Israel and Obama: Et tu, Brute? Is that your knife in my back, bro?

Obama reneging on U. S. commitments to Israel

Barack Obama famously said:  "I have Israel's back." Really? Nobody, least of all the American Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, believes that.

General Martin Dempsey, JCS Chief, warned that any Israeli attack on Iran would "clearly delay but probably not destroy Iran's nuclear programs." He also wrung his hands in public, bleating that any good effects of the economic sanctions might, heavens to Betsy, be "undone if [Iran] was attacked prematurely." Prematurely? Like when would NOT be prematurely. General Dempsey, diminutive in stature, also is short of the stuff 4-star American Generals are made of. He is in the tradition of Gen. Alexander Haig, who made his career by saying “Yes” to power, and sucking up to power. 

The apparently distressed and anxiety ridden General further worried that : "I don't want to be complicit if they choose to do it." In other words, “don’t blame me…which way do I get out of here”. This guy would have been fired on the spot by Grant, Lee, McArthur, Ike, Patton, at minimum, and forthwith by Generals Washington or Andrew Jackson. Why? For an egregious lack of intestinal fortitude, not only in the face of the enemy, but in the face of politicians.

The U. S. has many ways of screwing Israel to punish them for launching an strike on Iran. Recall that while beleaguered by Watergate in 1973. Richard Nixon ordered a reluctant Henry Kissinger to  resupply Israel, saving Israel and Golda Meir from extinction.  Contrary to this, Obama is threatening to  refuse to resupply Israel with jets and bombs, if Israel strikes, and to go to the U. N. to condemn an Israeli strike. In a meeting with PM Netanyahu in Washington DC Obama begged the PM to refrain from a strike before the Nov. 6 election. He promised oodles of economic and military aid to seal the deal. Netanyahu was non-committal, but has recently been beating the drums of war. Obama is getting nervous. So he dispatched the short JCS chief to push back.  

Gen. Demsey’s remarks, however, do not appear to be having the desired effect. The opposite of Obama’s intention appears to be happening. This week saw a  report by the International Atomic Energy Agency that Iran's nuclear programs haven't been slowed in the least by U.S. or international sanctions. In fact, they are accelerating. 

As we speak, 2,140 centrifuges are humming away in Iran’s underground Fordo facility near Qom. Iran now is in possession of uranium enriched to 20%—or 87% of the enrichment needed to reach bomb-grade levels. This number has grown from zero to some 200 kilograms in a year. A mere additional 50 kilograms of 20% uranium are sufficient to produce a bomb.  Iran also has large stockpiles of reactor-grade uranium, ripe for enrichment into to higher levels, namely nuclear bomb grades of purity.

Obama has cynically been parroting Iranian claims that they really have no intentions of building a bomb, and simply wish to increase their power generation capability. Well, the IAEA disagrees, and says in its report:

                  "the Agency has become increasingly concerned about the possible
                    existence in Iran of undisclosed nuclear related activities related to the
                    development of a nuclear payload for a missile." 

George is upset. (Oops - too much Seinfeld). I mean - Israel is upset. Yes, Israelis are upset at the repeated threats from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to wipe them off the map -  but that is not the worst of it.  More upsetting is hearing the lie from Obama that he has Israel’s back, and then turning around and reducing the US Army personnel in Israel by 67%.  

It is likely that the recent rattling of war drums by PM Netanyahu was designed to help defeat Obama’s re-election bid. Israel fears a re-elected Obama, who would then drop the phony pretenses and unmask his true Hitlerian visage towards Israel. Obama is resentful of the drop in Jewish support in the campaign, just like Jimmy Carter was in 1980 (his signature quote of 1980 was: “F-ck the Jews”).

Netanyahu has already taken possession of many of the aid packages Obama sent to Israel only a few months ago. So as he sees it, he is unfettered and free to act now in Israel’s best interest. As DeGaulle said, countries don’t have friends, they have interests. Netanyahu is busy getting support for a strike sooner rather than later. A lot depends on the U. S. election, however. If it looks like Romney will win, then Netanyahu is better off not striking. If Obama is ahead in October, then Israel will strike and so elect Romney. Who will be grateful. Romney and Netanyahu worked together in the ‘70’s, and are friends, and understand each other very well. 

Obama, who never managed so much as a lemonade stand, has been entirely an amateur Obama in many things, and certainly in cobbling together a policy toward Israel. It has been a schizoid alternation between hate and phony love. Jew have been saying “never again” since WWII, and the phrase probably has lost its power. But when applied to the potential for a re-elected little Hitler, named Barack Hussein Obama, then the phrase takes on new life.