip, and then rescheduled it for the first week of March without any contact with the White House. IOW, Netanyahu snubbed Obama first. Quite clearly the Israelis think Obama is worthless. But I do remember the line about “too close to elections” to have been used before..and I think it involved Israel that time as well.
   The purpose of the reschedule is to allow Bibi to address the AIPAC cinvention.

   kishnevi (a5d1b9) — 1/22/2015 @ 9:03 pm

   
   

6. scrubone,

   Thanks. I’ve updated the post: President Obama was willing to meet with New Zealand’s PM John Key in the run-up to the country’s election. They met at the White House in June 2014. The election took place in September 2014.

   Dana (8e74ce) — 1/22/2015 @ 9:18 pm

   
   

7. With all due respect to Megyn Kelly, Iran reports making super-weapons at the same rate of speed as the sub-atomic particles in the Hadron Collider. The only difference is the collider works sometimes.

   Ag80 (eb6ffa) — 1/22/2015 @ 9:19 pm

   
   

8. The NZ case is not quite comparable. That was three months before the election. The Israelis will be voting two weeks after Netanyahu will be here.

   kishnevi (294553) — 1/22/2015 @ 9:23 pm

   
   

9. I would think that it would be Netanyahu who would not want “Vote for Bibi, Obama likes him!”

   nk (dbc370) — 1/22/2015 @ 9:25 pm

   
   

10. Bibi is sooooo lucky!

    askeptic (efcf22) — 1/22/2015 @ 9:28 pm

    
    

11. “The NZ case is not quite comparable. That was three months before the election. The Israelis will be voting two weeks after Netanyahu will be here.”

    kishnevi – It was more comparable when the trip was scheduled for February. Nevertheless, I’m sure Bibi is not disappointed to miss seeing Obama in person.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 1/22/2015 @ 9:28 pm

    
    

12. President Ferret is not going to worry about Iran until it’s too late, then she’ll blame the TEA PARTY. This schit isn’t funny anymore.

    Gus (7cc192) — 1/22/2015 @ 9:30 pm

    
    

13. kishnevi,

    I considered that but chose not to give this administration that benefit of the doubt. Key and Obama have shared a warm relationship: they’re golfing buddies , Obama praises Key for being a climate change ally , praises Key for his work on nuclear security and so forth. I think he would have met with Key whether a month before the election or three months before the election like he did.

    Dana (8e74ce) — 1/22/2015 @ 9:33 pm

    
    

14. so as to avoid the appearance of influencing a democratic election in a foreign country,”

    [Snort and chortle]

    “Avoid the appearance of” emanating from a person who has inappropriately, clumsily, blatantly inserted himself into the middle of — closer to home — sensitive judicial and law-enforcement matters involving people like Henry Louis Gates Jr in Cambridge, Trayvon Martin in Florida, Michael Brown in Ferguson, or, in the international arena, Manuel Zelaya in Honduras or the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. I won’t say anything about “avoid the appearance of” when it came to the affairs of an obscure film maker posting silly (and innocuous) videos to Youtube following the debacle in Benghazi.

    I’d feel more confident in both the safety and sanity of the US if Obama would spent ALL his time out on golf courses or in bath houses in Chicago.

    Mark (c160ec) — 1/22/2015 @ 9:45 pm

    
    

15. anybody think Bibi wanted to meet The One ?

    seeRpea (1d44c7) — 1/22/2015 @ 9:59 pm

    
    

16. Interestingly enough:

    In 1996, then-Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres traveled to the U.S. to meet with President Bill Clinton less than a month before Peres faced voters. Peres faced some criticism for using the trip as a ploy to win votes, particularly from opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu.

    “I can’t find an example of any previous Israeli government whose prime minister, on the eve of elections, made a cynical attempt to use relations between Israel and the United States as a party advertisement,” Netanyahu said.

    Dana (8e74ce) — 1/22/2015 @ 10:05 pm

    
    

17. anybody think Bibi wanted to meet The One ?
    seeRpea (1d44c7) — 1/22/2015 @ 9:59 pm

    Exactly.

    Obama’s declaration is just so he can say he said so first, before some reporter asks Bibi if he even wanted a meeting.

    Estragon (ada867) — 1/22/2015 @ 10:29 pm

    
    

18. Did President Obama knowingly “campaign” for Sarkozy in France’s 2012 elections?

    Dana (8e74ce) — 1/22/2015 @ 10:30 pm

    
    

19. Yay, my first comment to make it in as an update 😀

    scrubone (5d0079) — 1/22/2015 @ 10:35 pm

    
    

20. The funny thing was, I originally was going to comment on the way that the left here in NZ complained bitterly that the government was scheduling a royal visit (Kate and Wills) here in election year, inventing a convention that this was always avoided (except for the dozen times it’d happened previously).

    It’s almost like inventing things when the facts don’t suit you is a universal rule of the left or something…

    scrubone (5d0079) — 1/22/2015 @ 10:42 pm

    
    

21. congrats scrubone 😀

    seeRpea (1d44c7) — 1/22/2015 @ 10:49 pm

    
    

22. Holy s – – t. President Goddamn America is doing to Mossad what it did to the filmmaker of the anti-Islamic video on Youtube right after the US consulate in Benghazi was hit by terrorists.

    Unbelievable and sickening.

    Liberalism truly — most certainly — is a mental illness, and today’s White House is now this nation’s most prominent insane asylum.

    israelnationalnews.com, January 22: A senior Israeli official delivered an uncommonly harsh attack on US President Barack Obama’s administration Thursday evening, following the American report that alleged that Mossad Head Tamir Pardo had warned US senators against further Iran sanctions, in contradiction of Israel’s official stance.

    “The fraudulent claims against the Mossad Head were raised by the Americans yesterday, despite a message that had been transmitted to them on Tuesday by Intelligence Minister [Yuval] Steintz,” the senior Israeli source told Channel 2 news.

    He added that Israel had gone over the minutes of the meeting between Pardo and the delegation of senators, and that Pardo had not said what was attributed to him.

    “Leaking the Mossad Head’s statements, even if they had not been falsified, is a serious breach of all the rules,” the senior source added. “Friends do not behave like this. Information from a secret meeting must not leak out.”

    “The Head of Mossad noted that in negotiating with Iran, a policy of ‘carrots and sticks’ must be adopted, and there are not enough ‘sticks’ nowadays,” it added. Furthermore, said the agency, he “said specifically that the agreement that is being formed with Iran is bad and could lead to a regional arms race.”

    Mark (c160ec) — 1/22/2015 @ 11:29 pm

    
    

23. Mark, you beat me to it by 2 minutes 🙂
    Looks like someone is lying, but is it Kerry or The One ?

    seeRpea (1d44c7) — 1/22/2015 @ 11:33 pm

    
    

24. I guess they weren’t worried about the appearance of petulance.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 1/23/2015 @ 12:21 am

    
    

25. Thing is, John Key plays golf with Obama in Hawaii, where they both spend their holidays.

    Does Netanyahu play golf? Na, he’s probably “running a country” or something silly.

    scrubone (d7632d) — 1/23/2015 @ 1:58 am

    
    

26. Couldn’t be Kerry lying. He has no track record of that.

    Besides, he was in Cambodia at Chrismas.

    Dan (d2bbcb) — 1/23/2015 @ 4:49 am

    
    

27. nk wins the internets for the day:

    I would think that it would be Netanyahu who would not want “Vote for Bibi, Obama likes him!”

    Yuppers!

    The Israeli Dana (f6a568) — 1/23/2015 @ 4:56 am

    
    

28. Mark, do you think that either Mossad or the Israeli government in general would trust our government with any secrets as long as this current bunch is in charge?

    The Dana who, if President Obama said 2+2=4, would check the math (f6a568) — 1/23/2015 @ 5:00 am

    
    

29. We might as well be completely honest: President Obama doesn’t want to do anything to help Prime Minister Netanyahu win, because he hates Bibi’s guts, and the feeling is more than mutual. But our President cannot say that he wants Mr Netanyahu to lose, because Israelis are so distrustful of Mr Obama that anything he said in support of any other candidate would only help Likud.

    The foreign policy Dana (f6a568) — 1/23/2015 @ 5:46 am

    
    

30. 23.
    The meeting was with a senatorial delegation. which points to Kerry.
    28.
    The Israelis don’t trust them even with nonsecrets.
    29.
    Actually, the important race in Israel is who will come in second, and therefore be the most viable coalition partner. Part of that will be determined by things out of Netanyahu’s hands. Most important being a corruption probe into the Jewish Home party, infighting among Shas, and what Hezbollah does next.

    kishnevi (3719b7) — 1/23/2015 @ 5:57 am

    
    

31. Israelis already know Obama hates Israel and Netanyahu

    they didn’t need any extra clarification

    happyfeet (a037ad) — 1/23/2015 @ 6:10 am

    
    

32. Updated article from Times of Israel
    http://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-spat-in-our-face-white-house-officials-say/

    Short version…White House throws tantrum, Kerry even mire inclined to throw Israel under the bus.

    kishnevi (a5d1b9) — 1/23/2015 @ 6:18 am

    
    

33. do you think that either Mossad or the Israeli government in general would trust our government

    Dana, I would hope not, since having faith and confidence in the mentally ill is never a good idea.

    I’m posting the following, which really isn’t off topic, since we’re dealing with the deranged judgment and defective perceptions of the aforementioned mentally challenged, and this is to smoking what Obama is to international affairs.

    freebeacon.com, January 23, 2015: New Orleans passed a far-reaching smoking ban on Thursday that prohibits lighting up in bars, casinos, private clubs — even in the car while waiting in line at a drive-thru. Claiming there is no “constitutional right” to smoke, the New Orleans City Council unanimously voted to outlaw smoking and electronic cigarettes in indoor and outdoor public places.

    The ordinance, which goes into effect in 90 days, applies to bars, casinos, parks, private clubs, any business establishment, recreational areas, sports arenas, theaters, and a host of other places.

    The ordinance was coauthored by Democratic council members LaToya Cantrell, a former “community organizer,” and Susan Guidry. The smoking ban carries $100 fines for a person who smokes a cigarette, natural or synthetic marijuana, or e-cigarettes in “public places.”

    The ordinance goes further to banning smoking in many outdoor areas, including construction sites. Outdoor recreational areas, including amusement parks, athletic fields, beaches, fairgrounds, gardens, golf courses, parks, plazas, skate parks, swimming pools, trails, and zoos, will also be affected.

    New Orleans residents will also no longer be able to smoke in their cars while waiting to use an ATM. Smoking is now banned in “all outdoor service lines, including lines in which service is obtained by persons in vehicles, such as service that is provided by bank tellers, parking lot attendants, and toll takers.”

    E-cigarettes were included in the ban because their use in public “creates concern and confusion and leads to difficulties in enforcing the smoking prohibitions.”

    Mark (c160ec) — 1/23/2015 @ 7:17 am

    
    

34. Too busy meeting with wacky, green lipstick wearing nut-bags who eat breakfast cereal out of teh bathtub, I suppose.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/23/2015 @ 7:21 am

    
    

35. Mr Feet wrote:

    Israelis already know Obama hates Israel and Netanyahu

    they didn’t need any extra clarification

    True enough, but that doesn’t mean that our noble and wise President doesn’t want to keep clarifying the situation for them anyway.

    The snarky Dana (f6a568) — 1/23/2015 @ 7:45 am

    
    

36. 22. seeRpea (1d44c7) — 1/22/2015 @ 11:33 pm

    Looks like someone is lying, but is it Kerry or The One ?

    One of the Senators who reported what the head of the Mossad had said, or more likely, the person in the government who prepared a summary of what the Senators
    had heard and gave it to Kerry.

    One possibility: There is a lot of self-interest in government in telling their bosses tghey are doing the right thing. This probably became an argument in internal government documents.

    It is not true that Mossad head Tamir Pardo had not said the words that were attributed to an Israeli intelligence official by Secretary of State John Kerry. At least according to the Ha’Aretz report. (although apparently in was not in the minutes)

    The problem is that phrase was taken out of context. Pardo indeed probably had said that Congress voting for increased sanctions would “throw a grenade” into the talk with Iran. The only thing is, he said a grenade ought to be thrown into the talks – that is, the applecart needs to be upset. He said, OR ACKNOWLEDGED, it would probably stop the talks for a while. But later hopefully they would resume, AND THIS TIME THEY MIGHT GET WHAT THEY NEEDED FROM IRAN.

    Sammy Finkelman (e806a6) — 1/23/2015 @ 9:41 am

    
    

37. He indeed used the word grenade.

    http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Mossad-in-rare-move-denies-it-contradicted-Netanyahu-by-lobbying-against-stiffer-Iran-sanctions-388616

    ….He also said that in the absence of strong pressure, the Iranians will not make meaningful compromises.

    Regrading the use of the phrase “throwing a grenade,” cited by Kerry, the statement clarified that Pardo did not use that expression regarding the imposition of sanctions, which he believes are the “sticks” necessary to reach a “good deal” with Iran. Rather, the statement read, Pardo used that expression “as a metaphor to describe the possibility of creating a temporary crisis in the negotiations at the end of which talks would resume under improved conditions.” In other words, he said the Iraniana needed a shock.

    Sammy Finkelman (e806a6) — 1/23/2015 @ 9:57 am

    
    

38. The typo “Regrading” (instead of “Regarding) is on the Jerusalem Post website!

    The sentence “In other words, he said the Iranians needed a shock” is mine.

    I didn’t close the quote.

    Sammy Finkelman (e806a6) — 1/23/2015 @ 10:00 am

    
    

39. True enough, but that doesn’t mean that our noble and wise President doesn’t want to keep clarifying the situation for them anyway.

    he’s a stupid mass of sputum he makes me sick

    happyfeet (a037ad) — 1/23/2015 @ 10:01 am

    
    

40. “Too busy meeting with wacky, green lipstick wearing nut-bags who eat breakfast cereal out of teh bathtub, I suppose.”

    Colonel – I filled my bathtub with pudding last November for a full body dip, but I passed on the green lipstick. Not my best color. I’m still not feeling any desire to meet with the president.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 1/23/2015 @ 12:18 pm

    
    

41. #40… empty calories befit Teh Won…

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/23/2015 @ 5:02 pm