On an average day, the White House gets 100,000 e-mails. Yesterday, 20 percent of those, if it was an average day, came from one group, on one issue. Christians United for Israel, in a written statement, explains: “More than 20,000 Christian Zionists emailed the White House in just over twenty-four hours in order to express their disappointment with the Obama Administration’s exaggerated and unnecessary reaction to last week’s announcement by Israel’s Interior Ministry on construction permits in Jerusalem. The emails were sent in response to an action alert distributed at noon yesterday by Christians United for Israel (CUFI).” The statement continues:
“The incredible response to our action alert is a clear indication that Christian Zionists are firmly committed to a strong US-Israel relationship,” said Pastor John Hagee, founder and chairman of CUFI.
“While the timing of the Interior Ministry’s announcement was regrettable, the Administration has turned a minor flap into a much larger incident. This overreaction does not advance the cause of peace, and may well imperil it. Let’s not forget that the Israelis have taken repeated risks for peace over the years and continue to support direct negotiations towards a two state solution. Nothing about this Israeli approach has changed,” said David Brog, CUFI executive director.
“CUFI will continue this effort through the week, and our hope is that in the following days the President will recognize that Americans of all faiths expect his administration to be a more careful steward of the long-standing US-Israel relationship,” Brog said.
There is, it seems, a broad coalition — from secular, liberal Jews to Christian conservatives — that takes strong exception to the Obama anti-Israel offensive. And while the Left and J Street crowd remain on the other side egging the administration on, they seem on this one to be badly outnumbered. As in so many things, the Obami find themselves tied to the hip with the Left — and facing a broad and energized coalition on the other side. No one can say they haven’t brought people together or encouraged political participation.
I advocate adults doing aerobic exercise, but I haven’t been on my bike for a couple of years.
Obama thinks Americans should learn foreign languages, but his haven’t stuck with him.
Both are still good ideas. I agree, though, that Obama, who started out eloquent, has been showing a bit of a tin ear. McCain was never eloquent, and his ear, lately, is pewter.
Unfortunately, they can’t both lose.
Mr. Greenwald,
There’s something a bit off with this Obama doesn’t speak any foreign language meme.
Obama spent four years at an Indonesian school between the ages of six and ten. Surely he picked up at least some fluency in the language spoken at that school during 4 years of more or less complete immersion unless there were special English language classes for some subset of the students.
Probably the campaign doesn’t want to remind folks about that time overseas or that school. It was later shown to be a more or less secular type setting but Obama was registered as a Muslim there.
Um, Abe?
Obama ADMITTED, in the original remarks from days ago, that he does not speak Spanish, mentioning his age, and how awkward it is to be a fortysomething with a very limited grasp of foreign languages,
Jay,
Where do you see that? I see that he told everyone to learn Spanish on Tuesday in Georgia and then admitted he doesn’t speak Spanish on Friday in Ohio.
Abe
Sully,
you don’t think Obama lied when he admitted he doesn’t speak any foreign languages, do you? Not even Spanish, which he probably considers a local language. Most Indonesian schoolchildren between 6 and 10 speak some English. It’s a course requirement in Indonesian schools. Virtually all of the teachers speak English. Even if Obama did speak some Indonesian 40 years ago, he’s obviously forgotten it.
‘Speaker’s Block’ is way too polite…BHO has a problem with speaking the truth which is a problem because he has told so many ‘mistruths’ that become more obvious whenever he speaks. Sure Politicians lie but they usually don’t make it so obvious. BHO is definitely a different type of politician…one that cannot lie successfully.
Abe,
Please point out exactly where Obama “told everyone to learn Spanish”. There is absolutely nothing to support that contention in his quote. Although seeing as this slander hasn’t stuck to the wall, I really don’t expect you to respond.