Obama Hits The Wall As He Departs the Middle East
Thursday July 24, 2008
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama made a surprise pre-dawn visit to Jerusalem's Western Wall on Thursday, at the end of a trip aimed at showing his strong support for Israel. Hoping that something truly interesting would...
Filed Under: barack obama, bradley burston, casting stones, compassion, ha'aretz, hope, israel, palestine, peace, western wall
Add to Del.icio.us
Add to Technorati
Add to Digg
Add to Newsvine
Add to Facebook
Add to StumbleUpon
Advertisement
Advertisement
Search This Blog
Subscribe
About Windows & Doors
Author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Brad Hirschfield is the author of You Don’t Have To Be Wrong For Me To Be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism. Listed as one of the nation’s 50 most influential rabbis in Newsweek, and a regular commentator on Court TV, he is the creator of the popular series, Building Bridges, airing on Bridges TV, and the co-host of the weekly radio show, Hirschfield and Kula. More About Brad
 IntelligentTalkRadio.com |  clal.org |
  |  |
Whatever. Another political junket to bone up a neophyte's bona fides prior to the election. This guy has become the most controlled and bufferred politician ever- never ever says another of import "off the cuff". He even admitted as such with his 300 foreign policy advisors. 300?!?!?! How does he even hear his own inner voice? I am not saying he cant win, I am saying he is in political puberty; would probably be really formidable in 4 years.
"The problem here is not that one side is right and the other wrong. The problem here is that both sides are right."
I have never seen the Palestinian-Israeli conflict stated so truely and concisely. How can a presidential candidate who knows Islam and who cannot afford to alienate the poweful voice of American Jewry make any statement or choice? Both sides are right. Any movement he makes in any direction will send a message that is not necessarially intended. Obama has been active in Palestinian causes in Illinois. He has been carefully schooled and tutored to refer to Jewish issues. I believe that his intentions are good, that he is a bright, moral person. I think the trip he is now making was a brilliant move on the part of his campaign planners, hoping to balance his lack of experience with a demonstration that he could work with world leaders. He has upstaged John McCain in every way.
How can we possibly know what either candidate will actually do to "help" Israel. I fear it is time Israel figures out that the US, without a draft, has few people who we can count on to be our protecter let alone theirs! Militarily we are in awful shape needing to stricly rely on those who volunteer and may or may not be as qualified as those that were in WW2 or any after. We keep using the same people over and over.
The next President will be lucky if he can keep us out of a war until we regroup somehow.
Besides which every voting person in the USA knows that candidates will say and do anything to get elected.
I feel that Obama will listen to people like Ted Kennedy and be guided by them until he knows he knows what he is doing. This kind of job is a learn as you go job anyway!
As far as the topic of US policy in the Middle East and Barak we are in garbage time now. Due to his name and being that for many he is the usual suspect he can't really say anything. Furthermore Olmert is on the ropes.
If he wins the election the moment of truth will come where he will need to choose between empty rethoric or getting his hands dirty and have the Israelis and Palestinians face reality.
Chinkjonior's point about 300 advisors is frightening and accurate.
I think that his point of talking to Iran is accurate. I think he is wrong about Afganistan, the US will fail there - we can't want it for them more than they do.
It appers the press here is a joke, they fail to press Barak to discuss issue.
I wonder if the press will one day soon expose Barrack as he is...He is very cleaver with his words,right ? He won't put his hand over his heart to the flag and he is a friend to Rev White who not only hates the Jews but, Damn's America too. Wake up media!Will any media (American or other wise) tell the real truth about this man?Will the FBI investigate this man for who he really is???
Problem is ,neither candidate shows any real ties to anything, Unfortunateley to me Obama comes off as a carbon copy of Geo. Wallace. as a Southerner I am forced to be on my guard constantly as people try to force me into a mold of their beliefs about what a Southerner is. The Jewish people continue to suffer indignities on what the Godless want them to be. Abrahams sybil rivalry continues onabatedly and we the bystanders continue to choose up sides and prolong the ordeal. Where is our compassion ? Is it truly over oil, or just basic greed and self-justification ? We don't even consider what God has given us for answers and we go blissfully into the night with our own self-centered desires and our self imposed rightesness . Like my spelling , I wonder about man's inhumanity to man.
Bob Sr of Calvert County, Md.
So many good points being made here...
And sadly, I feel that once again, I being forced to vote for the person I dislike least.
Don't buy into the Obama theatrics. This gut sat in a church? for 20 years listening to hat filled messages about Jews and whites in general. His pastor of 20yrs. spewed hate for Jews, whites, the government and anything not black.
He and his cult think he is the messiah. He is a bad choice.
The question is not whether any of us think he is a bad choice, but whether he accomplished what he set out to do or learned anything on this trip. What we may have learned is that he is a serious guy who can have serious discussions with foreign leaders. That is no guarantee that when he get back to his office he will take those experiences and use them to make what any one of us thinks is the right decision. But we never rally know that about a political candidate, do we?
One other thing I would say, I am a Goy, not Jewish. But I am always with Israel as were my parents and theirs before them...Always.
I have one burning question, WHY is he campaigning in the world, and not focusing on the pressing issues in the US?? One needs to listen to Glenn Beck and reflect on what he says. Rabbi Hirschfield keeps on saying that he hopes Obama means the lesser of the evils he says, which makes me wonder if the Rabbi is trying to instill confidence in Obama and deflect away fron John McCain.
He travelled so far, the least he could have done is visit Mecca.
To Dave -
Selah! THAT would have alerted the world!
Obama's lack of international experience shows quite clearly how he is full of empty promises. His latest verbal gaff-"Israel's best friend is Israel," shows off that inexperience quite well!
I've spent most of my professional life as an attorney, and a lot of *that* time in settling cases, including a number of very bitter divorces. Many times these were "no-win" situations.
What almost every experienced negotiator knows is that when both sides are grumbling and complaining equally loudly, you are probably at or near the right settling point.
Obama is, above all, a proven negotiator. The fact that he makes the extremists of almost every stripe uncomfortable is, for me, one of the best measures of the man.
He is Israel's best hope for a lasting peace. And the Palestinians must know that an American president with the middle name "Hussein" is their once-in-a-century chance to be truly heard in the U.S., if they will only drop the extreme and absurd demands such as the return of the 1948 refugees' property claims.
The U.S. military -- it will be far more able to respond quickly, in the event of an attack on Israel, if the forces in Iraq are reduced (not to mention that ending our occupation of that country will deprive the terrorists of one of their best "recruiting posters").
McCain and others have called Obama "naive" for stating that he is willing to negotiate face-to-face with Iran's little hitler. Yet McCain proposes nothing better than continuing the failed Bush policies, in which the U.S. continues to sell airplane parts and military hardware to Iran, retreating again and again in the face of Iran's refusal to stop its nuclear weapons program. As Albert Einstein is quoted as having said, the true definition of insanity is trying the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results.
Obama went around the world to answer McCain's challenge that Obama does not have any international experience; then McCain pounds him for not staying home. How's that for hypocrisy?
I don't have faith in either on of them, but I certainly wouldn't resort to empty statements such as, "he and his cult think he is the messiah.
Come on, now.
Ust like eastcostlady, I'm also displeased with both candidates. However, when McCain challenged that Obama does not have any international experience, he was referring to his record. Obama responded to that by going overseas.
Yes, "He and his cult think he is the Messiah" is empty as far as literal facts go. Unfortunately, the people I've talked to who claim to be conservatives voting for Obama have no idea why, except that he talks about change. If you agree with is policies (most of which have been tried and have failed), then great. Vote for him. But if you don't agree with what he's going to do but only with his "Yes we can!" mantra, then you may well fit in with the empty claim of being part of the non-existent Obama cult.
Just my two cents.
I know that Obama has wrongly hit the fan as a rock star, is wrongly seen as the Messiah, and is totally untested. He has shown an inability to truly speak his mind; every drip of honey that falls from his mouth is nothing but a rehash of sixties "love."
McCain is a relic from the twentieth century, still speaking in terms of the Cold War. Besides, he is truly too old--a man of 72 will fade all to quickly in his ability to remember, think, and retain a punishing physical routine. All too likely, his VP would at sometime be called to replace him.
What is our choice?
I guess that I will give Obama a shot--and chastize myself forever if he listens to only people like Teddy Kennedy, or if he stacks his cabinet and government with African-Americans from Cook County, who are perhaps the most corrupt politicians in the world.
Hmmm ... lots of heat & smoke ... from Obama and the responses ... where are the real "peace makers" as Jesus said we should be ... just asking questions ... I at this time don't have any answers except "hate," in any form, is unproductive and only muddy's the waters ... You don't have to like or agree with someone's action(s) or policies but we do have to show humility and love for them ... Ok ... enough preaching ... I'm out of here ... Blessings on one and all ! ! !
I remember the Kennedy-Nixon debates of the 1960 election. I thought Nixon's positions were better. Poor Dick, he didn't let them use make-up on him. Kennedy did. JFK won on his looks.
Now it seems to me we have another young senator, with even less experience than Kennedy, who has become the media darling and a hero to the under 30 set. Obama delivers a great speech. I bet if he were to repeat Hitler's speeches, people would still love him. (No, I'm not comparing Barak to Adolph.) My point is the man seems to have said little of substance.
Barak's real life experiences are limited. At least Kennedy served on a PT Boat in WWII, was in the US House from 1947 to 1953 and served in the US Senate from 1952 to 1960. By comparison, Barak was a lecturer, a community activist (whatever THAT was, he didn't punch a time clock or submit time sheets.) a state legislator and has served a partial term as a U.S. Senator. Who among you would hire this person to run your corporation? Yet you would place him in the White House?
WAKE UP!
oops, typo, JFK was elected to the senate in 1952 AND 1958. He served there from 1953 to 1960. Sorry.
Senator Obama, I pray for him daily he has an uphill battle to climb,for and with some people who don't have a clue, not only do he has to deal with the majority and the minority because.... he is half of one and the other. One thing we don't know is whats in his heart. How wise of him to take the advantage of the wailing wall before he left. To deal with the wiles of the evil ones he gone need G.D and Jesus. Think about the mess he has to CLEAN-Up. Together we stand divided we fall.
The messianic/cult connotation is crude and in bad taste to say the least. The messages of 20 years might have been in the interest of self-restoration rather than to instil hate.Why do we wworry about hate when we know that hate is more toxic to the hater. Who has the time or the energy for it on the face of the Armageddon?
As for me and my house, we have found our man in B-A-R-A-C-K with or without a C!
Post a Comment
By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.