Israel Matzav

Wall Street Journal slams Obama, makes news in Israel

In an earlier post, I discussed an editorial that appeared in the Wall Street Journal late Friday night, in which the Journal slammed President Obama for, among other things, burying his head in the sand on Iran's nuclear weapons program. That report, which was set off by Obama's ignoring comments made by Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Martin Dempsey, is continuing to make headlines here in Israel.

"Since coming to office, Obama administration policy toward Israel has alternated between animus and incompetence," The Wall Street Journal said. "No wonder the Israelis are upset. It's one thing to hear from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that he wants to wipe you off the map: At least it has the ring of honesty. It's quite another to hear from President Obama that he has your back, even as his administration tries to sell to the public a make-believe world in which Iran's nuclear intentions are potentially peaceful, sanctions are working and diplomacy hasn't failed after three and half years."

The article said it was the Obama administration's "head-in-the-sand performance" on Iran that had convinced Israel that it is better to strike sooner rather than later. "Not only is there waning confidence that Mr. Obama is prepared to take military action on his own, but there's also a fear that a re-elected President Obama will take a much harsher line on an Israeli attack than he would before the first Tuesday in November."

Toward the end of the article, The Journal offered Obama a piece of advice: "If Gen. Dempsey or administration officials really wanted to avert an Israeli strike, they would seek to reassure Jerusalem that the U.S. is under no illusions about the mullahs' nuclear goals — or about their proximity to achieving them. They're doing the opposite."

The Journal is seeing things exactly right. What could go wrong?

Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Iranian nuclear threat, Israeli attack on Iran, Obama's dream, Wall Street Journal

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:24 AM