Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

The Unholy Alliance

The Unholy Alliance

Israel has been allied with the United States for as long as I can remember. As a kid I recall reading Exodus and Mila 18, written by Leon Uris and finding a strong sympathy for the struggle the Jews have faced in my lifetime. I still feel that sentiment for I see in the Isrealis a sense of morality I don’t see in their Middle Eastern neighbors.

Israel has always had their back up against a wall facing relentless foes committed to their destruction. It is no surprise that they take threats to their survival seriously. One of these is Iran’s threat to expunge them using a nuclear weapon. Some will claim that this is all bluster and posturing and once Iran gets a “nuke” the world will see that their actions weigh in well short of all the rhetoric. Then Hitler was once dismissed as “All Rhetoric.”

Israel is not willing to take that chance. The analogy is that if a person threatens suicide or mayhem, those standing around need to take the threat seriously. The US concern is that bombing will lead to destabilization and escalate the region into war. Many, but not all Israelis, believe the threat needs to be nipped in the bud--- like they did in Iraq and Syria. What makes Iran any different?

In the first term, the Obama administration cast itself in the role of an impartial magistrate determined to broker a peace deal in the Middle East. This went nowhere. Pressure from Israel grew to support or at least look the other way while they did the heavy lifting. We should have taken them up on the offer. Instead the President became enamored with the cyber war option that wasn’t really much of an option. It was merely a different attack strategy and the reason for its attractiveness was the Administration’s belief they wouldn’t get caught exercising it. Well, the bug got loose on the Internet and the cat was out of the bag. Not only was the United States involved in unlawful aggression but also partnered with the most hated of Islam’s enemies… so much for the fairness and honesty. It was a crock and those who suspected it now know it. Our credibility in foreign policy is close to zero. Not only were we involved in naked aggression but also we partnered with Israel to make it happen.

The drone issue is another example where we chose the low moral ground. Personally I think the action is justifiable but only if war is declared. The preface to the War Powers Act should have been such a declaration. Why can’t we say that 911 was the same thing as what happened at Pearl Harbor? It involved roughly the same loss of life. Why are we so afraid of a bunch of radical Muslims? It’s pathetic. Trying to weasel around has resulted in our taking actions that are violations of International Law. We had a unique opportunity to rewrite the book of waging war on terror and failed to take advantage of it.

Terrorist groups are not the same as nation states. They do not follow the rules of civilized society. They strap suicide vests on children and target civilians. They are a scourge on humanity and spurn the very concept of human decency. Terrorists are the ones who should be expunged and since most are Middle Eastern Muslims we should quit soft shoe pretense and using euphemisms like “work place violence.”

Today I saw a poll that showed the current administration has only a 50% approval rating on Foreign Policy. I am surprised it’s that high. The White House does not have a foreign policy that is substantively different from the Bush Administration. Where it differs is that matters have gotten worse. The aggression the Administration has fostered to end-run the “Nuclear Iran” issue has squandered moral capital and any good will we might have previously enjoyed. All that remains is one of several attack options and a blank checkbook.