Mitt Romney launched one of the stranger attacks of the campaign season yesterday, unveiling a new ad about U.S. relations with Israel.
For now, we can put aside the propriety of Romney treating the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem as a prop in an attack ad. Instead let's focus on this claim: "Barack Obama has never visited Israel as president." Unlike most Romney attack ads, this one happens to be based on an accurate detail: Obama visited Israel as a candidate, but not during his first term. It's a fact that's apparently outraged Sean Hannity and Bill Kristol, too.
That is, at least they're pretending to be outraged.
Look, as fodder for campaign commercials go, I realize some shots are going to be stronger than others, but this is deeply silly. George W. Bush didn't visit Israel at any point during his first term. Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush didn't travel to Israel during their respective terms in office at all.
In fact, in the last 64 years, there have been 12 presidents. Seven of them did not visit Israel at all, and two waited until their second term. To suggest this is scandalous -- or to use Romney's words, evidence of flawed "values" -- is absurd.
Romney is desperately seeking support from Jewish voters, but in his desperation, he's trying to play Jews for fools.
What matters is not whether Obama takes a trip to Israel, but whether he and his administration have shown support for Israel. And according to Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ehud Barak, U.S.-Israeli relations are "extremely good, extremely deep and profound." Barak added, "I should tell you honestly that this administration under President Obama is doing, in regard to our security, more than anything that I can remember in the past."
Something to keep in mind as Romney's ad reaches the airwaves.
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Someone tell Romney's valet to dab the flop sweat from the boss'brow.
This is for Evangelical voters, not Jewish voters. Evangelicals remain suspicious of Romney. For the most part, Jewish voters are unlikely to vote for him regardless of anything he says about Israel. Frankly the few Evangelicals I know are far more obsessed with Israel/Middle East policy - or what they believe is Israel/Middle East policy - than any of the other voters I know.
Turn up that hearing aid, bubbeleh, there's a dog whistle you need to hear!
Wikipedia:"Schvartze- Yiddish slur against a black person. Something your aging racist Jewish grandparent might say."
I'm getting the feeling that this sort of thing is not going to do wonders for how Americans think about Israel. Israel already has the unlikable Netanyahu causing stomachs to turn, and now this ridiculous manufactured outrage would seem to make people say to hell with Israel; Can Israel get along with the United States?; Maybe it's time to find out. I hope that's not the case, but I have the sense it is.
Jennicat is right. It's a pandering to evangelicals because they can't wait to get their hands on Israel for their "end times" nonsense. It has to keep on existing or their lies about their religion come to light.
Considering neither Obama or his spokesperson will acknowledge Jerusalem is Israel's capital, it's not surprising Obama is viewed as pro-Palestinian.
Dang, I was just about to cross the bridge & there is a TROLL !!
The inherent problem with the Middle East. Lay in the fact that we look at it as either you're Pro Israel or Pro Palestinian. When the actual truth is. We really don't need to be either. Because to be brutally honest here. If it wasn't for Catholics trying to seize Jerusalem in the first place. During the first Crusades. The Middle East would now be an entirely different kind of place. Because it was Christians who started this whole Jewish/ Islamist hatred towards each other in the first place. Before the first Crusades. Jews and Muslims live in Jerusalem peacefully.
I could really care less how many times a President went to Jerusalem. I can care even less that Romney went there at all. Because he did it for all the wrong reasons to begin with. And Evangelicals. Are all running around waiting for the second coming of Christ. But the truly sad part is. As short sighted, narrowed viewed they are. they wouldn't except Jesus if he came down from heaven. As anything but a white guy.
hmmm, so its up to the US to unilaterally do something so incendiary and arbitrary? How nice. it's always quite nice to have simplistic conservatives who want to make believe that a set of religions that hate each other and contradict each other should have any impact on the world. It's a shame that such people harm and kill over who's invisible friend is the best.
Calvin has it right. Those who prate how pious they are would have nothing to do with a dark skinned man, who preached leaving all worldly wealthy behind, trusting in only a god to provide everything they need, and who commands that the "least of these" be taken care of.
It should be alarming to every American that our prospective leaders and the cheerleading conservative chicken hawks could be prepping us for war again in the Middle East. Is our goal bombing every country in the region? Iran is still clean, so that means we have to go in and blow things up? Iraq wasn't enough? Our government is almost bankrupt and we are placing deficit reduction on the shoulders of the poor and working class while another war is feverishly planned. Let Israel take care of its own problems. We cannot afford more invasions. - Principled Progressive
"Let Israel take care of its own problems. We cannot afford more invasions."
I'll agree with you on that. President Obama has far too much work to do here than to deal with the recalcitrant children in Israel.
As someone that has shown on more than one occasion that he hasn't a spine and will flip-flop on the issues depending on the audience, Rawmoney has a lot of nerve telling this President he has flawed "values"! Project much Rawmoney?
"Barack Obama has never visited Israel as president". So far, neither has Romney. Romney has to win a little thing called an "election" before he can say he'll visit Israel.
Absolutely agree with Jennicat's comment about this being pandering to some Evangelical voters. They're probably searching the pages of the Left Behind series of novels when they decide who to vote for.
I'm more interested in how many times Mitt has visited the Cayman Islands? Do you even have to go there physically to start a tax shelter? How about Switzerland and Bermuda?
I would think it would be risky for any American to set foot in Israel these days. Mitt's recent trip didn't do much for him except raise questions about his relationship with that conservative billionaire Sheldon Adelson who is being investigated for money laundering in Asia.
I think he is after Jews. Their idea of what a typical Jew is like is warped by the company they keep, however. Name one thing Mitt Romney has said about Jews that is not offensive -- at best backhanded praise? We are used to being patronized by Christians.
Barry
I have to opinion that Evangelicals love Jews as Prince Geoffrey put it in Lion in Winter "Like a glutton loves his lunch" IOW they want to devour us.
Israel receives over $3 billion in US aid every year, and Pro-Israel groups such as AIPAC spend close to $4 million ensuring that US-Israel ties will remain strong. Silly suggestion on the part of Romney.
Can anyone imagine a politician running for President or PM anywhere else in the world on a platform of being the most pro-American? I get the unique relationship we have with Israel, but when did people in this country decide that American interests and needs shouldn't be the first priority of our politicians?
From the Washington Post – Fact Checker: The State Department historian’s office maintains a list of presidential foreign travels, so we can quickly see which presidents have visited Israel — and when. Here’s the list since Israel’s founding:
Harry Truman: no visit Dwight Eisenhower: no visit John Kennedy: no visit
Lyndon Johnson: no visit Richard Nixon: sixth year of presidency
Gerald Ford: no visit Jimmy Carter: third year of presidency
Ronald Reagan: no visit George H.W. Bush: no visit
Bill Clinton: 4 visits—in the second, third, fourth and sixth years of his presidency
George W. Bush: 2 visits—in the eighth year of his presidency
“The Emergency Committee ad also suggests that Obama has visited Arab countries rather than Israel. But the State Department records also demonstrate that every president who traveled to Israel had previously visited Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
The ad also incorrectly says Obama has “traveled all over the Middle East.” Obama visited just Turkey and Iraq in April 2009, and Egypt and Saudi Arabia in June 2009.
The stops in Iraq and Saudi Arabia were barely a few hours long — and Obama has
not traveled at all to Middle East in the past three years. (Many of the images
in the ad of Obama with Arab leaders are from international confabs held outside the Middle East.)”
Pandering is the word we are looking for.
Why should not some percentage of Jews believe Romney's lies? Are you implying that no Jews are stupid and gullible like a good sized percentage of 'fundamenalist Christians' are?
Romney is so upset that Obama hasn't visited Israel during his presidency yet.....but at least Obama did make a trip over to see the troops in Afghanistan as a presidential candidate. Where was presidential candidate Romney's visit to see the troops while he was the area to visit Israel?
It was so important for Romney to go to Israel so he could later continue his lies by saying he was more willing to work with the Jewish people than Obama was. Somehow though he couldn't find the time to spend a few hours with the troops who are over there fighting to protect his right to lie to the American people.
Talk about hypocrisy!!!!
IOKIYAR
Projection
I'm rubber, you're glue
I know I am, but what are you?
Do as I say, not as I do.
Those are the five teapub rules and nothing else matters.
Iran wasn't threatening to nuke Israel into oblivion when the others didn't visit