Friday, January 23, 2015

When BiBi comes a knockin'

At the invitation of Speaker Boehner, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been invited to speak before both houses of the US Congress (invites like this are "Winston Churchill" rare BTW). Wisely the President and Secretary of State have declined to meet with the Israel PM under the circumstances since they were cut out of the invitation completely. Conventional wisdom indicates that the GOP lead congress is using this as an opportunity to intervene in US-Iranian nuclear negotiations with the possible goal as to make the US delegation look incapable of delivering on a deal and thus occasion the withdrawl of Iran thus ONCE AGAIN putting the region on a war footing. I take a counterintuitive view, Netanyahu is faced with a difficult reelection campaign at home (although as I've said before I think he will win in the end) and needs to keep the focus in Israel on issues relating to national security (held to be a key strength of his electorally speaking) and a speech before the US Congress is one of those unique global platforms to gin up war talk in a venue wherein his domestic opponents have no reach. The fact that Netanyahu has to foul his relations with a US President still further and stoke up war hysteria among a bunch of grim jobbers entirely elected from Rotten Boroughs is secondary to his own short term political needs, The Israeli PM can always moan "I'm soweee" after he wins. But I suspect there might be some hidden costs for Netanyahu after all this blows over....and so with kindness in my heart I advise him to recall the Sacrifice of Abraham...and if an Angel of The Lord bids Benjamin to "Stay his hand" he might wanna listen...just saying.

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