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.
Are Wallace and Smith the voice of Fox News now? Just checking; it’s been years since I’ve followed this network.
As Max Fisher reveals his own leftist bias.
I’m outraged at Obama’s plan to undermine Netanyahu.
Wallace and Smith are the Fox News Closet Liberals. Remember who is Wallace’s father and the seed didn’t fall far from the tree. Smith is in more than one closet.
Keep pushing the Obama line like this, Roger Ailes, and your network may lose a big chunk of their audience. As for Shep and Wallace, who watches their little shows anyway?
LOL
F’n aye.
Why does it not surprise me that Shep Smith reads something called Indyk?
LOL screw fox news and the pReezy.
I may need instruction here but I believe the Congress is co-equal with both the executive branch and SCOTUS. As such, if congress wants to extend an invitation to a world leader that’s their business. I understand foreign policy is the executive branch’s responsibility but nothing says this is necessarily a foreign policy matter. Maybe Bibi just want to give an opinion on air pressure in footballs.
Netanyahu should not and will not care about the opinion of two guys with soapboxes. His prime responsibility as the secular leader and defender of the Jewish people is to protect Israel and its people. The world is a complicated and dangerous place. His “allies” turn out to be the pseudo sophisticated narcissists Obama and Kerry, who cling to delusions regarding Islam. They are determined to sign a “historic agreement” that will result in lunatic, medieval mullahs obtaining nuclear arms. Netanyahu simply has to do what is necessary.
I am probably wrong but, I think the House and the Senate are going ‘around’ the POTUS, just ignoring him on anything he does; and as far as vetos, all it takes is 2/3 majority of the Senate to override the veto, so I think this will start happening...just my humble of opinion of what I see....
Worth 1000 words.
Did Wallace and Shephard mention the how an Obama administration official called Bibi “chickensh@@t.” Probably not, I’m guessing.
Quoting ...
“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.”
That’s BALONEY! Chris Wallace and Shepherd Smith are NOT the American Support Base for Israel and Netanyahu (who is acting on behalf of Israel)!
Ha haaaaa!!! As if other media organs report news. Sometimes I say the craziest things.
Right on! What’s good for the goose ...
Maybe the The One will get a clue and start acting like POTUS and not an emperor.
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