A Guest Post by DovBear.
While touring Israel today, Governor Mike Hukabee, putative
front-runner for the GOP nominee in 2012 asked the dumb question
“My question is how would the government of the United States feel ifThis man wants to be president of the United States, and he's not sure
Prime Minister Netanyahu began to dictate which people could live in
the Bronx, which ones could live in Manhattan, which could live in
Queens, and say, ‘We only allow certain people to live in those
neighborhoods,’” he said. “How would that go over?
how the Obama administration would react if Israel tried to boss it
around? Really? Here's a hint, Huckabee. If Netanyahu started telling
Americans where they could or could not live, our president and
Congress would laugh so hard they'd wet their collective pants. Then,
they'd ignore him.
Not incidentally, this is precisely what I've been advising Mister
Netanyahu to do in response to the so-called Obama demands (which
aren't that much different from Bush II, Clinton, or Bush I demands.)
If Netanyahu believes it is not in Israel's interests to accept the
so-called Obama demands he should ignore them (just as his
predecessors all ignored various demands made by Bush II, Clinton, and
Bush I). In other words, Netanyahu should act like the Prime Minister
of a strong, independent sovereign state, and do whatever he thinks is
in his country's best interests. He should stop casting himself, or
allowing himself to be cast by the Israeli media, as Obama's
subordinate vassal. Should Netanyahu choose to accept Obama's
so-called demands, he will have done so because he's either (a) a
creme puff or (b) of the opinion that doing what Obama wants advances
Israeli interests.
In either case, no blame should be deposited on the door step of the
American president. His job is to advance our interests (as he best
understands them) and though American Jews pray it will always be so,
there are no guarantees that Israeli and American interests will
forever coincide.
Arutz Sheva: Huckabee: Would Israel Tell Obama Who Can Live in the Bronx?
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Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
2 comments:
It was a hypothetical question. No need to get all technical here Dov.
Not a very good post.
A better comparison would be between a small, independent diner owner with a good business but who has to deal with the local protection organization.
One day the boss walks in and says "Give a free meal to all my boys".
The small, independent diner owner doesn't have much choice but to comply - because it is in his own survival interest (saving his life, keeping his business from burning down) to do so. But it is not in his real business interest to do so, and he wouldn't if he didn't have to.
Now if this diner owner would make a demand of the boss, he would find himself kneecapped.
But "no blame should not be deposited" on the Mafia boss. His job is to advance his interests as he understands them.
Nor can you blame the diner owner from not ignoring the boss's demands - he doesn't really have a choice.
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