Fox Nation, Drudge, CBSNews.com assert Obama shoe photo was an "insult" to Israel
SUMMARY: The Fox Nation and the Drudge Report linked to a CBSNews.com post titled "Some Israelis Insulted By Obama Picture" to claim President Obama insulted Israel or Israelis.
On June 10, both The Fox Nation and the Drudge Report linked to a CBSNews.com post titled "Some Israelis Insulted By Obama Picture" to claim President Obama insulted Israel or Israelis. The photo showed Obama talking on the phone with his feet on his desk. The Fox Nation stated as fact in its headline that "Obama Insults Israel With This Photo." Drudge ran text at the top of its page stating, "Some Israelis Insulted By Obama Picture; 'Sole of shoe' talking on phone with Netanyahu." As evidence of Obama's purported insult, correspondent Howard Arenstein wrote in the CBSNews.com piece that "Israeli TV newscasters Tuesday night interpreted a photo taken Monday in the Oval Office of President Obama talking on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an 'insult' to Israel" and claimed that "[i]t is considered an insult in the Arab world to show the sole of your shoe to someone. It is not a Jewish custom necessarily, but Israel feels enough a part of the Middle East after 60 years to be insulted too." From the CBSNews.com post:
Israeli TV newscasters Tuesday night interpreted a photo taken Monday in the Oval Office of President Obama talking on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an "insult" to Israel.
They saw the incident as somewhat akin to an incident last year, when the Iraqi reporter threw a shoe at President Bush in Baghdad.
It is considered an insult in the Arab world to show the sole of your shoe to someone. It is not a Jewish custom necessarily, but Israel feels enough a part of the Middle East after 60 years to be insulted too.
Was there a subliminal message intended from the White House to Netanyahu in Jerusalem, who is publicly resisting attempts by Mr. Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to force Israel to stop any kind of settlement activity in occupied territories once and forever?
Whether or not it is true, it shows the mood in Israel. They feel cornered. The reactions out of Israel reflect that feeling.
From The Fox Nation:
From the Drudge Report:
Those are some of the thoughts that come to mind about the reporting on this issue by Fox Nation, Drudge, CBSNews and anyone else who thinks this is newsworthy.
Is Drudge Jewish?
Is Murdoch Jewish?
Matthew Drudge, raised in Takoma Park, Maryland, near Washington, DC, is an only child. His parents are Reform Jewish Democrats who both worked for the federal government.
The CBS story got it right. Drudge and FoxNation claimed that it was an insult.
Did you really just try to claim that?
What a tool.
Of course there's a difference when you consider the intent or the motivation of the person doing an action. When a cop shots a bad guy, his intention of protecting the public makes him not guilty of a crime. When a teenager takes a gun to school and accidentally kills someone with it, he gets in big trouble, not life in prison. And when a wife lays in wait for her husband and shoots him in cold blood, she gets a severe penalty.
Why?
Because the shooter's intentions matter.
Because Obama's intentions matter. It's not an insult to Israelis just because the photographer took the picture from the edge of his desk.
If Obama were standing on a glass floor, and someone took a picture of him from the basement, would Obama be insulting the Jews by showing his feet? Of course not.
There's a difference between an assertion that it was an insult and saying that the Israelis saw it as an insult. And it's that switch in emphasis that MMfA points out.
And it went right over your head. Are we supposed to be surprised by that?
The difference is the switch that FoxNation and Drudge made from talking about the opinion of the offended parties feeling insulted to asserting that the offended parties were insulted.
Bingo
"[i]t is considered an insult in the Arab world to show the sole of your shoe to someone. It is not a Jewish custom necessarily, but Israel feels enough a part of the Middle East after 60 years to be insulted too."
Any more Arab customs you think they'll adopt. Maybe peace in the middle east is obtainable?
Now you're gonna drag the Greeks into this whole mess? Opa!
You may be labeled a troll!
Hitchens is pretty ignorant and has made many stupid remarks, especially in the last decade. But that doesn't mean that he hasn't said a few smart things in his lifetime.
Even a troll like you could make a halfway intelligent comment if you really wanted to, I bet. I understand that's not what you get paid for, but even so, you could do it.
But if it's not known that it's going to be offensive, then it doesn't matter if Obama signed it and sent it to Netanyahu personally. There's really not much you can do about someone saying "we've decided to be offended about this sort of thing right...now!"
I'm sure there are cons out there that could give us a run for our money rhetorically. We'd love to debate those guys. Instead we are stuck with you, the dregs of the con species.
Netanyoohoo can't even see Obama, so how could Obama be "showing him the soles of his shoes?" If you can show me a photo of Obama rubbing the phone receiver on the bottom of his shoe, or sticking it down his shorts, then maybe I'll agree that it's an insult.
This is nonsense.
I guess you missed the fact that the photo appeared in Israeli newscasts.
The fact that Israelis might see it as an insult does not mean that Obama was insulting them.
From Salon...the good reverend on Pres.Obama and Jews:
-- Them Jews aren't going to let him talk to me. I told my baby daughter, that he'll talk to me in five years when he's a lame duck, or in eight years when he's out of office ...
They will not let him to talk to somebody who calls a spade what it is... --
Is some sort of rudimentary conscience kicking in, fellers?
The murder that took place in DC yesterday was despicable. Anyone who supports it is despicable. Anyone who tries and links conservatives with it is despicable.
Where is your condemnation of the terrorist attack in Little Rock last week? Where was MMfA? They didn't give a hoot until the right called the left out on it.
Outrage is a two way street.
I condemn the killing in Little Rock as well.Was there some conservative misinformation connected with it that MMFA shuld have reported? If so, send them a tip, or post a comment here about it.
How do you think "the right called out the left on it"?.
Idiocy run amok.
Well at least he had has his suit Jacket and tie on I'm sure Pat B will please .
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The International Olympics Committee has chimed in on this issue,
"We, the governing body of the Olympics Games do hereby declare that any competitors in an event which includes an Israeli must either remove their shoes before each event so that the soles of their shoes do not insult their Israeli team should they be following anyone.
Competitors may also chose to participate with shoes but must never pass or run in front of an Israeli. Such running, jumping, hurdling events will be monitor and penalties for non-compliance will be harsh."
"Although there has NEVER been a complaint by the Israelis, we believe that they never read that Drudging report. Since the Israelis found the light, we are forced to be invovled."
And this late report (5 minutes later)..."Be advise that all SHOE advertisers have pulled all of their advertising has been pull from the Olympics causing a loss of $50 millions dollars."
One minute later..."Olympics Committee tells Israeli team to wear blindfolds".
Let me venture a guess.... it's an insult because the shoes are dirty? Filthy? Lower than low? I will further assume, without much of stretch of the imagination, that they think this because their sewage systems and care of the public ways are so crude that effluvium is flowing in the streets.
So much for advancing civilization in that part of the world. They are woefully behind.
Clean up your act and join the rest of the civilized world.
Don't hold us to your sub-standards and odd superstitions.
Say what you want about Pres. Obama and how great he is, but the guy is a bit boorish when it comes to dealing with other nations. I mean, the guy gives the British Prime Minister a set of American classic movie dvds. A man who gave a very thoughtful gift to Obama, and a man who's eyesight is failing. Very thoughful! And then there was his secretary of state giving the Russians a "Reset" button which looked like a big red missile launch button. Then, on top of all of that, they got the Russian word wrong and the button actually read "Overcharge."
Ok, now you may proceed with the hurling of insults....but deep down you know I'm right.
A little tip, if you're going to do a parody of a right wing nut; pump the brakes on the Crazymobile for the first sentence or two, try to set it up with something that seems coherent.
It can be totally misguided, but try not to look completely insane right off the bat.That way, you can lure people in, thinking that you're serious.THEN you unload the wacky stuff,like your "If this had been a Republican" fantasies.
You're welcome.
Take your age old Rushisms and Hannitization junk and shove it. You are intellectually dishonest. I didn't hear the Bristish PM complain but I certainly heard the Iraqis complain..but only from the ones your gift givers didn't kill.
And now, all you got are shoes...talk about lowest of the low.
Stay in Texas and please break away from this country. Why don't you TXNs' quit being such sissies.
Watch how fast the Mexicans put up a fence to keep you guys out of their country.
P.S. Don't need your permission to hurl "insults". I typed this with my shoes facing the keyboard. And you didn't even know it.
They'll lie about every little thing, like that stupid poem that Bush supposedly wrote to his wife. Turned out that he didn't even write it which might be a good thing, since the poem called her a "lump in the bed." And the whole thing was supposed to show how cute a couple they were. (gak!)
;)
I think the phrase, "If a Republican had said that..." is the new motto of Fox News, the old, "We Report?, You Decide?" did work to well with th outside world.
Everybody is saying it..I'll wait a week and be ready for the new one.
Did I just hurl another insult?
Who was it that said something like this re: Sotomayer....Once Hispanic women rule the world for 2000 years then yes, they will be called on it.
I read on the PrinceNews that little BillyBob Texan from a Red State was told about the Sole Affair and his question was..What are shoes?
An insult, how about this one..The phony Christian Radio Rose of Quinn and Rose call Obama the Prince of Darkness yesterday. How nice from a good Christian. I know atheists that are better Christians than most of the Bible Thumpers.
(I'll try to do this again without setting off the Profanny-Nanny)
Yes, the "If this was a Republican" theme is as popular with the wingnut media as it is with the more imaginative conservative posters at this site. It's always easier to make ones case using fantastic imaginary scenarios than it is using, say, reality.
I heard your friend Seannie talking about Letterman's "flight attendant" Palin joke the other day. Seannie said if he or O'Reilly had said that about a democrat woman, the Fox would have hit the fan.
I had a good laugh at this, as Seannie was admitting that Fox news should be judged by the same standards as a late night comedy show.Remember, Fox is a comedy show, without the (intentional) comedy.
MMFA get rid of the thumb nonsense, let's go with shoes.
I'm not sure what is the opposite of news, as "olds" doesn't cut it. But this is it.
Throwing a shoe at a president...now that's news.
Pounding your shoe on a desk and screaming at the U.S./U.N....also news.
This...not news.