Israel Matzav

Mitt Romney rips Obama on Israel

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, a likely Presidential candidate in 2012, has criticized the Obama administration's handling of Israel.

Mitt Romney’s spokesman e-mails me: “Governor Romney believes that President Obama spends way too much time placating our enemies while undermining our friends. Israel is one of our greatest allies, and has made many concessions for peace over the years, yet the Obama administration exerts pressure on Israel to stop its settlements while putting almost no pressure on the Palestinians.”

As David Rothkopf notes (Hat Tip: Noah Pollak):

The bigger message that will be unintentionally have been delivered to the world at the end of all this is that the United States is willing to get fierce with its friend Israel over a perceived insult but that we are likely to remain ineffective in the face of self-declared Iranian enemies' efforts to destabilize the entire Middle East with nuclear weapons. This is not only a problem for the president because the outcome is so dangerous. It's also that "tough on your friends, weak with your enemies" is neither a common trait among great leaders nor is it a particularly good campaign bumper sticker.

I'd look for all the Republican Presidential candidates to keep repeating that meme between now and 2012.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:37 PM