you're right, American politicians have typically paid a huge political price for comparing Israel favorably to Palestine....
I've been following Israeli/US relations, Israeli politics, and it's impact on US politics for many, many years, starting with visiting the region in 1965. I went to Beirut, Amman, Jerusalem (when the West Bank was still part of Jordan), and Cairo with my father, who was involved with USAID projects at the time. Thank goodness, I wasn't a kid. I can't recall such a "tilt" towards an American presidential candidate by a top member of the Israeli government as prominent as what we are seeing here. Now maybe I've forgotten a similar instance years ago, but I don't think so. Frankly, I'm astonished.
Romney aid explodes in Poland. Curses at reporters. Meltdown complete Romney Aide Curses At Press in Poland A Romney spokesperson cursed at the traveling press corps in Warsaw, Poland on Tuesday when the press tried to ask questions of the presumptive Republican nominee, reports CNN. After chatting with the mayor of Poland, reporters shouted questions at Mitt Romney while he made his way to his car. Traveling press secretary Rick Gorka became angered at questions about “mishaps” on the trip and rebuked the press. Here’s the transcript, from CNN: CNN: “Governor Romney are you concerned about some of the mishaps of your trip? NYT: “Governor Romney do you have a statement for the Palestinians? Washington Post: “What about your gaffes? NYT: “Governor Romney do you feel that your gaffes have overshadowed your foreign trip?” CNN: “Governor Romney just a few questions sir, you haven’t taken but three questions on this trip from the press! Gorka: “Show some respect” NYT: “We haven’t had another chance to ask a question…” Gorka: “Kiss my ass. This is a Holy site for the Polish people. Show some respect.” Gorka also told Politico’s Jonathan Martin to “shove it.” Gorka called reporters later to apologize. CNN notes that Romney has only taken three questions from the traveling press core during his week-long trip abroad.
I don't really know what to say about this whole mess. I really don't. I knew Romney would advocate economics, that didn't surprise me in the slightest. That's his strength, and that's what is most important in the current political climate. But given that I've openly stated that I've generally liked Obama's foreign policy, this is a mess, and I don't know what to say that's good, especially since foreign policy is my big issue. I'm slowly switching from Romney from undecided, but I will admit that the fact that I've been hired by an extremely right-wing Republican representative for at least the next year also poses another problem for this election.
I'm interested why anybody would say this. He's demonstrated no aptitude for or interest in economics for his entire career; he's demonstrated extreme aptitude for doing private equity deals that benefit the PE firm which is not really related at all.
Not only has he given fuel to a future generation of terrorists and engendered potential instability in international relations, he has pissed off China. Maybe he should nominate Palin as his VP since she seems to have more experience and a better grasp of foreign policy... From Iran to China, Romney's comments in Israel earn him international criticism Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's remarks have raised international concerns that, if elected, he would bring fresh instability to the world stage. Adding to the already loud din of criticism of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney after he said Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, China today said Mr. Romney’s “hawkish remarks” could spark conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. “Romney's remarks totally neglect historical facts and are actually irresponsible if he just meant to appeal to voters at home,” wrote Xinhua, China’s official state news service. “[A]ny words that favor any party to the conflict regardless of history and reality are irresponsible and unfair for Palestinians who are in a less powerful position in the peace talks. They may even result in a much worse situation in this region by intensifying the differences between the two sides.” China also took issue with Mr. Romney’s claim that he would move the US embassy to Jerusalem, something American officials have long avoided doing because the move would imply Israeli sovereignty of the long contested city. Romney has been previously criticized for his weakness on foreign policy, but China’s response to his remarks may indicate international concerns that, if elected, the Republican candidate could bring renewed instability to the world stage. Already, Romney’s remarks have raised ire among Palestinians who have accused him of being racist for saying the economic disparity between Israelis and Palestinians is due to cultural reasons. Comparing the situation to that between the US, Mexico, Chile, and Ecuador, Romney told those gathered at a fundraising event that the gap in the gross domestic product per capita between the two groups was due to cultural reasons, neglecting to mention the economic impact of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. More at the link...
Politico reporters at the Polish Tomb of The Unknown Soldier, embarrassing <iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/c7AkjDkvXdE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
From here on, everything I say which people don't like, I'm going to claim I didn't say it AND it's out of context. Every single time. All the time.
