Netanyahu’s untruths
To the editor:
This letter is dedicated to all of you good folks who watched Netanyahu’s speech March 3, Tuesday night in front of the joint session of Congress. Regardless of the circumstances that brought us to that shameful moment, that being John Boehner, the Speaker of the House, inviting a foreign Head of State to speak to a joint session of Congress, all done behind our President’s back. How blatantly rude and disrespectful can you get? I’m not just talking President Obama, even more than that, the Office of the President of the United States. OK then, let’s move on.
The first thing you must realize is that every politician from the Roman Senate to today’s version never, ever says anything without having a hidden agenda behind every word, speech or position he or she might take. I mean, how many times have you seen a politician make a statement one day and the very next day their press secretary comes out with a statement that says that his master really meant to say exactly the opposite of what he said the day before? All the time, right? Who can ever forget the famous words spoken by Julius Caesar to his friend and protege when the Roman Senate was assassinating him; “Et tu, Brutus.” Talk about the ultimate flip-flop.
Well, Netanyahu’s speech was no exception to this rule of saying one thing and meaning the opposite. Netanyahu said over and over again that this was a bad deal. I found this very irritating in as much that the negotiations are not yet completed as of yet. Fact, there is no deal to date. How can you proclaim that this is a bad deal if there is no deal? I’ll tell you how this guy got away with it; just listen to his almost one hour lecture. This was in no way a path to a negotiated settlement with Iran. Oh no, this oration was really a call for the United State to invade Iran and of course a ground, sea and air war that would surly follow an invasion. Well, Mr. and Mrs. America, are you ready for another war? Because I can assure you that is exactly what this right wing hawk is screaming for. He’s setting us up for his next move, which will be the actual recommendation and call for all out war, just like he did in the leading us into the Iraq war, at which time he will tell us all of the pluses of and why we should lead the fight. So you think I’m nuts to say such a thing about the leader of our closest ally in the Middle East.
Let’s look at some historical facts that no one can dispute. Before we do that let me quote what one of the Breeze’s own opinion writer’s recently wrote; when referring to President Obama. “You would do well to study the words spoken by Prime Minister Netanyahu and take to heart the wisdom therein contained.” Really. OK, let’s do just that. Before the Iraq war he, Netanyahu, testified that “there is no question whatsoever that Saddam is seeking and is working and is advancing toward the development of nuclear weapons – no questions whatsoever,” he also said “If you take out Saddam’s regime, I guarantee you that it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region.” Not so fast. In fact, of course, Netanyahu was dead wrong about the policy, and dead wrong about the nuclear weapons program. Nothing was ever found except a few rusted 55 gallon barrels and Saddam in a spiderhole beneath the earth. Everything about their predictions and the policy they supported were proven wrong. The only reverberations on the area are negative. Just look at what’s happening in the Middle East for the last 12 years. Not quite the pretty picture all the neo-cons painted is it? Yet now they have the audacity to preach to us that they have got all the answers to the problems with Iran which can be solved if only we would do what they ask. Well, last time we allowed the neo-cons to lead us down their primrose lane we lost 5,775 of our finest and best, Israel lost a whopping total of 37. Let’s face the real world, folks. We have got a lot more skin in this game than these minority voices from any other country. These hawks always neglect to mention this fact. The Iran military machine is one of some consequence. Their military capability as measured in personnel numbers alone is: Army=350,000 plus 125,000 Revolutionary Guard, Naval=18,000 and Air Force=30,000. This formable force is one who doesn’t run from battle and throw their uniforms aside. They are well trained, well disciplined and ready to go. Again I ask Mr. and Mrs. America, do you really want to listen to the neo-cons who lead us into this mess in Iraq just 12 years ago? All these guys really want to do is take their shots at the responsible people who are at the front lines doing the best they can to come up with the best deal for us that’s possible. Then these meatheads step up the microphones and say no, this is a bad deal. Then they say no deal is better than a bad deal. Oh really, that’s when Iran does anything Iran wants to do. Oh, one other thing, did you notice that they offered no alternate plan to solve the problem. Nothing-Zero-Nada. So typical of the Republicans for the six years.
Let me close with a quote from the last war hawk President of the United States who led us into Iraq and to this day is still proud of it, George W. Bush, “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me”. Are we going to allow these neo-con right wing wacko birds fool us twice? This would surely be the beginning of the next war in the Middle East. I sure as hell hope there is an adult in the room when it comes decision time. Maybe all of you tea party types will pull your head out of the sand long enough to remember it was President Obama who voted not to go to into the Iraq War. Just look at how much better for all of us if that war actually never happened.
Jim Healy
Cape Coral