This website wouldn’t be around if foolish statements like this in the New York Times today were not so prevalent. A Times editorial says that Obama backed down to Netanyahu.
But when Mr. Netanyahu refused the total freeze, President Obama backed down…
All this raises two questions: What has President Obama learned from the experience so he can improve his diplomatic performance generally? And does he plan to revive the peace talks?
The president has no choice but to keep trying.
As if it’s Obama’s learning curve that’s at fault, dealing with the prime minister of a tiny state. This is really a lie. The Times knows that Obama backed down because of domestic political concerns, as Nixon once wrote, angrily. How many presidents have to endure these pressures without any backup from the leading U.S. paper being frank about the matter to its readers? Why even Tom Friedman has notioned sanctions on the Israelis.
This article was discussed in Ha’aretz: link to haaretz.com
RE: “How many presidents have to endure these pressures without any backup from the leading U.S. paper being frank about the matter to its readers?”
MY COMMENT: It has gotten so that the ‘mainstream media’ (including NPR/PBS) does much more harm than good. Consider the damning information oozing out in the U.K. press about all of the Bush/Blair lies leading up to the Iraq invasion (as a consequence of the ‘Chilcot Inquiry’ having begun its hearings this past week). With the exception of a couple of brief mentions on PBS’s “News Hour”, it appears that it is virtually being ignored by the U.S. ‘mainstream media’. A few AP, AFP or Reuters articles have appeared on ‘Yahoo News’, but I would be very surprised if they have been printed by many ‘mainstream’ newspapers. The sooner the U.S. ‘mainstream media’ dies, the better off we will all be!
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DICKERSON3870,
Good point. And we can add the MSM coverage of Obama in China recently. James Fallows (Atlantic Monthly) wrote them all a new asshole for treating Obama in China as a campaign stop, and completely missing what was going on, which resulted in the inaccurate headlines that Obama went to China and came back with nothing. The series on Fallows’ blog is delicious to read. He made the point that the White House press corps doesn’t have the chops to cover presidential matters; they only know how to cover horse races. Even Chuck Todd was peeved, but Fallows handled his objections as well.
I think ironically, however, the fact that Obama lacks leadership and, well ultimately and rather bluntly, the balls to lead the discussion, that is actually what makes him an ineffectual President. So I only disagree on the specific detail and the fact that stuff like this happens and Obama has no strategy for dealing with it. Seriously, he was running for President of the United States. As a Democrat. And a black man. Did he really think the fight would be over after inauguration?
The point isn’t that Obama is a balless wonder – that part is true. The point is that they don’t mention the provocations and racism from the Israelis.
You know, there are a lot of red-blooded Murkins who wouldn’t stand for the way Israeli politicians diss the US president. Even if he’s not the guy they voted for, even if they diss him themselves, no damn furriner has the right.
So there are people who want to keep this from those red-blooded Murkins who’ve been brainwashed to believe that Israel is a US ally.
You forget, potsherd. Those red-blooded Murkins you’re refering to don’t even acknowledge that Obama is an American, let alone that he is legitimately President.
Like I said, it’s OK for them to say that, but not some damn furriner.
Those Israelis are even worse than the French
Really? Because that’s not the impression one gets from people like OhioJoes and Michael LeFavour.
Those aren’t red-blooded Murkins, they’re Zionist hatemongers.
Let’s see, Ike was able to go over the power of the Israel lobby to speak to the masses; and he won; and then Kennedys tried to wrestle the AIPAC to the floor and both were magically disappeared & the 3RD son, meathead, was a lackey of Israel; then Bush I tried to do what Ike did, and got kicked to the curb…Shrub learned the lesson, as did Clinton, and now Obama. Next?
Because this website is so selective in its choice of material to publish, with very limited actual investigatory staffing or effort, and because of the bias in the presentation of the material selected, the website has limited relevance, except as propaganda.
I believe that the website could be much more effective at its journalism and its facilitation of discussion, it the leadership chose to.
Propaganda? How?
How is advocating for equal rights between Jews, Christians, and Muslims propaganda?
How is advocating for an economic boycott of a state currently engaged in massive human rights violations propaganda? and not constructive?
Phil Weiss represents journalism at its finest. Our mainstream American media chose not to cover the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in an objective manner, Phil has come in to fill that void, and in my opinion has done an excellent job.
Finally, even the most aggressive poster on this site is far from being “radical.” There is no one that contributes to this site that calls for violent actions against even the Israeli military or even the settlers, much less Israeli civilians. Furthermore, I am unaware of any regular commentators that advocate such an approach to the conflict.
Every solution proposed by the moderators of Mondoweiss and by regular contributors to the comments section have all advocated for a non-violent approach to solving the I/P conflict, despite the fact that Israel continues to approach the conflict in a purely violent manner and with overwhelming force.
Go away, you insufferable boor!
No contributor to this site, who to a man and woman put in a great deal of effort in their postings, comes anywhere close to reaching the level of propaganda that you spew out repetitively, endlessly, boringly, nonsensically.
You are so arrogant, you probably think you are the relevant element on this site.
If I had a friend like you, I would shorten my list of friends by one. Do you think Phil’s parents appreciate your constant dissing of their son? They must wonder the reason he puts up with your insults. Is this how you show respect to the family? You are lucky they are not Sicilian.
Go away! Just go away! Go find another site where you find the material relevant and the discussion stimulating.
Actually, go see what sort of reaction he elicits from the other side of the fence, among the commenters at Realistic Dove. I’m starting to think Mr. Weiss remains friends with Witty out of pity — Witty’s false equivocations piss off everybody, no matter what side of the fence you’re on.
What a great friend you are to Mr. Weiss, Witty! I mean it’s just fantastic that you offer him such, er… criticism! And busy! busy! busy! you must be, since you have to base your “informed” critique on the fraction of the articles you do read, and therein the fraction of those texts!