The Emanuel-Netanyahu Smackdown

[babylonsister]

:wow: Not available?!

http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5

The Emanuel-Netanyahu Smackdown

By Craig Crawford | April 20, 2009 6:00 AM


Imagine Rahm Emanuel and Benjamin Netanyahu in Monday Night Raw, WWE's weekly wrestler smackdown. Emanuel is laying down the law for Israel, making it clear that President Barack Obama wants West Bank territory returned to the Palestinians in exchange for U.S. help in dealing with Iran.

Israeli tough guy Netanyahu pushed back. The White House responded by announcing that the President will be out of town for the Prime Minister's trip to Washington next month.

Emanuel, whose middle name is Israel, has many ties to the country. Jewish leaders expected him to be a great friend when he became Obama's chief of staff.

But it appears that Emanuel is leading the way in taking a hard line against Netanyahu, who is a devoted hawk in Israeli politics. The battle between these two resolute characters should be quite a show.

[wyldwolf]

1. In a battle of wits and political will, my money would be on Emanuel against damn near anyone.

[Clio the Leo]

2. Yep, he was brilliant on George's show yesterday.

I expected him at any moment to be like, "George! Shut the fuck up!" and smack him in the face.

Do those guys have a beef from when they were in the Clinton admin? I wouldn't expect Axelrod and Gibbs to talk to one another like that 15 years from now.

[LiberalFighter]

7. George is a sniveling snot nose.

[K Gardner]

3. I love it !

[HamdenRice]

4. I was opposed to Rahm's appointment. Now I see he will be the Nixon who can go to China

The administration is amazing -- always playing about 10 moves of chess ahead of everyone else.

They hired Rahm Emanuel the uber hawk on Israeli-American issues to lay down the law to Israel.

I'm loving it.

[babylonsister]

5. Pretty suave, isn't it.

I'm loving it, too!

[PopSixSquish]

19. Bingo - Rahm Emanuel is Deeply and Emotionally Committed to Israel

but he does not much patience with Israel's execuses and will call them out when necessary. I have heard him talk about the handshake b/t Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat in the Rose Garden in 1993 as being one of the proudest moments of his life.

I have often wondered where we would be in the Middle East had Yitzhak Rabin not been assassinated. In Bob Woodward's book on the 1996 election "The Choice", he describes the scene where President Clinton is told that Rabin is dead. It is very powerful.

[Jennicut]

6. I had my doubts about Rahm in the past but have grown to appreciate him

in the past few months. I am liking his role in this.

[firedupdem]

8. Rahm is perfect in his position. I think the President was very

wise in utlizing him for this role.

[harun]

9. By not siding with the neo-con's Rahm _IS_ being a friend to Israel.

[babylonsister]

10. Huh? How is not sucking up to Netanyahu being a friend to Israel? nt

[Kalyke]

11. By allowing the country to proceed in peace.

Average Israelis will never have peace (and neither will average Palestinians) until they're both rid of the war-mongers who keep driving the divide.

[Crunchy Frog]

13. Tough love. What Israel needs, and has needed for a long time.

[ClarkUSA]

12. This policy clash was inevitable from the moment Netanyahu became Israel's leader.

Bet Bibi wishes his soulmate Cheney was still in charge. Now I bet he'll cancel his plans to avoid the embarrassment.

[butterfly77]

14. Kick &Recommended

[kenfrequed]

15. Time will tell

As to whether he really holds firm to a two state solution and how firm he stands.

[Cha]

16. Benjamin Netanyahu

finally got elected in Israel just at the time when the Americans opted for sanity in their White House.

It's a good thing cheney-rove aren't still in power or that bibi didn't get elected in Israel when they were.

[Are_grits_groceries]

17. Whoa!

I want Rahm on my side. He is a street fighter, and he knows where the bodies are buried. He buried a lot of them. I know he can piss me off at times, but I'd rather have him in my tent.

[regnaD kciN]

18. Why does Rahm Emanuel hate Jews...?

:sarcasm:

[Number23]

20. Absolute genius. Absolute freaking genius.

ETA: This type of thing would have been damn near impossible in a Repub administration. There is simply not the diversity of thought, religion, color, ethnicity etc. needed in that party to pull something like this off.

Democrats should be proud of the diversity within their midst that makes them much more credible and formidable on the international stage.

[Thrill]

21. This must be true too. Because no one on either side has denied it

[babylonsister]

22. well, well, well...Israeli politician tells Emanuel to remember he's Jewish

http://briefingroom.thehill.com/2009/04/20/israeli-politician-tells-emanuel-to-remember-hes-jewish/

Israeli politician tells Emanuel to remember he's Jewish
@ 4:20 pm by Eric Zimmermann


The Chairman of Israel's National Union party has penned a letter to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, urging him to support Israel's interests.

Ya'acov "Ketzele" Katz reminded Emanuel of his Jewish roots and cited a passage from the Book of Esther.

"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish," Katz wrote. "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

According to the Jerusalem Post, Katz was motivated to write to Emanuel after reports surfaced of a terse meeting between Emanuel and an unnamed American Jewish leader.

"In the next four years, there will be a peace agreement with the Palestinians on the basis of two states for two peoples, and it does not matter to us who is the prime minister," Emanuel reportedly said.

Katz, whose party does not support Palestinian statehood, voiced concern.

"For many Israelis, this report is a cause for worry because it reveals a condescending attitude toward our prime minister and Israeli public opinion," Katz wrote. "This is an attitude that Israel does not expect from a real friend such as the US, and all the more so from an Israeli Jew who has succeeded in being appointed White House chief-of-staff."

Emanuel and his wife are members of the Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel synagogue in Chicago.