Posted on 01/25/2015 7:54:00 AM PST by shove_it
Fox News is not exactly known as an ally of the Obama administration, especially when it comes to disputes between Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, or disputes between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Yet two prominent Fox News hosts, Chris Wallace and Shepherd Smith, harshly criticized Boehner and Netanyahu on Friday for secretly arranging a Netanyahu speech to Congress that is transparently aimed at undermining President Obama, and set up without the White House's knowledge.
The White House, State Department, and many foreign policy observers, including prominent former US ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk, expressed outrage over the move. And, in a sign of just how many lines Boehner and Netanyahu crossed, so did the two Fox News hosts.
"I agree 100 percent," Wallace said when Smith read a quote from Indyk criticizing the Boehner-Netanyahu maneuver. Wallace went on:
And to make you get a sense of really how, forgive me, wicked, this whole thing is, the Secretary of State John Kerry met with the Israeli Ambassador to the United States for two hours on Tuesday, Ron Dermer. The ambassador, never mentioned the fact that Netanyahu was in negotiations and finally agreed to come to Washington, not to see the president, but to go to Capitol Hill, speak to a joint session of congress and criticize the president's policy. I have to say I'm shocked.
Smith said, "it seems like [Netanyahu's government] think[s] we don't pay attention and that we're just a bunch of complete morons, the United States citizens, as if we wouldn't pick up on what's happening here."
Wallace pointed out that Netanyahu might face political backlash in Israel over this "very risky political strategy," which could damage Israel's relationship with the United States.
Here is the backstory: On Wednesday, Boehner announced that he had invited Netanyahu to come speak to a joint session of Congress in late February (later pushed to early March) on Obama's nuclear negotiations with Iran, which both Boehner and Netanyahu oppose, and which Republicans are seeking to blow up by forcing new, deal-killing sanctions on Iran. What made this such a remarkable breach is that Boehner had reached over Obama to make the invitation, which he and Netanyahu kept secret from the White House. That is a major breach in US foreign policy, which is supposed to be unified; things like official visits by heads of state almost always go through the White House.
Perhaps worse, Republicans are letting a foreign leader use the floor of Congress to bash the American president, thus not just allowing but helping a foreign country meddle in American foreign policy. (This is not the first time either. Republicans invited Netanyahu to speak to Congress in 2011, an opportunity he also used to lambast Obama.)
For his part, Netanyahu is once again attempting to undermine the American president who is by far his most important ally, and is using Congress as a campaign stop on his own bid for reelection in Israel's March elections.
"BIBI AND DERMER MIGHT HAVE FINALLY GONE TOO FAR"
While backlash was anticipatable, Netanyahu likely did not imagine it extending to Fox News.
"After watching this I think Bibi [Netanyahu] and [Israeli ambassador to the US Ron] Dermer might have finally gone too far," Lisa Goldman, the director of the Israel-Palestine Initiative at the New America Foundation, wrote on Facebook of the Fox News segment. "They miscalculated the American Zeitgeist and didn't realize that when a foreign power, even a favorite ally, shows a lack of respect for US institutions, a red line has been crossed."
To Goldman's point, both Smith and Wallace, in expressing outrage at Netanyahu, pointed out that the Israeli leader had defied President George W. Bush's demand that Israel cease settlement growth in the West Bank, and had resisted Bush's efforts at an Israel-Palestine peace deal. The issue, for them, was not principally one of partisan politics, but of this ostensible ally repeatedly mistreating the United States and its president, regardless of political party.
If the Netanyahu government and Ron Dermer's embassy are watching this, and they certainly should be, they should be alarmed that even this crucially important element of their American support base is beginning to see the Netanyahu government as less of an ally.
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I'm with Boehner on this one, too. Don't think I've ever been on Boehner's side, IIRC.
Since their second largest shareholder is a Saudi prince they now decide?
Hey Fox it didn't work for CNN, it isn't working for you.
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Very often, it has been said Boehner needs to "grow a pair".
Looks like he did on this one with Netanyahu invite.
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*snicker*
Never deflated!
Never before in our history that I am aware of has such a chasm existed between POTUS and Congress on Foreign Policy.
And, it's entirely warranted.
Source please.
“”until I hear from Judge Jeanine””
I didn’t watch her show last night. I wonder if she brought it up? Isn’t it rerun on Sunday night???
This is balderdash. I watch Fox but I don’t watch Wallace or Smith. I think they need to hear from us for all the good it will do. The American people are in favor of hearing from Bibi anytime. Certainly preferable to listening to the lies from the man in the WH.
Read the news the past 30 years.
Actually I think Megan Kelly is the voice of Fox news now she has become a dynamo which has made the arrogant O’Reilly very jealous!!!!
He needs a nice long falafel break, with a long sit on a wet loofah. He can compose a book whilst so engaged: “The Killing of Ted Baxter’s Career.”
I believe it is Congress’ prerogative to invite anyone they want to speak. It doesn’t have to be approved by the White House. Just sour grapes and ignorant media types that have no understanding of history.
I sure miss Tony Snow.
How do they know that Netanyahu plans to bash Obama in his speech? I doubt very much that Netanyahu will make it a personal attack.
Ha...some chicken...more like an Albotross....and coming to roost on Obama.
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Bob Dylan serenading John Kerry
"Idiot Wind"
"Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your mouth,
Blowing down the back roads headin' south.
Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your teeth,
You're an idiot, babe.
It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe."
Obama went too far long ago. Where is the outrage over Obama snubbing Israel?
This is no snub on Obama. Obama should be welcoming the PM of Israel speaking before Congress and Obama should be meeting with him. It is Obama that is out of line
Shep is the main reason I don’t watch Fox News much anymore.
Shep - a silly kind of newsguy - kind of weight light.
When I see him, I always think of his J. Lo. blooper.
Faux News sucks, so every once in awhile they throw a bone to conservatives, big deal.
Thanks so much!
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