Finally, it’s happening, the issue of Israel support is exploding into the presidential primaries. But on the Republican side. Donald Trump’s vow to be “neutral” in the conflict– which Chris Matthews said last night he’s never heard out of the mouth of a presidential candidate before–gave neoconservative favorite Marco Rubio an opening last night. In Houston, he threw red meat to the Israel supporters, and Rubio’s campaign put it online:
So we’re going to have a foreign policy of moral clarity. So let me give you a perfect example. Israel. Israel is the only pro American free enterprise democracy in the entire Middle East. Let me put it this way. If there were more Israels in th eMiddle East, more pro Amerian free enterprise democracy. the world would be so much safer. There’s only one. So they’re an incredible ally of the United States. And they don’t ask us to invade anybody. They havent asked us to station troops there. All they ask is look, if we that if they run out of bullets or weapons, resupply us, we’ll pay for it. And, and, if we get threatened as they are around the world. Like, the UN is obsessed with Israel. The UN doesn’t do anything about Fidel Castro and Raul Castro. The UN doesn’t do anything about North Korea, but every week they have a new resolution condemning Israel. That’s the new face of anti-semitism in the world, is all these anti-Israeli actions. They just ask us to support them. Well, we have a president right now that treats the prime minister of Israel with less respect than what he gives the ayatollah in Iran…
And again the frontrunner in this race, Donald Trump, has said he’s not going to take sides on Israel versus the Palestinian because he wants to be an honest broker. Well, there is no such thing as an honest broker in that because the Palestinian Authority, which have strong links to terror, they teach little kids, five year olds, that it’s a glorious thing to kill Jews. OK You watch their cartoons, it talks about how great it is to kill Jews. This is a terrible thing, and they’ve turned down deal after deal after deal. They don’t want a deal. They’ve already said, ‘We want to destroy Israel.’ So what are you going to negotiate? The rate of the destruction? The date of destruction? We will not be an impartial advocate when it comes to the issue of Israel. When I’m president, we’re going to take sides. We are going to be on Israel’s side.”
Jacob Kornbluh in Jewish Insider:
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump somewhat walked back his comments, stating, “I am with Israel one hundred percent.”
Bill Kristol must be happy. This was his advice to Rubio a few days ago:
Debate advice from a friend!
"After some Trump rant Rubio walks over and punches him in the face…puncturing his aura as successful bully."— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) February 24, 2016
So Rubio and Trump are both doing what Bernie Sanders refuses to do, make Israel support an issue. Sanders could be talking to the Democratic base on this question.
Thanks to James North.
Good lord…. When he loses the election he can get a hasbara job … wait he is a politician on the hasbara payroll…. Israel doesn’t ask us for anything…. “give us bullets and bombs and we’ll pay for them”… yeah we don’t give them 4billion a year so they can funnel money back to APAIC and own our politicians…. so easily sold out, give away our taxpayers money so they can donate 10 mill to your campaign… but they never ask you for anything.. so righteous… if only Israel was the a larger democracy… Hmmmmm… Elect Rubio, topple Jordan, Iraq, Syria, the Sinai and Southern Lebanon, so we can give it to Israel and make the world a safer place… Because it is the only true democracy in the world…..
WOW….
Facts on the ground…. PA is on US and Israel payroll..We give the PA 400 Mill a year, so they can portray this image for the Palestinians… They are not Palestinian, they are US and Israeli Mercinaries, fighting a western fight. Who are you kidding… Videos? Sure… Teaching kids to hate?… Israel exists… Palestine does not… but keep spreading the word…. Poor Israel, the whole world hates them except US Politicians who have no soul and are not held accountable by the MSM because they all share the same payroll…. Trump Neutral is now a dirty word… again WOW
Maybe Trump should respond: “We don’t need another president who just recites Israeli talking points. I’m not going to recite anybody’s talking points, and that’s what Marco Rubio does, especially if they come from deep pocket donors. Most of the American Jews I know, particularly the younger generation, don’t believe in those talking points anymore, because they’re not believable. They’re a gross oversimplification. If the President is going to make a deal in the Middle East, it won’t be by reciting Israeli talking points. When I get my deal done, Israel will be safer than at any time in its history, and that’s a promise. It’s not whether your rich pro-Israel donors anoint you as their sock pocket of the moment, it’s whether you, unlike your predecessors, can take on the biggest deal-making challenge of our time, and succeed. And that requires listening to, and respecting all parties’ legitimate and lawful interests.”
As to William Kristol, the sentiment he expresses (of wanting to see a bully with his nose bloodied) applies as well to him and his neocon buddies, and to Netanyahu and his right wingnuts in Israel. It makes me wonder if part of the neocon deceit tactic is to project all manner of one’s own failings and weaknesses onto one’s opponent.
As to Rubio as bully-nose-bloodier, I’ll believe that when I see it. He’s more of the “I’ll tell your Mom” kind of a guy.
This is utterly disgusting. I have never any candidate so shamefully want to kiss the zionist ring and show so much love and devotion. He is simply spewing zionist propaganda, almost word for word. This man is so desperate to win, he is willing to lie for a rogue nation. NOT a word about the “only” democracy in the ME refusing to end the occupation, or the land thefts. The part about President Obama “disrespecting” the Butcher of Tel Aviv was especially disgusting, because Rubio had a lapse of memory and forgot to mention that Nutty has consistently disrespected Obama and even tried to sabotage his efforts to a nuclear agreement with Iran.
Rubio is a scumbag doing Israel’s dirty work. I cannot believe that our politicians are willing to sell their souls to a foreign Devil, just to win.
Bill Kristol was some kind of chief of staff or advisor to D Quayle . He hopes he will be again and this time the moron actually be a president and not just vice.
His Plan B is to bolt out ,rush out of the attic and join the Scooper Jackson Democrats party of Hillary . Dear Father will be happy .That ideologue of violence left McGovern’s party to join Reagan .