I happened to tune into Mike Huckabee's Saturday Fox snoozefest, and caught an interesting (!) exchange between Huck and Bush I Secretary of State, James Baker. The Huckster was apparently inviting Baker to trash the Obama administration for the recent spat with Israel. I think he was very surprised by the answers he got from Baker.
(Quotes are from memory, summarized)
Huckabee: Concerning Obama's and Clinton's treatment of Netanyahu in response the the Jerusalem settlement announcement, wasn't this a shabby way to treat America's best ally in the Middle East?
Baker: The U.S. and Israel are strong allies and will remain so due to common interests, cultural similarities and Israel's democratic government. But every American administration since the founding of Israel has objected to Israel's building of settlements. There have frequently been tensions between Washington and Israel over this issue. In fact, I think the Obama administration's reaction to the Jerusalem settlement expansion has been completely appropriate. (Emphasis added)
Huckabee: But doesn't Israel have the right to build settlements in its capitol, one it's own land?
Baker: It's not Israeli land; it's Arab land. This is land that will eventually be transferred back to the Palistinian Authority for the creation of a Palistinian State. The expansion of these settlements makes the eventual peace agreement more difficult to achieve.
Huckabee: But Israel has tried trading land for peace before, and peace never seems to come.
Baker: Israel traded land for peace with Egypt and Jordan. Israel transferred back land that it had seized during wartime. The peace treaties with those two countries have held up well over the years.
This is where Huckabee decided to wrap up the interview, thanking Baker for his time. I couldn't help imagine a Fox producer making a note never to book James Baker again.
Next week: John Bolton will discuss Obama's abuse of recess appointments!