Thank you, sir. May I have another?

This just broke as far as I can tell, and it frosted me so bad I rushed out this mini-diary. All I can say is WTF was Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu thinking when he opened his mouth and said . . .

We are benefiting from one thing, and that is the attack on the Twin Towers and Pentagon, and the American struggle in Iraq

The Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv reported that the September 11, 2001 terror attacks
have been beneficial for Israel.

I'm so happy that the deaths of 3,000+ Americans, 4,000+ American troops in Iraq, and 650,000+ Iraqi civilians have brought comfort, joy and security to right-wing Israeli politicians.

In light of neocon-PNAC-pushers like William Kristol, Dougie Feith, Richard Perle, et al., perhaps its not an accident that the rush to jigger the facts to support an unwarranted, illegal and ill-advised pre-emptive war with Iraq wound up rebounding to the benefit of our ally in the Middle East.

I consider Netanyahu's comments a slap in the face of all those who seek a progressive and peaceful resolution of the growing crisis in the Middle East, which threatens the US with 100 years of war, the potential of another unwarranted attack on Israel's current bogey-man - Iran, and further skyrocketing oil prices world wide which could plunge the US and the world into a global depression.

But again, I'm tickled pink that Netanyahu can see the silver lining to other peoples' suffering and pain.

•  Why did you post this? To stir up shit?

  by trashablanca on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 02:42:03 PM PDT

  •  Uh . .. perhaps top re-evaluate our

    relationships.  The US has 737 military bases around the world in 130+ countries.

    China has 0.

    What do we know they don't OR the corolary - what do THEY know that WE don't

    How come nobody is flying airplanes into Chinese buildings?  Or blowing up Chinese naval vessals.

    by bobdevo on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 02:50:17 PM PDT

    •  Your HR was abuse.

      Clearly and simply.

      by TheBlaz on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 02:54:11 PM PDT

      •  I don't agree at all.

        Why would anyone think this was posted simply to "stir up shit?"  What kind of comment is that?  How does that further the discourse.

        Suggest you peruse the comments in the Haaretz response section.  Those are Israeli posters, and they seem far harsher on Netanyahu than I was.

        by bobdevo on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 02:58:08 PM PDT

        •  How does you

          HR-ing someone you're actively debating with (a clear sign of abuse) further discourse?

          Nothing he said was hide worthy. If you're truly interested in discourse and it being furthered, you should have let your comment stand and not stooped to ratings abuse.

          Now, your point (which I feel is valid) is lost, or at least weakened, by said abuse.

          I don't agree that you posted it to "stir up shit." You could easily have explained why you felt it was important WITHOUT resorting to ratings abuse.

          by TheBlaz on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 03:02:17 PM PDT

          •  Based upon your request, I hereby un-HR. n/t

            by bobdevo on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 03:02:57 PM PDT

            •  Cheers. n/t

              by TheBlaz on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 03:04:49 PM PDT

            •  I HR'd it to make up for it.

              It got three plusses though, so there are clearly differing opinions on the value of the comment.

              Silvio Levy

              by codairem on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 04:04:41 PM PDT

  •  How about to try to stimulate discussion -

    apparently forbidden - about the fact that US foreign policy has been hijacked by neoconservatives whose agenda is more focussed on what is good for Israel (from their distorted right wing persepctive) than on what is good for the US.

    A large part of the war-drum beating against Iran is based on the supposition we have to PROTECT AND DEFEND Israel from Iran.

    Bullshit.

    Israel has nukes.  They've got a great air force.  They can take care of themselves.  Where is it written in stone that the US must follow Israel off a cliff . . . just because??

    Not a sufficient answer.

    by bobdevo on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 03:06:36 PM PDT

•  I don't think he meant it

  that way.  While I disagree with Netanyahu on  alot, inlcuding the right of the Palestinians to a state and a roll back of "settlements" in occupied territory, I think this is a misportrayal of his meaning.

  He appears to be speaking of a result.  Most Israelis have a clear understanding of the suffering terroism inflicts on innocent people.  (wwithout getitng into whether Israel may inflict suffering also).

  So I think the attakc on Netanyahu is unfair.

  by TomP on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 02:42:43 PM PDT

  •  This is DailyKos, where no comment is out of

    bounds to be misconstrued and twisted in order to offend somebody.

    We're not happy unless we're pissed.

    by Filthy Ogre on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 02:45:52 PM PDT

    •  LOL!!

      Well said.

      Hey, what did you mena by that!!!

      :-)

      by TomP on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 02:46:51 PM PDT

    •  Who's that "we," #159,207?

      It sure omits a lot of Kossacks I've come to know. You've missed some fine work done at this site.

      by cotterperson on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 03:18:41 PM PDT

  •  I dunno....

    I read the Ha'aretz article and they certainly make it sound like he was certainly pushing the neo-con party line.  This is not a surprise.  I wouldn't call it particularly newsworthy either.

    by 8ackgr0und N015e on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 02:58:59 PM PDT

•  Ugh...

  "We are benefiting from one thing, and that is the attack on the Twin Towers and Pentagon, and the American struggle in Iraq" - Netanyahu

  Of course we all knew the repugnant Netanyahu already believed this, but the fact that he can be so openly honest about his thoughts, with no fear of a backlash, goes to show just how much power the Israeli right wing has over our cowardly politicians, on both sides of the aisle.

  by assyrian64 on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 02:48:51 PM PDT

  •  Exactly.

    Some people think Obama's bitter remark was ill-advised.  What in the world is Netanyahu thinking?

    by bobdevo on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 02:51:56 PM PDT

    •  Unreal...

      What in the world is Netanyahu thinking?

      Netanyahu knows he has nothing to fear in the USA when he makes this kind of statement. That is because the majority of our politicians, ranging from McCain to Obama, fear the hard-right Israeli lobby who smear decent, brave folks like Jimmy Carter as "anti-Semitic".

      Just imagine if Bush were to say: "The US benefited from  terrorist attacks on Israeli citizens in 2002 because it brought attention to our global War On Terror." He would rightly be criticized from here to eternity.

      Netanyahu will be criticized for this perhaps outisde of the US, but not here.

      by assyrian64 on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 03:03:07 PM PDT

•  Oy

  by droogie6655321 on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 02:48:58 PM PDT

•  Of course he meant it, and literally.

  The attack on America gave the neocons exactly what they needed to implement the plan they wrote for Netanytahu back in 1996, A Clean Break.

  The fact that he can get away with saying that is further indication of how deceived the electorate has been. He'll probably be saying it to his friends at CNN soon, and they'll probably let it pass.

  Thanks, bobdevo, for the diary. It'll never see it rec list, I'm sure, and the killing will continue.

  by cotterperson on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 03:26:58 PM PDT

  •  What drives statements like this...

    ...besides the Neocon ideology, is a sense of absolute impunity.

    He thinks this can't harm him politically, neither in Israel nor in the US.

    by Assaf on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 03:35:18 PM PDT

    •  And likely he

      is correct in that assumption, unfortunately.  Warmest regards, Doc.

      by Translator on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 03:46:36 PM PDT

      •  Netanyahu actually expressed this glee...

        ... on 9/11 night ifself on an impromptu Israeli talk show.

        I remember seeing that - we were still back in Israel then.

        He said something like, "this is great... this is great..." he was so beside himself, he was groping for words, and already assuming, with a lot of wishful thinking, that Palestinians were involved.

        What a visionary.

        (meanwhile, I was trying to figure out who it was that did the thing. Couldn't be Bin Laden, I thought. No way. He is suspect #1. They've been on his tail for years, they would have noticed. The good old US of A can't fuck up this bad. I still didn't understand that a historical accident called W has already hit that US of A and was already in the business of killing its capacity to do anything for itself)

        by Assaf on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 10:41:55 PM PDT