Israel Matzav

President Obama speaks at the Holocaust Memorial Museum

President Obama spoke at the Holocaust Memorial Museum on Monday. As part of his remarks, he announced new sanctions against Iran and Syria, "for using technologies to monitor and track and target citizens for violence. " The rest of Obama's speech was the usual prattle about how the Obama administration has always supported Israel and Jews. Right....

Rafael Medoff wrote a much better speech than the one Obama delivered (Hat Tip: Lance K).

“An American ally, Israel, is today threatened with genocide. Iran’s rulers have vowed to wipe Israel off the map, and they seem determined to build the weapons of mass destruction needed to achieve that goal. I have urged the Israelis to refrain from taking military action against Iranian nuclear facilities so long is there is a chance of stopping Iran’s nuclear development through pressure, sanctions, and negotiations. Israel is concerned about the sanctions process dragging on so long that it enables the Iranians to complete construction of atomic weapons. Israel’s concerns are valid.

“And so today, I want to make it clear to Tehran that the round of talks which is now under way will be the last round. These talks must succeed within 30 days, or we will conclude that Iran was never is not serious about a negotiated solution. And we and our allies will act accordingly.

“I want to conclude my remarks by announcing a symbolic step that I will be taking, today, to reaffirm America’s commitment to preventing genocide. Jonathan Pollard has been incarcerated for the past 27 years for providing Israel with classified data that, among other things, revealed attempts by certain extremist regimes to develop weapons with which to destroy Israel. I am in no way condoning Mr. Pollard’s actions when I acknowledge that he was motivated by a desire to prevent a second Holocaust. As a small symbol of my administration’s own commitment to preventing another genocidal assault on the Jewish people, I have today granted clemency to Mr. Pollard.

“Speaking out against genocide, interrupting mass murder, apprehending the perpetrators, preventing the development of weapons of genocide – these must be the hallmarks of American policy around the world in the 21st century.”

Read the whole thing.

Not only did Obama not give that speech, but on Monday afternoon there is a live webcast symposium at the White House called Preventing and Responding to Atrocities, an interactive discussion. One of those participating is President Obama's new Atrocities Prevention Board chairwoman, Samantha Power. You know, THAT Samantha Power.

If nothing else, that appointment is in poor taste.

What could go wrong?

Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Holocaust Museum, Samantha Power

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:28 PM