Obama to Haaretz: U.S. must help protect Israel

WillYourVoteBCounted

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Sat Feb-17-07 12:10 PM
Original message

Obama to Haaretz: U.S. must help protect Israel

We need a President who will put the United States' interest first.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Barack Obama (Illinois), who is competing for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, told Haaretz yesterday that the United States should help protect Israel from its sworn enemies...

"My view is that the United States' special relationship with Israel obligates us to be helpful to them in the search for credible partners with whom they can make peace, while also supporting Israel in defending itself against enemies sworn to its destruction," Obamas said...

At the same time, we must help Israel defend itself against those enemies that have sworn to destroy it," he said..

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/826623.html

"special relationship"? We must? Sworn to destroy?

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Kagemusha

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Sat Feb-17-07 12:18 PM
Response to Original message

1. You clearly missed the words "make peace" in your summation.

It's only one sentence. You could've taken a slightly closer look.

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TomClash

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Sat Feb-17-07 12:29 PM
Response to Original message

2. I don't really have a problem with what he said

I don't love the "special relationship" part but engagement in the peace process is much more important. That's what he was driving at.

Of the big three Dems, he seems to pander the least - so far.

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Bullet1987

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Sat Feb-17-07 12:36 PM
Response to Reply #2

3. ...

If there's one group you don't want against you when running for President...it's the ultra-powerful Israel Lobby. The last thing Obama wants to see in the media and the papers is that he's anti-semitic.

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zulchzulu

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Sat Feb-17-07 12:45 PM
Response to Original message

4. I ask anyone who has knows a viable Democratic candidate who...

...came out saying that they will not support Israel... name me one.

Obama knows he has to support American allies. That's pretty much a given. In his upcoming speech, I would suspect he will address getting the peace process back into full swing again. I would hope he would address "denuclearizing" the Middle East, as he has said in the past. That's the big issue in our time.

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BayCityProgressive

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Sat Feb-17-07 01:10 PM
Response to Reply #4

5. I like Kucinich's

position of working equally with both sides and chastising both when they are wrong. I think that is close to what Obama is saying here. However, I am upset about his hawkish statements on Iran.

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Bullet1987

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Sat Feb-17-07 01:51 PM
Response to Reply #5

6. What?

However, I am upset about his hawkish statements on Iran.

What are you talking about? He says nothing about Iran in the above link...

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zulchzulu

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Sat Feb-17-07 11:19 PM
Response to Reply #5

8. Find me a quote where Obama has been "hawkish on Iran"...

I've been watching and listening...and he's not "hawkish" on Iran. He wants diplomacy to be the major option.

Give me a full link and don't cherry-pick a few words...

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mix

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Sat Feb-17-07 02:52 PM
Response to Original message

7. i agree

Edited on Sat Feb-17-07 02:53 PM by mix

what the us should oppose however are the far-right neo-colonial policies of likud

the left is in disarray in israel, but there are progressive forces that support either a viable 2-state solution of a single bi-national solution

peace (please)

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Clark2008

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Sat Feb-17-07 11:39 PM
Response to Original message

9. What special relationship?

I guess, even as the wife of a Jewish man, I'm missing this.

I don't get why Israel is so "special" to us - I mean, above anyone else?

Aren't we most like the Brits, culturally and socially speaking? Maybe the Canadians?

We're not a theocracy (yet) and we hopefully will never run our country based on one group of people's religious beliefs, so why are we so beholden to Israel? Or any other country based on a religious belief, like Saudi Arabia, for that matter.

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Colobo

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Sun Feb-18-07 12:14 AM
Response to Reply #9

12. Israel is seen

As a nation with Western values in the middle of a non-Western, volatile region of the world...

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k_jerome

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Sat Feb-17-07 11:44 PM
Response to Original message

10. Obama speaks truth.nt.

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manic expression

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Sun Feb-18-07 12:13 AM
Response to Original message

11. This is as unsurprising as it is unfortunate

Edited on Sun Feb-18-07 12:13 AM by manic expression

wow, every single viable candidate agrees on this important issue.

Who said there was no diversity in American politics? Who said our voices don't count? :eyes:

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