Editor’s Note: Michael Lonie wrote this. It has been taken from the comments to give it broader exposure.
In the movie “Luther” Frederick the Wise, Duke of Saxony (played superbly by Sir Peter Ustinov) tells his secretary, “Spalatin, there are two ways of saying “No” to someone you believe to be stronger than yourself, and the first is to say nothing, to go merrily on with what you are doing, and to allow time and inertia to be your allies.”
“And the second, my Lord?”
“The second is to say “No” in such a kindly and thoughtful way that it completely befuddles them.”
Bibi should use Frederick’s second method in this case. Diplomatese should be useful for this purpose.
I think Bibi is in a stronger position than Obama thinks he is. He will get enormous support in Israel for standing up to Obama’s attempt to treat Israel as nothing more than an American puppet state, obliged to do whatever the President of the moment orders her to do, as if Israel was one of the Princely states of Britain’s old Indian Raj. Obama will try greater pressure in such a case, such as an arms embargo, but if Israel withholds intelligence information and other military items of value that the US gets from Israel that might blow back on Obama rather painfully.
We might also consider that Obama and his pals are not in such a strong position either. They rammed through the “Health Care Reform” bill but only at the cost of alienating 55 percent of the voters and turning them against Obama and all his works. Obama’s other domestic goals are no more popular either, like carbon taxes to meet the nonexistent Global Warming crisis or amnesty for illegal aliens. Dumping on Israel is not going to make many people in the US happy, especially when the Obami are simultaneously sucking up to Iran, Russia, China, Syria, and just about every other adversary or outright enemy of the USA.
In the movie Frederick admits that if neither of his methods work you must resign yourself to surrender, or to fight. Bibi is not necessarily doomed in a political fight with Obama and Hillary. If he gives in now there will be other, and worse, demands later, possibly including making eastern Jerusalem Judenrein again, as it was under Jordanian rule. Bibi and his government should stand up for Israel’s security and Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
And the interest of the US? Frankly I do not think it will be served by Obama’s course of action. This is a show of weakness, not strength, by Obama. He cannot move our adversaries and enemies, he cannot move even the Palestinian Arabs to real negotiations by his diplomacy, so he picks on a small American ally, like the bully he is. If the US abandons Israel we will not make any friends in the Middle East by that. Rather, we will earn the justified contempt of the people there for our cowardice and shame for deserting our ally and friend. All the Arab countries will reflect that America deserted Israel, a country with which we have much more in common than with any of them, while appeasing Iran, the country they fear. Iran will sneer at our cowardice, and will point out to states in the region how you can’t depend on the US. The implication, and the conclusion the Arab states will draw, is that they ought to make their kowtow to Iran now. Meet the new boss, much different and more demanding than the old boss. I would not be surprised if this idea was already spreading through the foreign ministries of the Middle Eastern states, and perhaps elsewhere too.
Obama is supposed to be so intelligent, though I’ve never seen signs of it. No doubt he is the wisest man in America not gifted with foresight.
Lets face it, 0bi one is a disaster, and by now he knows it too, so with nothing to lose, the gloves will come off and he will do all he can to ‘ram’ through these self-destructive policies before the people of the USA stand up and force the ‘great’ one to abdicate his throne! I give him till the end of the year!