Netanyahu address to Congress

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Zekester
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Netanyahu address to Congress

Post by Zekester »

Pretty substantial event today, and no comments here yet?

Kudos to him, Republicans, and most Democrats there. For the Democrats that "boycotted"....shame on you.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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I hope Netanyahu's blatantly obvious campaign stunt backfires on him in the near future.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

Post by Smoove_B »

I don't really have a full perspective on this. Is there a history of foreign leaders coming to the U.S. and address the public regarding international policy without being directly invited by the sitting President?

Politically, it just seems like...not such a great idea - and that's not even taking into consideration the elections that will be occurring in Israel in two weeks.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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When even Fox News says it's a bad idea, you know something's amiss.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

Post by Jag »

Smoove_B wrote:I don't really have a full perspective on this. Is there a history of foreign leaders coming to the U.S. and address the public regarding international policy without being directly invited by the sitting President?
Not really. While tons of foreign leaders address congress, they traditionally do it through the White House. In this case the White House would have refused because it is too close to the foreign local election and they don't want to be seen as endorsing a candidate currently running for office.

It was a deliberate snub to Obama by Boehner and Bibi.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

Post by El Guapo »

There is in fact zero precedent for Congress inviting a foreign leader to speak without even notifying the White House first. The fact that Netanyahu is there to speak against a foreign policy agreement that the White House is currently in the process of negotiating compounds the foreign policy issues involved.

That's why, in addition to Fox News, other Iran lovers like a group of 180 Israeli former generals and top security officials were also opposed to the speech.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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...except that there is a true concern for the safety of Israel, and the U.S. I am glad that our Congress takes an Iranian threat seriously, even if our administration doesn't.

The only political stunt here was that of the "boycotting" scum, I mean Democrats.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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Yes, let's oppose a speech concerning National security threats....threats from a regime who openly makes such threats.

Let's also oppose the 1st Amendment....and snuff all speech that we dont agree with.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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hepcat wrote:I hope Netanyahu's blatantly obvious campaign stunt backfires on him in the near future.
For someone who lectures me about being racist and homophobic, you sure sound Anti-Semitic.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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:lol:

You're not quite sure what anti-semitic means, are you?
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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hepcat wrote::lol:
can't talk about it without being an asshat?
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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Israel is a nation, by the way.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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hepcat wrote::lol:

You're not quite sure what anti-semitic means, are you?
I dont give an F what the right words are.

You preach anti-racism and anti-gay to me and others, yet you're intolerant of Jews and Conservatives.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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So every time the citizens of Israel vote against a prime minister during elections, they're anti-semitic?

Also, conservative isn't a race. But the Grand Prix is.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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hepcat wrote:So every time the citizens of Israel vote against a prime minister during elections, they're anti-semitic?
by you're own words on this forum, if I and other Conservatives bash Obama we're all racists.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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I have no problem with questioning his policies. It's when the tea party nuts start holding up blatantly racist signs during rallies, or start questioning his birth certificate with no reason that things get racist.

Normally folks just tell you you're wrong...then prove it.
Zekester wrote: You preach anti-racism and anti-gay to me and others
I'm hardly the only one. :wink:
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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hepcat wrote:I have no problem with questioning his policies. It's when the tea party nuts starting holding up blatantly racist signs during rallies, or start questioning his birth certificate with no reason that things get racist.
You're not pulling me in to side issues this time.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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:lol:

This has the potential to be a great thread.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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Obama himself just said it's important to not make this a political issue......so stick that in your pipe and suck on it, hep :lol:
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

Post by Rip »

Good speech not that it will change anything. At least he did all he could to persuade us that opening the door for Iran to have a weapon in ten years is a mistake.

Nothing left for him to do now except prepare his forces to handle it themselves. I only wish I was of an age I could go contribute. They are going to need all the help they can get.

I look forward to revisiting this thread in 6-10 years.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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Zekester wrote:Obama himself just said it's important to not make this a political issue......so stick that in your pipe and suck on it :lol:
I'm not even sure what this means, but please continue to contribute! I absolutely love it when you go off on a rant.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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Rip wrote:Good speech not that it will change anything. At least he did all he could to persuade us that opening the door for Iran to have a weapon in ten years is a mistake.

Nothing left for him to do now except prepare his forces to handle it themselves. I only wish I was of an age I could go contribute. They are going to need all the help they can get.

I look forward to revisiting this thread in 6-10 years.
Would be quite the event if an Arab nation joins Israel's fight.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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:pop:
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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Zekester wrote:Let's also oppose the 1st Amendment....and snuff all speech that we dont agree with.
Who was arrested? What law was passed?
Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;
No one is owed a venue or an audience. Or should the House Majority Whip have committed false imprisonment to make them view the speech?
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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I swear to God Issie, if you scare him off again, I'm going to give you a very verbal dressing down at Gencon this year!
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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No snowflake considers themselves responsible for the avalanche.
It's almost as if people are the problem.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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hepcat wrote::pop:
I object to that post. You can't use the sitting back eating popcorn smiley when you are the run involved in the "debate", shame on you Hep.

Now if you'll excuse me I don't want to get involved: :pop:
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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Zekester wrote:Pretty substantial event today, and no comments here yet?

Kudos to him
How anti-American of you. ;)

-because it's fun to paint the right wing with the anti-american colors they are so fond of splashing about every once in awhile (not picking on you in particular here, just a general statement directed at Guiliani, etc - those who hate Obama more than they love America.

On a more serious note - here's the best write-up I've seen of this foo-foo-raw:
Why is Benjamin Netanyahu going ahead with his speech to Congress in a few hours' time, despite complaints from all quarters about the damage it is causing? It's a trickier question than it seems...

...Maybe I am giving Netanyahu too much credit. Maybe he genuinely believes everything listed above—that he's been right all along, that we need to hear his message, that Obama and his administration will take no offense, and that this is a life-or-death existential issue because of a suicidal Iranian leadership.

Maybe. But I think he is smarter than any of that. And thus the explanation that rings truest to me is one offered in The National Interest by Paul Pillar, a veteran of the CIA...

...The prime objective that Netanyahu is pursuing, and that is quite consistent with his lobbying and other behavior, is not the prevention of an Iranian nuclear weapon but instead the prevention of any agreement with Iran. It is not the specific terms of an agreement that are most important to him, but instead whether there is to be any agreement at all...

...This is the heart of Israel's problem. ... Israel does not want to be considered by the United States as one power among many. It is focused on the issue of a nuclear Iran, but it knows that there is no certainty that Iran's nuclear facilities can be destroyed or that sanctions will cause the Iranians to abandon the nuclear program. What Israel fears is an entente between the United States and Iran and a system of relations in which U.S. support will not be automatic.
Which is at least thought provoking (though the idea that we'd ever have closer relationships with Iran than Israel is rather ludicrous to me), rather than the jingoistic flag-waving going on.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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Scraper wrote:
hepcat wrote::pop:
I object to that post. You can't use the sitting back eating popcorn smiley when you are the run involved in the "debate", shame on you Hep.

Now if you'll excuse me I don't want to get involved: :pop:
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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No one is owed a venue or an audience.
Including you. So how does that sit with you?

And, like I said in a different thread, it's not an issue of it being "owed"
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

Post by Smoove_B »

El Guapo wrote:There is in fact zero precedent for Congress inviting a foreign leader to speak without even notifying the White House first.
That's what I sort of figured, but I don't really have a great depth of historical knowledge for these types of things. If there was a historical precedent, well that's something. But it immediately struck me as something done in defiance and as a demonstration of perceived power/authority. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something I hadn't considered. I have to believe this is a new all-time low for Congress.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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Smoove_B wrote:
El Guapo wrote:There is in fact zero precedent for Congress inviting a foreign leader to speak without even notifying the White House first.
That's what I sort of figured, but I don't really have a great depth of historical knowledge for these types of things. If there was a historical precedent, well that's something. But it immediately struck me as something done in defiance and as a demonstration of perceived power/authority. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something I hadn't considered. I have to believe this is a new all-time low for Congress.
funny how 2 views can vary so much......I see it as an all-time high for Congress.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

Post by Isgrimnur »

Zekester wrote:
No one is owed a venue or an audience.
Including you. So how does that sit with you?

And, like I said in a different thread, it's not an issue of it being "owed"
I have not one whit of an issue with it.
Zekester wrote:its not a matter of being owed a venue. no one is being forced to endure it. you dont like it, you have choices to avoid it. key word being choice here.
And those that chose not to attend chose to not endure it. They avoided it. They had that choice.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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Interestingly Bibi didn't call for war, he just doesn't want peace.

Given Iran and its massively bloody state sponsored terrorism, I don't really blame him.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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And those that chose not to attend chose to not endure it. They avoided it. They had that choice.
Correct. But some of them had said, both before and after, that he shouldn't be allowed to do it.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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Zekester wrote:
And those that chose not to attend chose to not endure it. They avoided it. They had that choice.
Correct. But some of them had said, both before and after, that he shouldn't be allowed to do it.
And we all know that everything that Congressmen say is fully correct within the law and Congressional rules, right?

Can you give me an example of "shouldn't be allowed to"? I can find shouldn't have offered / shouldn't have accepted, but that's a far cry from "shouldn't have been allowed to".
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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Zekester wrote:Correct. But some of them had said, both before and after, that he shouldn't be allowed to do it.
"Allowed" is such a funny word. I think people are suggesting maybe it's not appropriate or that it seems like a political power play. This isn't a tipping thread or what you're obligated to do on the highway during a merge. We're talking about heads of state and international policy.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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I figure one more logical argument ought to convince Zekester. Two at the most.
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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Sssshhhhh! And if you're the one with the cell phone, turn that damn thing off! It's distracting to the rest of us in this theater!
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Re: Netanyahu address to Congress

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So about the "boycotters" today.....did they do it because they're anti-Israel-pro-Iran, or did they do it to support the President? Which would then make Obama anti-Israel-pro-Iran?
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