Less than 12 hours following the State of the Union, Boehner invites Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress without informing the President.
Ok: Republicans and some Democrats (http://www.theatlantic.com/... Senator Robert Menenedez, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee)]) want to pass further sanctions when the President is trying to negotiate with Iran on a nuclear deal – starting January 20 in a six months. Whether it is six(6) months or two (2) months which the Democrats gave the President, WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP AFTER YOU PASS MORE SANCTIONS?
Ok:
Republicans and some Democrats (http://www.theatlantic.com/... Senator Robert Menenedez, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee)]) want to pass further sanctions when the President is trying to negotiate with Iran on a nuclear deal – starting January 20 in a six months. Whether it is six (6) months or two (2) months which the Democrats gave the President, WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP AFTER YOU PASS MORE SANCTIONS?
Well I think we all know Bibi is tactical meaning he is up for election on the March 17th so he thinks this speech will help him win the election. Congress is meaningless sanctions or no sanctions. The Commander in Chief decides whether to attack Iran for Israel.
As a side note, the right wing media is suggesting Obama is sending former staffers to help to defeat Bibi
A consulting firm almost entirely composed of former staffers of President Obama’s re-election campaign has been hired to run an election effort in Israel aimed at defeating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The conservative blogosphere is reporting Jeremy Bird, national field director for Obama’s 2012 campaign, is now working for a new non-profit group, V15, that is running an effort to defeat Netanyahu in the upcoming election.
A closer look at Bird’s consulting firm as well as its working relationship with the Israeli groups finds he is just one of scores of former senior Obama election campaign staffers now working on the anti-Netanyahu effort.
Last week, the Obama White House rejected an opportunity to meet with Netanyahu in March when he is in Washington to address a joint meeting of Congress, saying it didn’t want to influence the Israeli elections. The White House criticized House Speaker John Boehner for inviting Netanyahu, accusing him of “breaking protocol.”
The left-leaning Haaretz daily in Israel reported V15 is “trying to replace Israel’s government” and cause “nothing less than an electoral upset” in elections here in March.
Haaretz reporter Roy Arad writes that he directly asked V15 founder Nimrod Dweck whether his group’s goal was “anyone but Bibi,” referring to Netanyahu by his popular nickname.
Dreck replied: “We say ‘replace the government,’ it’s not directed at specific individuals. There have been many years of right-wing governments during which little happened, it’s time to change course and give people hope.”
V15, or “Victory 2015” is backed by a U.S.-U.K. group called “One Voice,” whose official Tel Aviv offices are adjacent to those of V15.
One Voice bills itself as an “international grassroots movement that amplifies the voice of mainstream Israelis and Palestinians.” It has a clearly leftist tone.
One Voice put out a press release Tuesday that was decidedly anti-Netanyahu.
“We believe that it’s critical that the majority of Israelis who are concerned about the numerous security and socio-economic challenges we face have their voices heard in the next election,” said OneVoice Israel’s executive director, Polly Bronstein.
“We need a prime minister and a government who will be responsive to the people.”
The release announced that OneVoice Israel and V15 “are working with premier grassroots consulting firm 270 Strategies to leverage the most cutting-edge mobilization techniques.”
270 Strategies is led by Bird, who was described in the Haaretz articles as V15’s “secret campaign weapon”
Haaretz reported Bird has arrived in Tel Aviv with a team of four consultants “that will try to channel the energies of V15 into an organized methodology.”
Part of the strategy includes a door-knocking campaign as well as a social media blitz.
While the conservative blogosphere focused largely on Bird’s role, WND has found that his firm, which was hired for the V15 campaign, is composed of scores of former Obama campaign employees.
270 Strategies’ team of 45 staffers includes 16 who worked directly for Obama’s campaigns.
Most of the former Obama staffers comprise the senior posts at the firm. Others worked for the Democratic Party, the Democratic National Committee or grassroots groups involved in progressive efforts, including a group to enroll Americans in Obamacare.
Besides Bird, the 270 Strategies team includes the following former Obama staffers:
Mitch Steward, a 270 Strategies founding partner who helped the Obama campaign build what the U.K. Guardian called “a historic ground operation that will provide the model for political campaigns in America and around the world for years to come.”
Mark Beatty, a founding partner who served as deputy battleground states director for the Obama campaign. He had primary responsibility for Obama’s election plans for the battleground states.
Marlon Marshall, a founding partner at 270 Strategies who joins the team after holding several key positions in national Democratic politics, most recently as deputy national field director for the 2012 Obama campaign.
Betsy Hoover, a founding partner who served as director of digital organizing on the Obama campaign.
Meg Ansara, who served as national regional director for Obama for America where she was responsible for overseeing the 2012 programs in the Midwest and southern states.
Bridget Halligan, who served as the dngagement program manager on the digital team of the 2012 Obama campaign.
Kate Catherall, who served as Florida deputy field director for Obama’s re-election campaign.
Alex Lofton, who most recently served as the GOTV director of Cleveland, Ohio, for the 2012 Obama campaign.
Martha Patzer, the firm’s vice president who served as deputy email director at Obama for America.
Jesse Boateng, who served as the Florida voter registration director for Obama’s re-election campaign.
Ashley Bryant, who served most recently as the Ohio digital director for the 2012 Obama campaign.
Max Clermont, who formerly served as a regional field director in Florida for Obama’s re-election campaign.
Max Wood, who served as a deputy data director in Florida for the 2012 Obama campaign.
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/...
That was fun. Felt like the National Inquirer. Who cares whether former Obama supporter are trying to defeat Bibi? … But it was fun.
Now for the serious business. I agree Iran is an existential threat to Israel only I don’t think Iran is crazy enough to attack Israel with nuclear weapons. It would be catastrophic for Iran. Both the US and Israel would destroy Iran. BUT … Israel’s National Interests are NOT the same as the United States National Interests.
The crazy thing about Bibi and Boehner is do you really want to attack Iran? AND John: do you have to guts to declare war on Iran? (I think we know the answer.)
James Fallow wrote an article in 2004 – Will Iran Be Next?. The Atlantic conducted a war game this fall, simulating preparations for a U.S. assault on Iran. I won’t bore you with the whole article, but I will say most of the Participants were professionals including people from the Bush administration such as David Kay and Reuel Marc Gerecht.
Most of our panelists felt that the case against a U.S. strike was all the more powerful against an Israeli strike. With its much smaller air force and much more limited freedom to use airspace, Israel would probably do even less "helpful" damage to Iranian sites. The hostile reaction—against both Israel and the United States—would be potentially more lethal to both Israel and its strongest backer.
A realistic awareness of these constraints will put the next President in an awkward position. In the end, according to our panelists, he should understand that he cannot prudently order an attack on Iran. But his chances of negotiating his way out of the situation will be greater if the Iranians don't know that. He will have to brandish the threat of a possible attack while offering the incentive of economic and diplomatic favors should Iran abandon its plans. "If you say there is no acceptable military option, then you end any possibility that there will be a non-nuclear Iran," David Kay said after the war game. "If the Iranians believe they will not suffer any harm, they will go right ahead." Hammes agreed: "The threat is always an important part of the negotiating process. But you want to fool the enemy, not fool yourself. You can't delude yourself into thinking you can do something you can't." Is it therefore irresponsible to say in public, as our participants did and we do here, that the United States has no military solution to the Iran problem? Hammes said no. Iran could not be sure that an American President, seeing what he considered to be clear provocation, would not strike. "You can never assume that just because a government knows something is unviable, it won't go ahead and do it. The Iraqis knew it was not viable to invade Iran, but they still did it. History shows that countries make very serious mistakes."
So this is how the war game turned out: with a finding that the next American President must, through bluff and patience, change the actions of a government whose motives he does not understand well, and over which his influence is limited. "After all this effort, I am left with two simple sentences for policymakers," Sam Gardiner said of his exercise. "You have no military solution for the issues of Iran. And you have to make diplomacy work."
You would have to read the whole article to see how unrealistic the US and especially Israel attacking Iran would be.
In my opinion, both John and Bibi are cowards. They want to “force” Obama to attack Iran AND not suffer personal consequences.