Israel’s New Champion: Barack Obama!

Today, 3/4/2012, President Obama spoke before AIPAC – the American Israel Public Affairs Committee as a keynote speaker at their 2012 policy conference.

Standing out in his speech is President Obama’s detailed description how he single-handedly has solidified the unbreakable American-Israeli bond.

What he said does not entirely jive with what he has done. A brief review of the last three years puts things into proper perspective.

There may be a very, VERY important reason behind his unusually strong pro-Israeli stand.

The 2012 Obama AIPAC Speech

President Obama pulled out all the stops for AIPAC. He threw in everything, including the kitchen sink, that AIPAC and the majority of voting Republicans could possibly have wanted to hear.

In his opening remarks Obama said:

Over the last three years, as President of the United States, I have kept my commitments to the state of Israel.   Four years ago, I stood before you and said that, “Israel’s security is sacrosanct.  It is non-negotiable.”   That belief has guided my actions as President.   The fact is, my administration’s commitment to Israel’s security has been unprecedented.

On Israel’s military support (in a near word-for-word rehash of his 2011 AIPAC speech) the President said:

Our military and intelligence cooperation has never been closer.   Our joint exercises and training have never been more robust.  Despite a tough budget environment, our security assistance has increased every single year.   We are investing in new capabilities.   We’re providing Israel with more advanced technology — the types of products and systems that only go to our closest friends and allies.   And make no mistake: We will do what it takes to preserve Israel’s qualitative military edge — because Israel must always have the ability to defend itself, by itself, against any threat.

On Iran the President reserved these exceptionally tough, saber-waving words:

No Israeli government can tolerate a nuclear weapon in the hands of a regime that denies the Holocaust…   A nuclear-armed Iran is completely counter to Israel’s security interests…   It would embolden a regime that has brutalized its own people, and it would embolden Iran’s proxies, who have carried out terrorist attacks from the Levant to southwest Asia…   And that is why, four years ago, I made a commitment to the American people, and said that we would use all elements of American power to pressure Iran and prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon.   And that is what we have done.

Iran’s leaders should have no doubt about the resolve of the United States —- just as they should not doubt Israel’s sovereign right to make its own decisions about what is required to meet its security needs.

I have said that when it comes to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, I will take no options off the table, and I mean what I say.

I will not hesitate to use force when it is necessary to defend the United States and its interests.

The 33 minute speech video is here:
“President Obama at 2012 AIPAC Policy Conference“
– The White House, Photos & Videos, 3/4/2012

The complete text of his speech is here:
“Remarks by the President at AIPAC Policy Conference“
– The White House, Speeches & Remarks, 3/4/2012

Reality Check

In his short tenure, President Obama has done more to undermine American-Israeli relations than any other U.S. President.

In his famous “A New Beginning” speech in Cairo on 6/4/2009 President Obama said:

I’ve come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive…   I intend to personally pursue this outcome with all the patience and dedication that the task requires…   Progress in the daily lives of the Palestinian people must be a critical part of a road to peace, and Israel must take concrete steps to enable such progress.

In a speech on middle east diplomacy on 5/19/2011 President Obama said:

We believe the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states.

His suggestion to go back to the 1967 borders, even with “mutually agreed swaps”, went over like a lead balloon in Tel Aviv.

His further very public insistence that Israel stop building settlements in disputed territories and stop building its security fence further undermined American-Israeli relations, sinking them to their lowest point since 1948 when Israel was created.

The coup d’état came when President Obama and French President Sarkozy were overheard on an open mike talking about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They thought it a private conversation. Sarkozy said, “I can’t look at him (Netanyahu) anymore, he’s a liar”.

President Obama let his guard down saying this of Netanyahu:

You’ve had enough of him, but I have to deal with him every day!

Conclusions

President Obama is a chameleon. Better than any U.S. President in recent history, he changes colors to fit his surroundings.

His color changes to AIPAC blue every time he speaks there. His color changes to Republican red when he speaks of tax cuts, debt reduction and balanced budgets.

The silver-tongued orator has all the savvy and talents of a political snake charmer. He always says the right thing at the right time to fit political expediency. It works exceptionally well.

Perhaps… just PERHAPS… its different this time.

Perhaps, there is another reason for the President’s exceptionally strong pro-Israeli language.

Perhaps, in private, President Obama may have been told that Israel, with or without U.S. support, intends to take out Iran’s nuclear program if they get to close to completing a nuclear weapon.

Israel may believe that Iran would justify their twisted logic for dropping their very first nuclear bomb on Israel because the U.S. dropped its very first nuclear bomb on Japan.

Perhaps, President Obama sees the writing on the wall and has chosen sides to corral the most 2012 votes. Perhaps, we may never know what Barack Obama really, truly thinks.

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