President Barack Obama‘s national security adviser castigated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying the Israeli leader’s plan to address a joint session of Congress next week has been “destructive” to the relationship between the two countries.
Most administrations would take advantage of the visit of a major ally’s head of state to work out programs, resolve differences (at least down to a dull roar), even to mend fences.
Not President Barack Obama and his administration.
This is fence mending ego-ridden style. Obama just can’t stand to have grown adults not saying, “Mother, may I?” to him.
His minions in the Senate are illustrative of how widespread Obama’s poison has become. Some Senate Democrats had “invited” Netanyahu to a private audience with them: Senate Minority Whip Richard Durbin (D, IL) and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D, CA) among others. Netanyahu declined the secretive meeting, noting (accurately, it turns out)
I believe that doing so at this time could compound the misperception of partisanship regarding my upcoming visit[.]
Durbin was displeased:
His refusal to meet is disappointing to those of us who have stood by Israel for decades[.]
No, Dick. If you were serious, you wouldn’t demand a secret meeting; you would attend the public joint session.
“No, Dick. If you were serious, you wouldn’t demand a secret meeting; you would attend the public joint session.” Or, if there were a need for a private session to address classified/confidential information, do that in addition. But public support matters – do or do not. There is no “try.”