Obama, Netanyahu indulge in empty theatrics
President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are meeting in Washington, smiling, and saying all the right things about each other and about prospects for peace and negotiations with Palestinian leaders.
At this point, I believe none of it. It is all empty theater, actors going through the motions of pretending to pretend.
There is no willingness or political ability within Israel to withdraw from settlements and create a viable Palestinian state; there is no capacity among the Palestinians to reach and implement a peace deal; and although Obama has made noises to the contrary, there is no stomach in Washington for forcing the two sides to compromise.
As a result, attitudes will continue to harden, Israel will grow more isolated, the Palestinians will grow more desperate and the long-term prospects in that region will darken. I can’t recall a time when I have been more cynical about peace prospects there, and the prettily staged theatrics in Washington only justify that cynicism.
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520 comments Add your comment
stands for decibels
July 7th, 2010
8:03 am
although Obama has made noises to the contrary, there is no stomach in Washington for forcing the two sides to compromise.
Jay, if you were he, would you make this a higher priority?
stands for decibels
July 7th, 2010
8:04 am
(Jay, you are on holiday. What are you doing up so early. also.)
neo-Carlinist
July 7th, 2010
8:06 am
Jay baby, enjoy Chi-town. Take in a Cubs game at Wrigley (sit in the bleachers – and drink lots of Old Style). Hit Buddy Guy’s place. The title says it all. Are any of DC’s “theatrics” anything other than “empty”. The proverbial dog and pony show is business as usual in our nation’s capital. And like a divorce (or the Dept of Education) don’t you love when “partners” like the US and Israel put on such a show, they usually do it “for the kids”. They don’t realize such dishonesty more often than not produces f**ked up kids, not healthy children.
Gale
July 7th, 2010
8:07 am
Off topic, but I have been waiting for Jay’s comments on the Badlands. I made a similar trip with my parents when I was nine. I was more impressed with the Badlands than Mt Rushmore (where I was mostly disappointed to not get a t shirt.) I have yet to view a natural landscape as impressive as the Badlands.
Saul Good
July 7th, 2010
8:07 am
I’m just wondering if they dined on Shellfish and Crabs? Hopefully sent up from the Gulf. Oops…I forgot…jews don’t eat that stuff…well except for pretty much every jew I ever met. I love how all religions decide WHICH of their “laws” to follow and which ones don’t count any longer.
Jay…there will NEVER be peace there. Why? Because unless both sides (or at least one) give up their religions/cults…they will always hate one another. Each child born into the cult is brought up to hate and distrust the others who are mot part of their own cult. History shows that to be the truth. It’s not a “border” or “nation” problem as much as it stems from religion.
TaxPayer
July 7th, 2010
8:08 am
Well! There’s a revelation for ya. Oops. I mean, The Revelation. Let Israel occupy its promised land so we can get this iteration of “It’s the End of the World, We’re Doomed… blah, blah, blah,” over with and move on to more important prophecies like that Mayan calendar. That is really weird. Their calendar just ending like that. It’s almost like the calendar-maker just up and died and had no replacement. Strange…
USinUK
July 7th, 2010
8:08 am
well, at least Netanyahu is relaxing the embargo on Gaza … (maybe he realized that the little stunt last month didn’t go off quite the way he had hoped)
Saul Good
July 7th, 2010
8:09 am
BTW: “Oops…I forgot…jews don’t eat that stuff…well except for pretty much every jew I ever met”…
That includes my OWN family… nothing like going to a Bar Mitzvah and loading up on a plate of shrimp and being served Lobster tails.
USinUK
July 7th, 2010
8:10 am
Gale – haven’t been – have only seen pictures, but they always reminded me of a moonscape … must be pretty spectacular in person …
neo-Carlinist
July 7th, 2010
8:10 am
Saul Good s Saul Right. It isn’t until somebody else chooses sides and issues different color jerseys that the competition begins.
Doggone/GA
July 7th, 2010
8:16 am
“there will NEVER be peace there. Why? Because unless both sides (or at least one) give up their religions/cults…they will always hate one another”
And I don’t agree. People like Nelson Mandela show that such early training and prejudice CAN be set aside. That’s is mankind’s greatest “achievement” – the ability to CHOOSE not to follow early training.
But to answer sfd above, I don’t know Jay’s opinion…but MY opinion is that, no, the Obama administration should not make this a higher priority. As a country we’ve “been there, done that, didn’t get a T-shirt” It’s not going to change until they principle parties WANT it to change, and we can’t MAKE them want to change.
Normal
July 7th, 2010
8:17 am
“There is no willingness or political ability within Israel to withdraw from settlements and create a viable Palestinian state; there is no capacity among the Palestinians to reach and implement a peace deal; and although Obama has made noises to the contrary, there is no stomach in Washington for forcing the two sides to compromise.”
The truest statement of the day!
Israel will eventually nuke Iran, overrun Palistine with colonies and publically, we will comdemn them…all the while replacing their nukes and selling them the cinder blocks for the villages. Those pesky military industries, don’t cha know…
——————–
USinUK,
from below. My appointment with the Neurologist is today (afternoon).
I’ll find out what they are going to do to kill that one normal (get it?) brain cell they found. My sister is doing great still. We have a shopping weekend planned and dinner afterwards. I love to tell the waiter or waitress that “this is my wife, my sister, and my mother”.
Wee seem to get better service then…
USinUK
July 7th, 2010
8:17 am
Normal – “”We don’t like the World Cup. We don’t like soccer. We want nothing to do with it…. I hate it so much, probably because the rest of the world likes it so much, and they riot over it, and they continually try to jam it down our throat.” (Glenn Beck)
wow. welp. this must be an example of the “grown-ups” that Gerson was talking about last week …
jt
July 7th, 2010
8:17 am
“At this point, I believe none of it. ”
Jay is coming around.
You shouldn’t believe the other 99.9% of what Obama says either.
USinUK
July 7th, 2010
8:19 am
Normal – “My appointment with the Neurologist is today (afternoon).
I’ll find out what they are going to do to kill that one normal (get it?) brain cell they found”
hangonaminnit … last time we talked, there was no diagnosis … what have I missed???
neo-Carlinist
July 7th, 2010
8:19 am
Saul Good, were you and yours Catholic, you could just go to confession, like the priest in CT who has been charged with stealing over $1 million from his parish to pay for designer clothes, high end hotel rooms, and the male escorts. I guess he scored the hat trick (vow of poverty/theft, vow of chastity, homosexuality).
Disgusted
July 7th, 2010
8:20 am
well, at least Netanyahu is relaxing the embargo on Gaza
Yes, I imagine that Hamas was running a little short on missiles and other weaponry. You can’t run a good war, after all, if only one side is armed.
Bud Wiser
July 7th, 2010
8:21 am
Empty theatrics from an empty-headed bowing and grovelling sap.
The world continues to laugh at this moron, and is somewhat astounded that America could elect such an incompetent fool.
Doggone/GA
July 7th, 2010
8:22 am
“vow of poverty/theft, vow of chastity, homosexuality).”
Can you see the inherent disconnect between your two juxtapositions?
neo-Carlinist
July 7th, 2010
8:24 am
Doggone/GA, South Africa/Mandela is a completely different beast. As others have noted, this battle is religious in nature. How many South Africans (black or white) were willing to blow themselves up in a movie theatre for to end or extend apartheid? When you have 72 virgins awaiting you, or you are “god’s chosen people” you can do some pretty wicked stuff.
USinUK
July 7th, 2010
8:24 am
neo-Carlin – the Church doesn’t have a problem with “teh ghey”, per se … it’s just the sex that they have issues with … see, since sex should ONLY be within marriage and ONLY for pro-creation, gays are pretty much 0 for 2 where Catholicism is concerned …
Peadawg
July 7th, 2010
8:25 am
“It is all empty theater, actors going through the motions of pretending to pretend.”
I’m glad you finally realize that’s all Obama is offering. The step is admitting you have a problem…good job Jay!
stands for decibels
July 7th, 2010
8:26 am
Empty theatrics from an empty-headed bowing and grovelling sap.
Bud, why do you think so little of yourself?
Look into the mirror and say it: “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!”
Peadawg
July 7th, 2010
8:27 am
The 1st step****
Doggone/GA
July 7th, 2010
8:27 am
“Doggone/GA, South Africa/Mandela is a completely different beast”
No, it isn’t. Don’t confuse excuses with reasons. In South Africa the excuse was racial intolerance, the REASON was money and power. In the Middle East the excuse is religion, the REASON is money and power.
Gale
July 7th, 2010
8:28 am
Funny ‘why we hate soccer’ comment. And all along I thought the reason “we” hate soccer was because the rest of the stupid planet doesn’t get it that football with American rules is the “real” game.
neo-Carlinist
July 7th, 2010
8:28 am
Doggone, excuse my editorial wandering. Catholic priests take a vow of chastity, a vow of poverty and while I suppose there is no distinction between heterosexual sex and homosexual sex as far as chastity goes, gay sex is one of the big three sexual no-no’s for Catholics (along with masturbation and sex out of marriage). With a nod to Saul, controlling basic primal behaviors (eating, sex) is one of the easisest ways to control the herd.
Curious Observer
July 7th, 2010
8:29 am
Need I remind everybody that election time is approaching and that it’s never good to be perceived as anti-Israeli at such a time, particularly in certain areas of the country? After the last couple of dust-ups with the Israelis, it’s essential for Obama to put on this little bit of public drama to deceive the general public and disarm the Republicans on one issue.
I’m convinced that Obama and Netanyahu continue to detest one another passionately, but a temporary truce is necessary just four months before the election. Besides, you never know what sudden developments in Iran may lead the U.S. to call upon Israel for a little “service,” as the Godfather puts it in the novel.
neo-Carlinist
July 7th, 2010
8:29 am
excuse me, condemning (not controlling) or “criminalizing” behaviors is how clergy and politicians control herds.
Grand Forks
July 7th, 2010
8:31 am
“There is no willingness or political ability within Israel to withdraw from settlements and create a viable Palestinian state”
1: Why would Israel stop building on their own land? It’s like Mexico demanding that Texas not build steak houses in El Paso.
2: How come left wingers always point the finger at Israel and remain silent when the “peaceful” Hamas group, that controls the Palestinians, fires rockets at Israel?
Doggone/GA
July 7th, 2010
8:31 am
“excuse me, condemning (not controlling) or “criminalizing” behaviors is how clergy and politicians control herds.”
Actually, in this case it doesn’t matter. Condemning is just another form of controlling. Or at least, trying to.
Grand Forks
July 7th, 2010
8:33 am
“I can’t recall a time when I have been more cynical about peace prospects”
Me neither. I can’t recall one US President who threw Israel under the bus like Obama has. Bush, Bush, Clinton and Reagan all wanted peace between them. Carter on the other hand is an Anti-Semite. Just ask all the Jews who quit working for his library.
Obama, Netanyahu indulge in empty theatrics – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)
July 7th, 2010
8:34 am
[...] Obama, Netanyahu indulge in empty theatricsAtlanta Journal Constitution (blog)President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are meeting in Washington, smiling, and saying all the right things about each other and about …Obama and Netanyahu promise to pursue Mideast peace talksLos Angeles TimesObama committed to Israeli securityDetroit Free PressObama, Netanyahu insist US-Israeli bonds remain strongDallas Morning NewsKansas City Star -USA Today -Washington Post (blog)all 2,406 news articles » [...]
Grand Forks
July 7th, 2010
8:35 am
“particularly in certain areas of the country?”
Just in Florida and NYC.
neo-Carlinist
July 7th, 2010
8:37 am
USinUK, reminds me of the joke, if a Catholic man has sex with his clone, is he violating the homsexuality ban or the masturbation ban?
Union
July 7th, 2010
8:37 am
didn’t obozo get a nobel prize for something? and here is bookman saying obozo is a swill.. con man.. and empty shell
Grand Forks
July 7th, 2010
8:37 am
Democrat voters are an interesting bunch. I was stunned by a comment about Pat Quinn on a Sun-Times blog about Quinn.
Comment: “I hate Quinn for what he’s done but I can’t vote for a tea party candidate because they are too right wing.”
That comment now makes me understand the complete and utter stupidity of Illinois voters. They vote stupid and get stupid in return.
stands for decibels
July 7th, 2010
8:38 am
“At this point, I believe none of it. ”
Jay is coming around.
Huh? coming around? No.
Jay has been, always, a pragmatist. As is our President; if this is empty theatrics, all the actors are well aware of it too.
You guys do get that ceremonies and image-making matter, right? You guys further realize that the lack of an actual photo op from the last time Netanyahu was in DC was seen as a major-league diss back home, and that the time had come to make up for that slight?
Grand Forks
July 7th, 2010
8:38 am
Union
Yeah, and he’s in good company with the likes of Arafat and Jimmy Carter. The trio of dumb.
Grand Forks
July 7th, 2010
8:39 am
“Jay has been, always, a pragmatist. As is our President”
And how do you know Obama is a pragmatist?
Jay on the other hand has been around a lot longer and is easier to figure out.
neo-Carlinist
July 7th, 2010
8:42 am
Doggone/GA, agree in part. I personally believe religion and politics are essentially the same (there is no “separation of church and state”). All religion is political in nature – rules/laws set forth by a few to control many – and all politics is dogmatic in nature – civilizations realized the superstituous “relgious” crowd control model was far more effective than brute force (social Darwinism). So, money and power are one thing, but when the money is “eternal life” or a connection to god, as I said, the competition gets more intense.
Doggone/GA
July 7th, 2010
8:42 am
“that the lack of an actual photo op from the last time Netanyahu was in DC was seen as a major-league diss back home”
Not quite. The lack of photo-op was a minor diss, it was leaving Netanyahu cooling his heels while the Pres went to dinner that was the MAJOR diss.
Grand Forks
July 7th, 2010
8:42 am
neo-Carlinist
The Cubs are in Arizona. If Jay wants to go to Wrigley he’ll have to just stand outside and stare at the structure. Otherwise he ain’t getting in.
Jay, ask the locals what the best hot dog place in town is. I bet they’ll say Hot Dougs.
Believe me, Hot Doug’s is THE BEST hot dog stop in Chicago.
Here, read about their status as THE cult favorite in Chicago.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Doug%27s
Grand Forks
July 7th, 2010
8:43 am
“rules/laws set forth by a few to control many ”
Ah, so you’re an anarchist?
Grand Forks
July 7th, 2010
8:44 am
Hot Doug’s has been featured as a Critics Pick on CBS, NBC, ABC, and the Travel Channel, and was featured in the Chicago episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. He has also been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Bon Appetit, The Chicago Tribune, The Sun Times, Time Out Chicago and many other publications. Hot Doug’s is highly rated by The Zagat Survey and is included in many of its Top Lists including Food Tops and Best Buys. Bon Appetit listed it as one of the 50 Best Restaurants on the Planet.[3] The editors of Citysearch Chicago named Hot Doug’s the 2006 Editorial Winner for Best Chicago Hot Dog.[4] The restaurant also received a 2007 Best Hot Dog honors in a reader poll conducted by the magazine Time Out Chicago.[5]
Union
July 7th, 2010
8:44 am
was that an “acting” nobel prize? cause if it was.. stewie griffin should get one.. he has really stepped up his game lately.
stands for decibels
July 7th, 2010
8:44 am
It’s like Mexico demanding that Texas not build steak houses in El Paso.
Oh, right. Exactly like that. If… um…
Texas were a country; and
El Paso were occupied territory and its residents denied voting rights; and
Housing developments were steak houses.
Jay-zus. Have fun with the stupids, people. Gotta go pay for Grand Forks’ welfare.
Doggone/GA
July 7th, 2010
8:44 am
“So, money and power are one thing, but when the money is “eternal life” or a connection to god, as I said, the competition gets more intense.”
to me “money and power” are the only thing. Religion, race, etc. are just the excuses used to get those who don’t have money and power, and who WON’T HAVE money and power, to do the fighting for those who do have it and who want to keep it.
Normal
July 7th, 2010
8:47 am
USinUk, I was just being snarky. I’ll know for sure about what’s up this afternoon. I’m taking my wife, in case I need to remember something…
USinUK
July 7th, 2010
8:48 am
Normal – don’t scare me like that!