Obama "Versus" Netanyahu

Obama “versus” Netanyahu

                                                                                             

This is a headline in today’s NY Times. Notice how this posturing serves both men’s interests. Obama pretends to “press” Netanyahu which comports with his image as an alternative to the more warlike image of almost all Republicans. And when Netanyahu resists and even ignores Obama’s alleged “pleadings for peace,” he pleases those in Israel he wished to please and himself. And when he does this, then Obama can claim either that “he tried” or that the Iranians left Netanyahu no choice but to attack. 

And for anyone who thinks this take is overly cynical – which of course it might well be – just remember or recognize that this would not be the first time a president pretended to protest war while embracing it. The names Wilson, FDR, LBJ, and George W. Bush should be enough to illustrate this recurring phenomenon. 

Obama Presses Netanyahu to Resist Strikes on Iran