First, he lectures us on what is and isn’t Islamic. Then he tells Christians what their religion requires of them, and to “not get up on their high horse” because of something that happened a thousand years ago. And now, he tells Jews that it is their religious duty to give up their holy land.
19 thoughts on “The Theologian-In-Chief”
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The only religion Il Dufe is qualified to instruct us on is the Cult of the State–because he can provide that insider’s expertise only a Red Diaper Baby and Alinskyite can.
Well, I’m sure he thinks he’s a better theologian than actual theologians (as he’s a better speech writer than his speech writers, etc…), so of course he’s qualified. Obviously.
Did you look at Obama actually said?
His comments are here:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/05/22/remarks-president-jewish-american-heritage-month
I encourage anyone interested in this issue to read the whole thing.
I imagine this is the part that is being criticized:
Now, I want to emphasize — that’s not easy. The Palestinians are not the easiest of partners. The neighborhood is dangerous. And we cannot expect Israel to take existential risks with their security so that any deal that takes place has to take into account the genuine dangers of terrorism and hostility.
But it is worthwhile for us to keep up the prospect, the possibility of bridging divides and being just, and looking squarely at what’s possible but also necessary in order for Israel to be the type of nation that it was intended to be in its earliest founding.
And that same sense of shared values also compel me to speak out — compel all of us to speak out — against the scourge of anti-Semitism wherever it exists. I want to be clear that, to me, all these things are connected. The rights I insist upon and now fight for, for all people here in the United States compels me then to stand up for Israel and look out for the rights of the Jewish people. And the rights of the Jewish people then compel me to think about a Palestinian child in Ramallah that feels trapped without opportunity. That’s what Jewish values teach me. That’s what the Judeo-Christian tradition teaches me. These things are connected.
And if anyone interested hasn’t already read the Israeli Declaration of Independence, I’d encourage them to read that too. Obama was referring to this:
THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.
and, I suppose, Obama was referring to this too:
WE APPEAL – in the very midst of the onslaught launched against us now for months – to the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to preserve peace and participate in the upbuilding of the State on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its provisional and permanent institutions.
WE EXTEND our hand to all neighbouring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighbourliness, and appeal to them to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people settled in its own land. The State of Israel is prepared to do its share in a common effort for the advancement of the entire Middle East.
http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/foreignpolicy/peace/guide/pages/declaration%20of%20establishment%20of%20state%20of%20israel.aspx
There is nothing that Israel has done that is incompatible with that, and it has nothing to do with what Obama said.
read the whole thing.
Indeed, after all, this: “Now, I want to emphasize — that’s not easy.” doesn’t make sense unless you know what “that” is, which will not be easy. That is Israel giving up its land to form a Palestinian State, something not being asked of Syria or Jordan, because its the holy land in Jerusalem that Muslims want. Why not ask Syria and Jordan to make room for a Palestinian State?
In fact, the land in question was captured from Jordan in 1967, and the Jordanian government, in its wisdom, doesn’t want it back. You mention Syria. Well, the Golan Heights were annexed by Israel. Syria would like the Golan Heights back, but it is not going to happen any time soon, if ever and moreover, this land is not considered “Palestinian” but rather “Syrian”. That leaves the Gaza Strip, and again, it was captured from Egypt, and Egypt doesn’t want it back.
So, Egypt and Jordan have already made room for a Palestinian state, and Israel has too, to the extent that that it has not annexed the West Bank, and has given the Gaza Strip more autonomy than it has shown it can handle. But the West Bank is not “Israel’s land” – it is occupied territory, as even Ariel Sharon was quite willing to admit despite his preferences.
Finally, the parties can argue about Jerusalem, or just East Jerusalem, or even specific Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, or, as actually happens, specific apartments in East Jerusalem, but you asked why can’t Jordan and Syria contribute land, and I think I’ve answered your question.
And Israel, in its wisdom, doesn’t want to give it back, not does it want to give it to people who want to destroy Israel. The pre-1967 borders were indefensible, something that Obama and Kerry are too stupid to realize. Or perhaps they just don’t care.
Israel took the Golan Heights because it was used by Syria as an artillery position. As evidence exists it would be used for that purpose again, there is no rational reason for Israel to give it back.
Why isn’t Obama giving a speech asking ISIS to give back the land in took in Ramadi?
Come to think of it; this speech seems to be an effort to get people to quit thinking about the land taken by ISIS, and the effort by Iran to make Yemen a satellite state, and instead put pressure on Israel for existing. How about the President do something about the humanitarian crisis in Libya that he and his then Secretary of State created?
So, where does he tell Jews that “it is their religious duty to give up their holy land?” Nowhere, because he didn’t.
Instead of engaging with you on this, which would be pointless since you’ve long since transitioned to the point of mainlining the kool-aid, I’d like to ask you a specific question. I count 19 uses of the word “values” in that speech. All of them referring to Jewish values, American values or shared Jewish and American values. Why do you think he didn’t once refer to Palestinian values?
Because he was talking to Jewish Americans who care very much about American values and Jewish values, and don’t necessarily care about Palestinian values. That’s why. Jewish Americans believe that Palestinian children are people whose rights should be considered — that was all he said. Their parent’s values were being referred to in the first paragraph I quoted, where he talked about existential dangers to Israel, and terrorism and hostility from the Palestinians, and in contrast, he had only positive things to say about Jewish Americans and Jewish Israelis.
Their parent’s values were being referred to in the first paragraph
Strange, I didn’t see any reference there to the parents commitment to the destruction of Israel. Why do you not consider that a “value”?
So, Obama refers to the Palestinians’ existential threat to Isreal, but then you say he didn’t refer to their commitment to the destruction of Israel.
I think it is a good bet that you understand the meaning of the word “existential”, so I guess you just made a mistake, which happens, no big deal.
Yes Bob, I understand the meaning of the word “existential”. As I’m sure you understand the meaning of the word “values”. As in, what parents choose to teach their children. Certainly anything that falls in that category can be objectively considered of value to those doing the teaching. As I stated, your hero decided to use that word 19 times in one 10 minute speech. He obviously likes the word a lot. Thank you for recognizing that Palestinian values are somewhat un-aligned with common human values.
What do you think was on that video of the Khalidi birthday party that the LA Times doesn’t want us to see?
“What do you think was on that video of the Khalidi birthday party that the LA Times doesn’t want us to see?”
Could be he said something like, “As someone who was born in Kenya, I think . . . ” (After all he once put “Kenya” down as his birthplace: https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A2KLtdyB62BVrm4AHMObvZx4?fr=yfp-t-901-s&toggle=1&fp=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&p=obama%20kenya%20publishing%20resume%20examples)
Or maybe something like “As my good friend Bill Ayers once said to me. . . .”
But probably something more prosaic, like, “Destroy Israel.”
The man can bloviate all he wants, but is there anyone, anyone AT ALL, who cares what he says anymore, anywhere in the world?
Personally, I doubt it.