It was a remarkable speech. PM Netanyahu spoke clearly, forcefully, and eloquently about the nuclear deal. This is one of those "must-watch speeches" that comes along once a generation.
It reminded us of another statesman who came to the U.S. many years ago. It was on March 5, 1946 that the then former PM Winston Churchill of the UK spoke to the American people about the Soviet threat. Mr. Churchill did not speak to a joint session but the impact was awesome:
"Churchill, who had been defeated for re-election as prime minister in 1945, was invited to Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri where he gave this speech.Like Mr. Churchill, the prime minister of Israel praised the alliance between the two countries, thanked the U.S. for its sacrifices in World War II, and explained the threat in exquisite detail.
President Harry S. Truman joined Churchill on the platform and listened intently to his speech.
Churchill began by praising the United States, which he declared stood “at the pinnacle of world power.”
It soon became clear that a primary purpose of his talk was to argue for an even closer “special relationship” between the United States and Great Britain -- the great powers of the “English-speaking world” -- in organizing and policing the postwar world. In particular, he warned against the expansionistic policies of the Soviet Union.
In addition to the “iron curtain” that had descended across Eastern Europe, Churchill spoke of “communist fifth columns” that were operating throughout western and southern Europe.
Drawing parallels with the disastrous appeasement of Hitler prior to World War II, Churchill advised that in dealing with the Soviets there was “nothing which they admire so much as strength, and there is nothing for which they have less respect than for military weakness.”
Of course, President Obama was not there and VP Biden was down in Uruguay at a presidential inauguration. There were several Democrats missing, a rather silly display of political pique.
It once again makes you wonder about President Obama's instincts or the people that he listens to.
What if President Obama had taken advantage of this opportunity to make his case for the nuclear deal?What if President Obama had embraced the visit? What if he did a joint press conference with the prime minister and assured this deal was good for all, especially Israel?
Instead, President Obama looks small and petty. He looks like a man who was avoiding the debate or hiding the truth of the deal with Iran.
My guess is that the nuclear deal is dead. You can delete another "legacy item" from President Obama's accomplishments.
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