Not the Obama administration. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lately pressed Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama to make clear what—if anything—would trigger a concrete response to Iranian efforts to obtain nuclear weapons—an effort that is very near to success. Netanyahu also said that the Obama administration and other Western “allies,” by failing to draw a bright red line, lack the moral authority to press Israel not to preemptively attack Iran.
If Iran knows that there’s no deadline, what will it do? Exactly what it’s doing: it’s continuing without any interference towards obtaining nuclear weapons capability and from there nuclear bombs[.]
Obama insists that concrete measures are unnecessary: a campaign of financial pressure and diplomacy are sufficient. Never mind that he’s waived key parts of the sanctions for 20 of Iran’s primary trading partners—including Russia and the People’s Republic of China. Indeed, Obama flatly refuses to set red lines. He doesn’t want to be committed to actual action.
Netanyahu has asked to meet with Obama on the matter while in New York, or in DC, were that more convenient to Obama. Obama, though, refused the meeting. No, the candidate would rather be out campaigning than doing the foreign policy part of his job.
Israeli officials confirmed to Fox News that the White House had rejected their request. A White House spokesman also confirmed that Obama is not expected to meet with Netanyahu anywhere, citing “scheduling conflicts.” Further, according to the spokesman,
They’re simply not in the city at the same time.
Never mind the offer to be in a city at the same time. And more weasel-words from the candidate, through his surrogates: Tuesday, they released a statement denying that any formal offer was made for a meeting in the capital—without saying whether an offer was made for a meeting elsewhere, like New York.
Contrary to reports in the press, there was never a request for Prime Minister Netanyahu to meet with President Obama in Washington, nor was a request for a meeting ever denied[.]
No formal request. And no denial that the informal, impromptu request was made and rejected.
Further, the statement said that while the guy who occasionally sits in the President’s chair will be addressing the UN General Assembly and the Clinton Global Initiative, he will not be having one-on-one meetings with world leaders; this should not be seen as a snub of Netanyahu.
Sure. The leader of a nation whose very existence is threatened from a nuclear assault is just one among many leaders. No big deal.
Sounds like excuse-making to me. Obamatalk.
Former Ambassador John Bolton has a slightly different take:
I don’t see it so much as a snub as a horrible, substantive mistake in American foreign policy.
After four years, this guy still isn’t ready for the big leagues? And he said what about Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney’s foreign policy readiness?