Brian Williams
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Last night, boldly seeking to educate the American public on the error of making war on Iran, NBC Nightly News highlighted Brian Williams’s interview with David Cameron, the British prime minister, in which Cameron said Israeli should not attack.
“I don’t think the Israelis should take that action now. we told them they shouldn’t and said we wouldn’t support it if they did. We’ve been very clear.”
The piece was most remarkable for Williams’s advocacy. He said that the British are saying just what the U.S. is saying to Israel– “Not so fast!”– and he brought up an angle no one has focused on: the threat to the London Olympics this summer if there is an attack.
Prime minister, can you afford to contemplate the possibility of hosting the world for the Olympics here during or after an Israeli military action in Iran?
Williams’s question seemed argumentative, in a great way– these military plans are thoughtless. And of course there is the shadow of Munich, 1972.
(I guess this is right up there with the Israeli fans asking Netanyahu to put off attacking Iran till after Madonna’s concert, May 29? Priorities!)
Then Williams also brought up “containment,” the idea that few want to address in the MSM, that we can live with an Iranian nuke. I think we can clearly count Williams among the doves. And good for him.
Next he should take on Cameron’s claim that Iran has threatened to “wipe Israel off the map.” This translation has been repeatedly impeached.
NBC transcript:
Cameron: I don’t think as we stand today that military action by Israel would be justified. I don’t think the Israelis should take that action now. We told them they shouldn’t and said we wouldn’t support it if they did. We’ve been very clear. I’m a friend of Israel. Israel has a right to exist as a democratic state. It’s very, very important it knows it has strong allies like America, like the United Kingdom, but I don’t support action now because, frankly, we’ve got more road to run in putting in place sanctions and putting in place tough measures against the regime and saying to them they need to take a different path. they can have civil nuclear power, if they give up the ambition of having military nuclear power, they can have a future as a country that has more normal relations with the rest of the world. We need to keep up the pressure to encourage them to make the right choice.
Williams: Do you believe containment can and will work?
Cameron: What I’m arguing for is massive pressure. Europe has an oil ban on Iranian oil.
Williams: Prime Minister, can you afford to contemplate the possibility of hosting the world for the Olympics here during or after an Israeli military action in Iran?
Cameron: I’m very confident we’ll do that come what may. I don’t support Israeli action at this time. I think there is a lot more we can do to put pressure on Iran to get them to take a different path. We take nothing off the table. Britain is very clear just as America is. We don’t rule out taking action or supporting action, but that’s not where we are right now. Right now, turn up the pressure. Get Iranians to think again.
Williams: Is it tougher to deal with when the Israelis say this is about us, about our existence?
Cameron: I completely understand why the Israelis feel as strongly as they do. I feel strongly. I do not want to see an Iran with a nuclear weapon. This is, of course, about Israel and the middle east because an Iranian nuclear weapon would meet a state of a city that wants to wipe Israel off the map. countries that don’t have nuclear weapons would want to acquire them.
Haaretz is highlighting the comments.
Got to keep our priotities straight here. A nuclear Iran or smooth olympic games in London? Which is of greater historical importance?
If memory serves, during the Olympic games of 1972 it was Israelis who were murdered.
I thought the Cameron visit was pretty great, coming right after AIPAC and Netanyahu and what a contrast. They spent a lot of time together, the dinner and the basketball game on Tuesday. What do you think they say about Bibi to one another? Cheered also that Andrew Sullivan was at the state dinner, and Obama seems to have told him he’s a regular reader of his blog. Andrew is excellent, I think, on all these issues. I interpret the thing Phil posted yesterday about Obama’s “tacit approval” according to Haaretz as false and an Israeli attempt at damage control.
Let me add, I like his “Israel has a right to exist as a democratic state.” Which is something other than the status quo.
‘i do not want to see an iran with a nuclear weapon. this is, of course, about israel and the middle east because in iranian nuclear weapon would meet a state of a city that wants to wipe israel off the map.’
Why does everyone pull the ‘Iran wants to wipe Israel off the map’ misquote out of their backsides?
As a British Citizen I’m going to write to Mr Cameron on this.
Phil, there’s a typo on the main page display of this piece, with “Israeli nuke” instead of Iranian.