The operative paragraphs I will be pulling from:
"Netanyahu knows that Israel is “the one anchor of stability in a sea of shifting alliances.” It is the beacon of freedom and democracy in a land sick with violence and oppression. “Israel has always been pro-America,” he told Congress. “Israel will always be pro-America. You don’t need to do nation building in Israel. We’re already built. You don’t need to export democracy to Israel. We’ve already got it. You don’t need to send American troops to Israel. We defend ourselves!”
"Netanyahu knows that Israel is “the one anchor of stability in a sea of shifting alliances.” It is the beacon of freedom and democracy in a land sick with violence and oppression. “Israel has always been pro-America,” he told Congress. “Israel will always be pro-America. You don’t need to do nation building in Israel. We’re already built. You don’t need to export democracy to Israel. We’ve already got it. You don’t need to send American troops to Israel. We defend ourselves!”
He contrasted Israel with the “medieval rule of Hezbollah inflicted on Lebanon after the Cedar Revolution,” and especially Iran, foremost among the “powerful forces that oppose modernity, democracy, and peace.” Meanwhile, “only in Israel to Arabs enjoy real democratic rights. Only one-half of one percent of Arabs are truly free, and they’re all citizens of Israel.”
As the Prime Minister put it, “Israel is not what is wrong with the Middle East. Israel is what is right with the Middle East.”"
Nor is this the first time Obama has been rolled by the Israeli prime minister. Obama came into office demanding an end to all new or expanded settlements on the West Bank and in East Jerusalem, and subsequently backed down from each and every demand. Fed up, his Mideast peace negotiator George Mitchell has quit. Politically, too, the president has been hurt. To the world, and not just the Arabs, he appears weak. In Israel, Netanyahu is seen as having stood up for Israel's vital interests and forced an American president to back down. His right-wing coalition is cheering him on.
Indeed, the issue is not whether Obama has been hurt, but why Bibi, raised in the U.S.A., who knows American politics better than any previous Israeli prime minister, did it. Why wound Obama like that?
Why would the leader of a nation of 7 million that is dependent on U.S. arms, foreign aid and diplomatic support choose to humiliate a president who could be sitting in that office until 2017?"
So what is the leader of Israel accomplishing in this climate in words and deeds? Well I believe the environment in the Middle East is positive for the future and the opening act to this positive change is already playing. Part of this first act has been taken by both Presidents Bush and Obama by both pushing for Israel to concede more land and concessions for peace; by refusing to ally with Israel in an attack on Iran's nuclear bomb production facilities; by not insisting on the symbolic move of the US embassy to Jerusalem and finally by not clearly delineating the vast chasm between Israel the Arab states and Iran in the middle east. So what would the leader of a vibrant - powerful - democratic - prosperous - global - stable - resolute - nuclear nation, who sees a weak leader in the US President - who has by his remarks rebuffed the strongest horse in the Middle East and has instead thrown in with thugs and murderers - decide to do differently? I remember a line from a movie "I don't like you because you're going to get me killed!" Benjhamin Netanayahu has decided going down the same road with Obama and the US is going to get a lot of Israeli citizens killed. For the first time a Prime Minister has stopped kowtowing to a US President and the US itself, put the strategic national interests of Israel as the priority and stated by his words and deeds we are going to make and take a new road - the democratic lead and go it alone. Look what he said to the Joint session of congress: "Israel will always be pro-America." Does that sound like the weak horse talking to the strong horse? Is it not historically said, "America will always be pro-Israel?" Or this, "You don’t need to send American troops to Israel. We defend ourselves!” How does the weak horse tell the strong horse we don't need you to defend us, unless you believe you are the stronger horse! Or this,“only in Israel do Arabs enjoy real democratic rights. Only one-half of one percent of Arabs are truly free, and they’re all citizens of Israel.” Are not Arabs who are American citizens also free? Look at his deeds: "Obama came into office demanding an end to all new or expanded settlements on the West Bank and in East Jerusalem, and subsequently backed down from each and every demand." Or this, "The president was humiliated in the Oval Office, and in his trip to AIPAC's woodshed he spoke of the future peace negotiations ending just as Israelis desire and demand." There is no reference to Netanyahu in these quotes, but it is because of his leadership and resolution Obama's demands have been rebuffed.
I believe for the first time Israel, under Benjamin Netanyahu, has come out of the shadows of America and stepped one up on the podium of democracies over America. Notice what Pat Buchanan alludes to: "Politically, too, the president has been hurt. To the world, and not just the Arabs, he appears weak." It reminds me of the scene in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" where Butch's authority is being questioned - he humiliates the challenger in a fight to send a message. If you want your enemies and friends to know where you are in the pecking order you humiliate the top dog into deference and a clear message is sent. And Benjamion Netanyahu clearly sent a message to Israel's friends and enemies - Israel is not going to wait on the United States or the weak President to spank anyone of them. And what a time to send this message, because which legitimate Arab country is going to try and spank Israel? Egypt? Libya? Syria? Jordan? Saudi Arabia? Yemen? How about Iran? The world for more than half a century lived the delusion these were legitimate countries. We believed these "leaders" were leading legitimate countries. They are not, they are just despots, dictators supported by oligarchies and military's. The rest of the people have been, or know people who have been brutalized, or murdered by the loyal oligarchy. Despots usually kill any opposition leaders and any intelligent elite whom might be able to mount a rebellion or overthrow the dictator.. So any loyalty by the boots on the ground soldier is only to his survival. There is no loyalty to cruelty. If you assassinate the despot, wipe out the oligarchy and drop a few bombs on the military's foot soldiers they will run away into the desert. These "nations" have no identity, no national pride, no national values, no national institutions, no meaningful societal structure or stability. Any structure in place is to secure the dictators place in power. If you wipe out the top the "Arab Street" falls back into seventh century tribal affiliations and Islamic law. From the West's perspective neither the infighting of tribes nor the division of Islam into Shia and Sunni produces a peace or solidarity. Instead they have lead to an exponential number of killings among Arabs and Persians as compared to infidels. From where will the foot soldiers come from then to attack Israel? Will they be jihadists attacking Israels borders? We recently saw how well thugs did attacking Israel's secure borders.
In contrast Israel is a country with the necessary elements of a civilized nation, firmly rooted in laws thousands of years old, a history thousands of years old followed by generations, and with a resolve to never again be endangered by any nation or peoples. Israel's resolve is not just in the Jewish psyche, but it's manifested in it's military might and ability - the military has atomic weapons at it's disposal. America does not have the history of the Holocaust and the resolve which comes from such a horrific event. What fool thinks the mirages of Arab/Persian power and authority are going to somehow dislodge and overpower such a spirit? The fools in Iran believe they can by developing atomic weapons. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denies the Holocaust at his peril for it is what drives the Jewish people of Israel to excel, succeed and prevail. The only nation in the Mideast which can come close right now to Israels nuclear might is Pakistan but lo they have limited missile range (300 Kilometers) and F16's only for delivery (http://www.cdi.org/nuclear/database/panukes.html). So with Israels greater nuclear arsenal (estimated at 200) and vastly superior delivery system of missiles capable of 1500 kilometers (http://www.cdi.org/nuclear/database/isnukes.html#mirage5 - I noticed the date of publication is 1996 and submarine delivery was not mentioned which I believe Israel is working on.) can we conceivably assume Israel is on a long range strategic military offensive to stay on top of the heap? Of course they are. They are most assuredly retrofitting an airliner (http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=204626) into a midair tanker for long range flying, developing conventional bunker buster bombs, refreshing it's intelligence, retrofitting their fighters to counter antiaircraft missiles and putting into play the attack plan. The Stuxnet worm was the opening salvo - slow down the Iranian development and buy the Israelis time to perfect and practice the attack plan; assure the attack plan includes vital facilities in the chain of development of the Iranian nuclear bomb. Maybe the Israelis are actually preparing something more spectacular like missile attacks rather than conventional fighter delivery, or maybe both. How do I know this is happening? Because it is what a strong Israel will do with leadership from Benjamin Netanyahu. It is what an America with strong leadership would do! Which brings me back to who is on top of the heap. Who would you bet on in this little skirmish?
So what is the middle east going to look like when Iran is spanked? Will the naysayers tremble at the upset of power by such a provocation? Oh wait where are the legitimate naysayers? The U.N.? Hah, there is a den of whores, thieves, despots and delegitimate cretins. The EU? The beaurocrats in Brussells will deliver proclamation after proclamation with meaningless authority as will the U.N. Oh and the powerful Arab League - see above. China? Russia? Japan? No, I count a few legitimate countries which I would see as holding sway and the U.S. is clearly not one of them - again see above. The two I see as bringing strength to bear are Canada and Germany by their economic strength, but alas where are their military's? Where is their strength of force - they obfuscated it to a super power which appears to no longer want to be a super power - kind of a dilemma when you want to have legitimacy. So Israel will do what it needs and nations will lament and foment with rhetoric about the Jewish Zionist nation stepping out of line, all for naught - Israel will still be on top. Will the Iranian's boldly mine the Persian Gulf and attack tankers to disrupt the oil supply chain? Or is there a more positive outcome of the attack - cutting the legs out from under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and making him a weak power by destroying the thing which would bring him legitimacy. By undermining his legitimacy might this do more to hasten his exit by the people, to embolden the opposition, to deflate the Imams, Hamas, The Taliban and Al Queda of the notion of a Calaphate and instead bring about the rebirth of the Jewish state of The Old Testament?
I believe a time is coming when Israel will be the preeminent and soul major power in the Mideast even eclipsing America's influence. If Israel draws itself up for the monumental task - there will be sacrifice and loss of life in the destruction of the Iranian nuclear weapon. The jihadists will delight in, cheer and feel emboldened by the death of the infidel Jews, but miss the bigger historical significance of "The Little Satan" Israel decapitating the greatest Islamic nation - it's worst threat ever and ending up being the 21st century democratic nation.
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