Posted on 05/17/2008 11:47:11 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
George Bush seems to have really rattled Barack Obama and the Democratic Party with his speech yesterday in the Israeli Knesset. Rather than ignoring Bush’s argument against appeasement, or adopting it, Barack Obama has declared that Bush intended his denunciation of appeasement as an attack on his campaign, even though Bush never even mentioned the nationality of modern appeasers in his speech. Obama lashed out in a speech today, calling Bush’s rhetoric “appalling”: Barack Obama has called President Bush’s comments on appeasement “exactly the kind of appalling attack that’s divided our country and alienates us from the rest of the world.”
Obama criticized Republican rival John McCain and President Bush for “dishonest and divisive” attacks in hinting that the Democratic presidential candidate would appease terrorists.
Obama strongly responded Friday to the comments Bush made in Israel on Thursday and McCain’s subsequent words. Obama told a town hall meeting, “That’s the kind of hypocrisy that we’ve been seeing in our foreign policy, the kind of fear-peddling, fear mongering that has prevented us from actually making us safer.” … Yesterday, Obama accused President Bush of “a false political attack” after Bush warned in Israel against appeasing terrorists — early salvos in a general election campaign that’s already blazing even as the Democratic front-runner tries to sew up his party’s nomination.
But Bush never mentioned any specific person in his speech today, and didn’t even specify that he was referring to Americans. Newsbusters has the full transcript, with this relevant part of the speech. Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: “Lord, if I could only have talked to Hitler, all this might have been avoided.”
We have an obligation to call this what it is — the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.
Some people suggest if the United States would just break ties with Israel, all our problems in the Middle East would go away. This is a tired argument that buys into the propaganda of the enemies of peace, and America utterly rejects it. Israel’s population may be just over 7 million. But when you confront terror and evil, you are 307 million strong, because the United States of America stands with you.
No one in the US who runs for public office has suggested that the US break with Israel to appease terrorists. Obama certainly hasn’t suggested that, and perhaps apart from the really lunatic fringes of both Left and Right, that notion doesn’t get any oxygen at all here. Obviously, Bush wasn’t referring to American politicians in this passage, but instead politicians in Europe and elsewhere who have either an animus towards Israel or appreciation for dhimmitude. Nothing — and I mean nothing — in this speech points to any candidate or the Democratic Party, unless they identify themselves as the reference.
Obama and his surrogates drew those connections themselves. Instead of acknowledging the historical truth of appeasement’s failures, they chose to argue with it. Obama could have taken the smart route and embraced it to explain how he understands the lessons of appeasement, which is why his talks with Iran would not result in it. Instead, he got volcanically defensive, which suggests that even Obama sees the parallels between his everything’s-on-the-table approach and the Chamberlain diplomacy which resulted in dismantling Czechoslovakia.
And if Obama considers discussion of foreign policy “divisive”, then he should hie himself right back to Academia. Guess what, Senator? Presidential elections focus on foreign-policy principles, and if you can’t defend yours, then you have no business running for office.
Update: Newt Gingrich calls this a study in guilt: (VIDEO)
Update II: Marc Ambinder reports that Bush meant to scold Jimmy Carter for his recent visit with Hamas, as Ed Gillespie explained to reporters in Saudi Arabia: “We did not anticipate that it would be taken that way, because its kind of hard to take it that way when you look at the actual words. … There was some anticipation that someone might say you know its an expression of rebuke to former President Carter for having met with Hamas. that was something that was anticipated but no one wrote about it or raised it.”
And if one actually reads what Bush said, that interpretation looks a lot more likely than a supposed attack on Obama. Carter had just hugged Khaled Mashaal in Damascus and insisted that the US should open a dialogue with Hamas.
Barack Obama, meanwhile, continues to embarrass himself today at a presser on an attack that never was.
Obama: "I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems, ....I will not weaponize space... I will slow development of future combat systems... I will institute a 'Defense Priorities Board' to ensure the quadrennial defense review is not used ..."
Then, there will be peace in our time without the evil republicans causing war!
My change is good for Muslims, Islamofascists, Black Racists, and Chrislims. $crew the Christians and real Jews!
Like 'vanity of humility' as well - good one.
Either way. . .he is a bold man - in an empty suit; passing of false platitudes in exchange for truth. And desperate to do more of the same - until he wins.
I figured this would be off the front page by today. Apparently, “W” hit BO where it hurts. It’s the spanked kid who cries the loudest.
Obama haas shown he is brittle, hypersensitive to criticism, and a poor strategist. By commenting on the speech, Obama forced the MSM to report the speech by Pres. Bush, which would have otherwise passed unreported (following the MSM’s SOP of never reporting anything positive about Pres. Bush).
bump
One of the stark realizations I had in growing up was that there are bad, bad people in this world. To be ignorant of this fact is stunning.
Hamas, hezbollah, etc. are people we need to kill, not talk with.
You have to wonder where he would be today without political correctness and affirmative action. He has had everything handed to him on a silver platter with nary an accomplishment to point to in justification.
Arrogance can blind a man to his errors and look a lot like stupidity, but I too am beginning to think the emporer has no clothes.
Obama on Lebanon: Cognitive Egocentric Porridge http://www.theaugeanstables.com/2008/05/11/obama-on-lebanon-cognitive-egocentric-porridge/ Obama Stares Down Hezbollah http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/pollak/5491
Hm. Too bad, considering he will be running against a senator.
Well said.
Perhaps we could wave Pampers at the next Obama rally.
That should scare enough Americans that still think about such things as to ensure his defeat.
Of course, a McLame win is not really a victory.
You also missed that it is satire...
My point, though, is this is not about McCain, or facts, or policy positions; it’s just campaign posturing on Obama’s part. And if McCain heats up for any reason, the media will be all over him like hyenas. We know whom they want to win.
As a side point, most of the “temper tantrums” mentioned below don’t to have anything to do with integrity questions or dissing of the military. Maybe McCain was misrepresented here?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1976739/posts
but I’m beginning to think there is a simpler answer - he’s simply a stupid man.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I consider one thing to be certain, he is intellectually vastly inferior to Dan Quayle or anyone with the last name of Bush. I don’t think he can pass the “both hands and a flashlight” test or the “directions printed on the heel” test.
That pic is one for “the books”.......Doubt most folks under 50 will understand, Sadly....
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