Bibi Brings Down the House – and the Senate
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
March 3, 2015
In a powerful and passionate speech before a joint
meeting of Congress Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday
clearly outlined why the Islamic Nation of Iran must never possess nuclear
capabilities or weaponry at the risk of not just the future of Israel, but that
of the United States and possibly civilization as a whole.
Netanyahu’s appearance before the joint meeting of
Congress marked his third, tying him with the great British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, for the most
by a foreign leader. Netanyahu was also presented with a bust of Churchill by House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH).
Iran “plays a pretty good game of hide and cheat,” said
Netanyahu, referring to the operation of secret nuclear facilities while
keeping teams of international inspectors at arm’s length from discovering
anything suspect.
Netanyahu bluntly and appropriately stated that the deal
currently under consideration between the United States and Iran to scale down
the degree to which the Islamic nation could create nuclear energy is a bad
deal. Any deal allowing Iran nuclear capabilities at any time is dangerous and
must be rejected. However, in spite of this notion of common sense, Barack
Obama is so desperate for a legacy-saving deal on which to hang his hat, he
does not have Israel’s best interests at heart; and quite frankly is not doing
what is best for his own country either.
“This is a bad deal – a very bad deal. We’re better off
without it. Now we’re being told that the only alternative to this bad deal is
war. That’s just not true. The alternative to this bad deal is a much better
deal,” Netanyahu said, noting that no deal is better than a bad deal.
Iran’s desires are very well known. Their quest for
nuclear capability is for the purpose of destroying the Jewish people and their
homeland. “Israel must be annihilated. Israel must be destroyed,” are being
tweeted in English by Iran’s leader Ayatollah Khamenei, said Netanyahu. This
current crop of educated and upwardly mobile terrorist belies the notion put
forth by Obama that if they had more noble pursuits there would be less terror
activity.
Netanyahu noted that Iran was once a great civilization
that was hijacked in 1979 by “religious zealots” lead by Ayatollah Khomeini
pushing to “export the revolution throughout the world,” whose founding
document calls for “death, tyranny, and the pursuit of jihad,” while America’s
founding document calls for “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
“If all the Jews gather in Israel it will save us the
trouble of chasing them down around the world,” said Netanyahu, crediting that
quote to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Iran, of course, supports Hezbollah
and is part of the continuing battle of Iran or ISIS “competing for the crown
of militant Islam,” said the Prime Minister.
“Don’t be fooled. The battle between Iran and ISIS doesn’t
turn Iran into a friend. In this deadly game of thrones, there is no place for
America or for Israel; no peace for Christians, Jews, or Muslims who don’t share
the Islamist medieval creed, no rights for women, no freedom for anyone. So
when it comes to Iran and ISIS, the enemy of your enemy is your enemy,” stated
Netanyahu so eloquently.
Radical Islamists are patient people – see also the first
assault on the World Trade Center, February 26, 1993, followed eight years
later by the horrific attacks that ultimately brought those buildings down on September
11, 2001. There is no reason to believe that Iran won’t temporarily change its
behavior, let the clock run out on the ban in 10 years before attacking Israel
and eventually the United States. During this time Iran could follow Hitler’s
lead in illegally stockpiling munitions and rebuilding the army Germany was prohibited
from having as per the punishment following WWI.
Such a deal “doesn’t block Iran’s path to the bomb; it
paves Iran’s path to the bomb,” said Netanyahu. Iran with sanctions already
controls four capitals – Baghdad, Beirut, Damascus, and Sanna. Without
sanctions, they will only continue to “devour” more countries. Iran will not
become a better nation; Iran will be a more aggressive sponsor of terror. “This
deal will not be a farewell to arms, but a farewell to arms control,” continued
Netanyahu.
Knowing the desires of Iran and ISIS, as have been on
display for the entire world to see, it is not hyperbole coming from Netanyahu.
He is speaking of the utter survival of the lone Jewish state on the planet and
doing so with urgency – an urgency that does not appear to engulf the Obama
administration. Obama, behaving like a petulant three year old, announced weeks
ago he would not attend Netanyahu's address before the Congress. He did so
because of a perceived slight as the invitation to Netanyahu came from Speaker
of House Boehner and was not cleared through the White House. Seems that if
Netanyahu was invited to speak before Congress, the invitation should have come from Boehner and Obama
should not have been offended. Yet, the thin skinned Obama takes offense at
most everything when it does not put him on the pedestal he thinks upon which
he belongs.
Then Obama attempted to turn Netanyahu’s visit into a
politically motivated trip as Israel is holding elections for which Netanyahu
is up for reelection in two weeks. Obama and the Democratic critics of
Netanyahu’s visit needed only consult a calendar of events. The fact of the
matter is, Netanyahu’s visit coincided with his speech before AIPAC just the
day before, also in Washington, DC. AIPAC (The American Israel Public Affairs
Committee) is the largest pro-Israel lobby organization in the United States,
is dedicated to the security of both nations, and is non-partisan.
There was no slight, to which Netanyahu attested during
both his AIPAC and Capitol Hill speeches. In fact, Netanyahu praised Obama for
his support of Israel on several occasions during both presentations. Yet not
only did Obama shun the Congressional speech, as did Vice President Joe Biden,
Obama sent nary a single representative from his administration to The Hill,
and that includes the American ambassador to Israel, Daniel Shapiro. Such an
embarrassment.
Further, it was the Senate Democrats who offered to meet
privately with Netanyahu after his speech that turned his visit into a
political venture. Netanyahu did the smart thing and rejected the invitation.
If the Democrats wanted to hear from him, they could walk over to the House
Chamber. Additionally, those Democratic lawmakers who boycotted Netanyahu’s
appearance on Capitol Hill then took to microphones following the speech to
deride it and disrespect Netanyahu. Their collective attitude was visceral.
At least eight Democrats chided Netanyahu for his timing,
suggesting he would be more than welcome to speak after Israel’s election.
Again, for those without a calendar of events, the Capitol Hill speech
coincided with speech presented to AIPAC the day before. No more should be made
of the timing.
Rep. David Price (D-NC) said this was a “one party
invitation.” John Boehner is Speaker of the whole
House, not just the GOP side.
Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) accused Netanyahu of being “arrogant,
hostile, disrespectful,” and of fear mongering, adding, “He can go home!” If
anyone was disrespectful, it was Yarmuth comparing Netanyahu’s desire to
extract a better deal to a child wanting nothing more than to go to Disney, eat
junk food, and drink soda every day. If anyone was disrespectful, it was
Yarmuth and his Democrat cohorts who opted to boycott the leader of a foreign
nation, and an ally at that, in an effort to curry favor with Obama.
As for arrogant and hostile, from one who listened to the
entire speech – twice – Netanyahu was neither. He did not make demands, he was
complimentary to Obama – even when it was less than necessary, he was
personable, and presented his speech in an even-keeled tenor.
“Indeed it was political theater worthy of an Oscar®,”
said Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN). “The president has Israel’s best interests at
heart… negotiations are the only way to go – sanctions will not work,” Cohen
added.
Cohen couldn’t be more wrong and needs to be reminded of
how Obama demanded Israel’s borders revert to their pre-1967 War state, which
would have endangered them with an eight mile width at its most narrow. Obama’s
sense of history is clouded at best. As for negotiations, how does one
negotiate with an entity calling for the destruction, the eradication, the
elimination, the evisceration of their enemies? There is no gray area there.
Sanctions must be employed to the most stringent extreme
possible – economic, materials, freezing accounts, denying student visas,
whatever it takes to send the message. If necessary, Israel must do to Iran
what it did to Iraq in the 1980s.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did himself and
the people of Israel proud on this day speaking before a packed House chamber.
He reminded the global audience that before any restrictions against Iran are removed,
“the world should demand that Iran do three things.”
“First, stop its aggression against its neighbors in the
Middle East.” Notice the plural of neighbor; Netanyahu is looking out for all
of the Middle East.
“Second, stop supporting terrorism around the world.”
Again, the concern for the global community.
“And third, stop threatening to annihilate my country,
Israel, the one and only Jewish state.”
“…I can guarantee you this – the days when the Jewish
people remained passive in the face of genocidal enemies… are over,” said
Netanyahu to one of more than 40 rounds of applause.
“For the first time in 100 generations, we, the Jewish
people, can defend ourselves.”
“…as a prime minister of Israel, I can promise you one
more thing: even if Israel has to stand alone, Israel will stand. But I know
Israel does not stand alone. I know that America stands with Israel. I know
that you stand with Israel. You stand
with Israel because you know that the story of Israel is not only the story of
the Jewish people but of the human spirit that refuses again and again to
succumb to history’s horrors,” said Netanyahu, to a roar of approval. Those in
attendance were witness to a dynamic speech and fervent display of true
leadership – a lesson Obama could learn.
Never again is the perpetual battle cry that there never
again is another Holocaust – that includes Iran – no matter what.
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