Maybe I'm Getting Paranoid ... About Obama
- Marty Peretz
- January 26, 2010 | 6:46 pm
I've just read the transcript [1] of the president's remarks about Haiti, the ones he made on January 15. He noted that, in addition to assistance from the United States, significant aid had also come from "Brazil, Mexico, Canada, France, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, among others." Am I missing another country that truly weighed in with truly consequential assistance? Ah, yes. There it is. Right there "among others." Yes, the country to which I refer is "among others," that one.
The fact is that, next to our country, Israel sent the largest contingent of trained rescue workers, doctors, and other medical personnel. The Israeli field hospital was the only one on the ground that could perform real surgery, which it did literally hundreds of times, while delivering--as of last week--at least 16 babies, including one premature infant and three caesarians. The first 250-odd Israelis were real professionals, and they were supplemented by others, also professionals. And to these can be added the many organized Jews from the Diaspora who, in solidarity with Israel, also went on a work pilgrimage, an aliyah, in solidarity with Haiti.
It's not that Israeli participation in the Haiti horror was being kept secret. I myself saw it reported several times on television--on ABC [2], NBC [3], CBS [4], and CNN [5].
So didn't Obama notice? For God's sake, everybody noticed the deep Israeli involvement. I understand that Obama doesn't like Middle East narratives that do not contain "one side and the other side" equal valence. But he couldn't have that here. The Arabs don't care a fig, not for their impoverished and backward own, and certainly not for strangers. That's why their presence in Haiti amounted to a couple of bucks from Saudi Arabia and maybe from some other sheikhs.
An afterthought: Who would want Arab participation in the rescue effort? This was serious work and dangerous work. Amateurs weren't welcome.
Yes, I think that the labors of the Israelis were edited out of Obama's speech, either by his speechwriters (who have made dissing Israel their forté) or by his own oh-so-delicate but dishonest censoring mechanism.
Advisers ....
Samantha 'criticism of Obama is about what's good for the jews' Power
Zbig 'american jews are too powerful Mcarthyites, and Walt and Mearsheimer were right' Brzezinski
Robert 'I do negotiate with Hamas' Malley
Susan 'let's appoint Jimmy Carter and Jim Baker as chief middle east negotiators' Rice
Steven Walt
Charles Freeman
JEREMIAH WRIGHT....
Edited out by his speechwriters?
Maybe, but certainly because they fear his personal 'proclivities'. The other more troubling explanation is, I fear, far more likely.
And for you Marty .. sure you are paranoid, but he real question is, ARE YOU BEING PARANOID ENOUGH?
He didn't mention Britain either. Think about that.
ReplyDeleteBritain, the nation with whom we have always had a "special relationship". He mentions France, but not Britain.
Despite Israel's contributions to the world, someone once said that the Jew-haters goal is to forever blot-out the name of Israel (when they’re not trying to degrade and humiliate the Jewish People), one could say that this is a manifestation of that from qaysar (Caesar) obama al-rum (of Rome).
ReplyDeleteAs for Britain, I guess that is merely part of his attempts to screw his nation’s other allies.
Y'know what pasto ..considering one of his first actions was to rtn the gift of Churchill's bust I don't think that's an accident either.
ReplyDeleteUnless his supporter want to argue that's neither important nor are his staffers competent