Missed this. Remember how Obama stared Netanyahu down over getting involved in our election, and even Barbara Boxer said, Bug out? Well, one of the Senate’s last acts Friday before recess was: voting 90-1 on a nonbinding resolution to support any action against Iran lest it obtain nuclear “capability,” the AIPAC-and-Netanyahu red line. Reuters:
The only senator to vote against the resolution was Republican Rand Paul, a Tea Party and libertarian favorite, who argued that it was a de-facto declaration of war.
The “capability” debate was initially framed as one over “containment” in February, and hawks like [Lindsey] Graham found little bipartisan support until their position became a centerpiece of the AIPAC policy conference in March. But the initial resolution from Graham in May stalled. Then things rose into the national consciousness.
This month, an unprecedented campaign by Benjamin Netanyahu to get Obama to shift his Iran red line drew jeers from liberals and even Members of Congress. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) upbraided Netanyahu for interjecting himself in American politics. AIPAC took notice, e-mailing its members last week with articles on Obama’s refusal to lower his threshold for war and Netanyahu’s denials of interference. The debate seemed, for now, over, with Obama victorious. Then this week, Majority Leader Reid surprised everyone by re-introducing the Graham resolution.
Sullivan calls it a “motion to back a foreign prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, over the president of the US.”
AIPAC does its work with unremitting diligence. I favor containment as the least worst option. But that obvious position is held by no-one in power in Washington. Including Obama.
The one NO vote was Rand Paul’s; he said it was a de facto declaration of war, or at absolute minimum, an excuse for war. It did not even make the nightly news for Dick and Jane. Also, Joe Lieberman joined Graham in introducing the resolution originally.
It was the least Joe could do for Israel before he departs the senate to play around as a freelance Israel Firster pundit and consultant for the think tanks and press. He played coy today for mainstream TV news as to whom he was going to vote for….
Yeah, the zios pulled the strings in the Senate. What else is knew.
One bright spot:
“…The only senator to vote against the resolution was Republican Rand Paul, a Tea Party and libertarian favorite, who argued that it was a de-facto declaration of war…”
This isn’t an endorsement of Rand Paul: I’m not especially conversant with his exact views, and as long as it remains a moot point, don’t intend to change that.
However, he is a hopeful for 2016, and it’s nice that there’s a prospect of at least one candidate with some discernible principles being in the field. Get us two — one on each side — and we can have an actual election.
Obviously, it’s still too far out there to predict the field, but as far as the Republicans go, Huckabee is a big Israel-lover — and has a real constituency as a social conservative. The Republican primaries could be interesting at any rate.
It’d be nice if the Democrats come up with someone interesting. Worst case: Huckabee gets the Republican nomination and wipes the floor with Biden.
ugh, this is so humiliating for anyone who truly supports America to have to slavishly kow-tow to israel in this way … israel engenders no good will compelling this behavior from our elected officials
nonbinding resolution. Right. Just as they adjourn congress for the year.
Rank racism on top of it. A Darkie in the White House.