With a new falsehood, Ben Stein advanced old myth that Obama "does not like Israel"
On Fox News' Glenn Beck, Ben Stein claimed that "at the 2004 Democratic convention," President Obama "gave this list of terrible misconduct in the world. And at one of them things was Israeli misconduct towards the Palestinians. And I remember thinking, 'Whoa, this guy is part of that Minister Farrakhan axis that does not like Israel.' And that, in fact, has proved to be true." In fact, Obama did not mention Israel or Palestine at the 2004 convention; moreover, Obama has repeatedly expressed support for Israel, and Stein's claim echoes that of other conservatives who have falsely claimed otherwise.
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From the July 28 edition of Fox News' Glenn Beck:
BECK: So, Ben, I have a lot of Jewish friends here in New York, and almost all of them voted for Obama. And I said, "Are you nuts?" And they said, "Oh, no. I think he's going to be fine." Now they're all going, "Oh, no, he's not really a friend, is he?" Do you think he is a friend of Israel?
STEIN: Not at all. I mean, he came on the national radar screen for a speech at the 2004 Democratic convention. And out of nowhere, he gave this list of terrible misconduct in the world.
And at one of them things was Israeli misconduct towards the Palestinians. And I remember thinking, "Whoa, this guy is part of that Minister Farrakhan axis that does not like Israel." And that, in fact, has proved to be true.
BECK: Yeah, but nobody paid attention to that.
Obama didn't mention Israel or Palestine in 2004 DNC speech
Contrary to Stein's claim, Obama did not discuss Israel or Palestine in his 2004 Democratic National Convention speech. In his July 27, 2004, keynote address at the convention, Obama did not mention the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. [transcript of Obama's remarks at 2004 DNC]
Stein's claim that Obama "does not like Israel" is baseless
Obama has repeatedly expressed support for Israel. During his presidential campaign, Obama outlined a platform "to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship," noting "our first and incontrovertible commitment in the Middle East must be to the security of Israel, America's strongest ally in the Middle East." In a March 2, 2007, AIPAC speech, while declaring that "the Israelis must trust that they have a true Palestinian partner for peace," Obama stated, "That is why we must strengthen the hands of Palestinian moderates who seek peace and that is why we must maintain the isolation of Hamas and other extremists who are committed to Israel's destruction."
In his policy positions and public statements, Obama has consistently supported aid to Israel:
- On November 10, 2005, Obama voted in favor of the conference report for the bill making appropriations for the State Department, including more than $2.2 billion in military aid to Israel.
- On February 14, 2007, Obama voted in favor of a continuing resolution that included more than $2.3 billion in military aid to Israel.
- Obama's presidential campaign's position paper on Israel says that Obama has "consistently supported the annual foreign aid package that involves both military and economic assistance to Israel and has advocated increased foreign aid budgets to ensure that these funding priorities are met. Additionally, Obama has called for sustaining the unique U.S.-Israel defense relationship by fully funding military assistance and continuing cooperative work on missile defense programs, such as the Arrow."
- In a January 29, 2008, fact sheet, the National Jewish Democratic Council stated that Obama "has voted multiple times in favor of foreign aid and is a leader in pushing for divestment from Iran."
- An article in the March 3, 2008, issue of Newsweek reported: "Almost unanimously, American Jewish leaders say Obama's voting record and public pronouncements paint him squarely as an Israel supporter. 'Senators Clinton, Obama, McCain and Governor Huckabee have demonstrated their support for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship,' AIPAC president Howard Friedman wrote to NEWSWEEK. (AIPAC says all three senators have strong congressional voting records on issues important to the U.S.-Israel relationship.)"
- During his June 4, 2008, comments to AIPAC, Obama said, "We must isolate Hamas unless and until they renounce terrorism, recognize Israel's right to exist, and abide by past agreements." He also said, "As President, I will implement a Memorandum of Understanding that provides $30 billion in assistance to Israel over the next decade -- investments to Israel's security that will not be tied to any other nation."
- In a May 18 press availability with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while referencing "the special relationship between the United States and Israel," Obama stated that Israel "is a stalwart ally of the United States." He added, "We have historical ties, emotional ties. As the only true democracy of the Middle East it is a source of admiration and inspiration for the American people."
- In a May 28 press availability with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, Obama reiterated, "We are a stalwart ally of Israel and it is in our interests to assure that Israel is safe and secure."
- The Council on Foreign Relations currently states that on the "Israeli-Palestinian Conflict," "President Obama has taken a strongly pro-Israel tone in addressing the conflict." [Council on Foreign Relations, accessed July 29]
Stein's claim echoes conservative myth that Obama, liberals do not support Israel
Numerous media figures have perpetuated the myth that Obama and liberals don't support Israel. Other media outlets and personalities like Michael Savage, Tammy Bruce, Rush Limbaugh, and Bill Cunningham have advanced the falsehood that Obama does not support Israel, or that liberals cannot sufficiently support Israel. On June 3, CNN political correspondent Candy Crowley stated that Obama's "biggest advantage" with Muslims is "who he is not": "George Bush ... a stalwart defender of Israel." And on the June 11 edition of Glenn Beck's radio show, Beck and conservative columnist Michelle Malkin claimed that conservatives are "bigger fan[s] of Israel than anyone on the left."
From the July 28 edition of Fox News' Glenn Beck:
BECK: So, Ben, I have a lot of Jewish friends here in New York, and almost all of them voted for Obama. And I said, "Are you nuts?" And they said, "Oh, no. I think he's going to be fine." Now they're all going, "Oh, no, he's not really a friend, is he?" Do you think he is a friend of Israel?
STEIN: Not at all. I mean, he came on the national radar screen for a speech at the 2004 Democratic convention. And out of nowhere, he gave this list of terrible misconduct in the world.
And at one of them things was Israeli misconduct towards the Palestinians. And I remember thinking, "Whoa, this guy is part of that Minister Farrakhan axis that does not like Israel." And that, in fact, has proved to be true.
BECK: Yeah, but nobody paid attention to that. I know -- Ben, I know you can't speak for all Jews, but --
STEIN: No. Yes, I can. Yes, I can.
BECK: All right. Ben is the official spokesman for all Jewish people today.
STEIN: Yes.
But the screen cap states he is an "economist lawyer writer and actor"!
Kinda like the birfer Orly Teitz or whatever her name is being a "lawyer real estate agent and dentist".
I mean this magical trickster took his face off and hung it in a glass museum box.
Stein must have lost his brain in that movie too, since he's become a creationist shill who openly stated "Science leads to the gas chambers."
Host: So, I have to ask, we found a housefly on an elephant's backside. What are your thoughts on what it might be thinking?
Guest: Well, it's obviously unhappy about the way Obama doesn't support Israel, wants to raise taxes on the poor, is a racist, and wants to lose the War for the Allies. Frankly, I'm surprised more people aren't covering this.
Host: Very true, very true. Your insightful comments and the gravitas of the station or network which supports me will hopefully bring this to the nation's consciousness.
I recently watched Stein's anti-science propaganda film Expelled, and can say that he's not any more talented or credible at selling cinematic snake oil than he is at political commentary.
why to even listen to the Palestinians is a betrayal of American security interests and a treasonous act.
Seditious factions have placed this African in charge of America, and not only is Israel faced with imminent destruction, but so too is the entire American way of life.
and so forth, 24/7, till we are all quite sick of hearing it.
Thanks Ben for taking the discourse to high school level...
I didn't realize that only "Liberals" were allowed to make political jokes...
It is laughable to think that Ben Stein says he speaks for all Jews. Because it was a joke. It was all in the inflection. Sarcasm is sometimes hard to recognize in print...People can believe what they want, but could at least hear the joke for themselves. I'm sure it's on glennbeck.com.
on another note i find these sentences about "you are jewish so you must agree with everything Israel is doing quite stupid. the one thing is a religion, the other a country.
But anyways even if Obama was anti-isreal I don't know how bad that would be. Obviously it was "I hate jews and isreal let's bomb them" then yes that is bad. But we are basically talking about a religious war started when a people took the land of another group. If Obama's plan to to try to compromise, to stop further expansion into Palestinian lands and bring peace then I'm totally fine with that. I'm pretty sure that would be considered hating Isreal in Steins mind and in the minds of every Christian who supports Isreal in the psychotic hope that the Messiah will come soon in those very lands.
Obama pledged $30 billion to Israel over 10 years - that's $3 billion a year. Under his supplemental budget this year, he has earmarked some $815 million to Palestine (mostly to the West Bank), including $109 million to train Palestinian security force (probably to Fatah and thus to Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a known terrorist group). That is quite probably a stupid move, making both Hamas and Fatah less likely to be willing to seek significant change in the political/terrorist atmosphere of the Palestinian territories. http://enduringamerica.com/2009/04/11/dont-blink-funding-the-civil-war-in-palestine/
Obama is said to be the first U.S. president that has denied the legitimacy of Israeli settlements.
On the other hand, the Palestinians MUST create a stable non-terrorist government and give assurances to Israel that it will stop the terrorist bombings and attacks as much as it is able to do so.
I am glad that Obama is not supporting the legitimacy of Israeli settlements.
I remember reading an article recently (but couldn't find) where Obama told the Israelis they needed to "reflect deeply" about their settlement policy. Shades of Chairman Mao! Maybe we should start "re-education" camps for the Israelis! The audacity of his arrogance!
Why would Chavez or Putin start telling us where we could build houses? Unless of course, we're doing it in their country. That's kinda the same deal here. The whole situation is really messed up, but to compare any criticism of Israel to Mao is ludicrous. I mean, Bush called our wars "crusades," but you're not going around saying "Shades of Pope Alexander II! Maybe we should take back the holy land from the heathen horde! The audacity of his arrogance!"
The point about Chavez or Putin is simply that we have no business telling Israel what they can & cannot do, anymore than Putin or Chavez have the right to tell us what to do. Whether or not Bush was arrogant is beside the point as to Obama's arrogance. The greater point is that Obama is, by far, the most hostile to Israel of any sitting American President. Carter is more hostile to Israel than even Obama, but he is just a shill for Arab money.
Uhm, There's 3 billion reasons a year why we can tell Israel what to do. If they can survive on their own, let them survive on their own. Why subsidize?
It's like chain restaurants. The parent company gives money to all the franchisees to get their business set up, but the franchisees have to do what they say as far as price points, marketing, and over-all design of the establishment. Don't live up to the standards? You don't get to keep the franchise.
Also, "Whether or not Bush was arrogant is beside the point as to Obama's arrogance."
No, it's not.
As to why that phrase reminded me of Mao, I'm too old to bring that to the surface. :)
Also the Jimmy Carter reference is ridiculous. He's recognizing the reality of the situation, whether you want to admit it or not.
We can support the legitimacy of the Palestianian grievances without supporting terrorism, just as we can support the state of Israel's existence and right to defend themselves but criticize their offensive actions against innocents.
The U.S. should butt out of Israeli affairs? Hmm. That would only apply apparently to Israel then..........
If we are giving them $3 billion a year, while being in debt and tied up in the Middle East, especially if it's for defense spending, I think we should tell them they can't build settlements on Palestinian territory.
In fact, I wish Obama would grow a pair and tell Israel that they will get no money if they continue to do that. We do have a right to not give them any money.
I have no idea where you think Obama is "hostile" to Israel.