The Associate Press is revealing a very concerned White House fearful of Benjamin Netanyahu telling the U.S. and global audience about the risk from Iran gaining nuclear weapons.
Apparently, as we have previously outlined, the White House is essentially resigned to, or comfortable with, the outcome of Iran advancing their nuclear ambitions. As a direct consequence the political advisors fear the world seeing such an outcome as a defeat for President Obama. The White House needs control now more than ever, because they need to sell the U.S. audience on the premise that a nuclear Iran is not a defeat.
Ergo, the White House Team is engaging in strategy sessions to isolate, ridicule and marginalize Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu.
Washington DC (AP) — In what is becoming an increasingly nasty grudge match, the White House is mulling ways to undercut Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming trip to Washington and blunt his message that a potential nuclear deal with Iran is bad for Israel and the world.
There are limits. Administration officials have discarded the idea of President Barack Obama himself giving an Iran-related address to rebut the two speeches Netanyahu is to deliver during his early March visit. But other options remain on the table.
Among them: a presidential interview with a prominent journalist known for coverage of the rift between Obama and Netanyahu, multiple Sunday show television appearances by senior national security aides and a pointed snub of America’s leading pro-Israel lobby, which is holding its annual meeting while Netanyahu is in Washington, according to the officials.
The administration has already ruled out meetings between Netanyahu and Obama, saying it would be inappropriate for the two to meet so close to Israel’s March 17 elections. But the White House is now doubling down on a cold-shoulder strategy, including dispatching Cabinet members out of the country and sending a lower-ranking official than normal to represent the administration at the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the officials said. (read more)
Denis McDonough, President Obama, Tony Blinkin and Ben Rhodes discuss how to allow Iran to have nuclear weapons, and not have Democrats pay a political price for the outcome – 2012
President Barack Obama pledged during the 2012 campaign, and since, that he will not let Iran develop nuclear weapons. This is one of the broken promises that WILL HAVE massive geopolitical consequences
Here is a timeline of the Obama administration’s Iran policy, as the world’s most dangerous nation and leading state sponsor of terrorism moves inexorably towards acquiring the world’s most dangerous weapon.
Actions Speak So Loudly – We Cannot Hear What He’s Saying !
“My expectation would be that if we can begin discussions soon, shortly after the Iranian elections, we should have a fairly good sense by the end of the year as to whether they are moving in the right direction.” President Obama, May 18, 2009, Washington, D.C.
“The opportunity will not remain open indefinitely.” Secretary Clinton, July 15, 2009, Washington, D.C.
“We are not going to keep the window open forever.” Secretary Clinton, July 22, 2009, Bangkok, Thailand.#more#
“The Iranians may simply try to run out the clock.” Defense Secretary Robert Gates, July 27, 2009.
“Our patience is not infinite. We’re not willing to let this go on forever.” State Department spokesman Ian Kelly, September 14, 2009, Washington, D.C.
“If Iran does not take steps in the near future to live up to its obligations, then the United States will not continue to negotiate indefinitely. . . . Our patience is not unlimited.” President Obama, October 1, 2009, Washington, D.C.
“We are in what we hope is an intensive diplomatic phase now. It will not be open-ended.” Senior U.S. official, October 1, 2009, Geneva, Switzerland.
“I don’t think that there’s a hard-and-fast deadline. . . .What we have said all along is that this is not an open-ended process, we are not in this just to talk for talk’s sake. . . . We expect prompt, concrete steps to be taken over the next couple of weeks.” State department spokesman Kelly, October 2, 2009, Washington, D.C.
“We are running out of time” President Obama, November 15, 2009, Shanghai, China.
“Time is running out for Iran to address the international community’s growing concerns about its nuclear program.” Press Secretary Gibbs, November 29, 2009, Washington, D.C.
“Iran has to live up to its international obligations. . . . The president has said that our patience is not unlimited.” State Deptartment spokesman Kelly, November 30, 2009, Washington, D.C.
“The window is closing.” National Security adviser Jim Jones, December 2, 2009, Washington, D.C.
“Iran’s nuclear program . . . there was going to be a time limit . . .” President Obama, March 30, 2010, Washington, D.C.
“We’ve said to the Iranians all along . . . we still remain open to diplomacy. But it’s been very clear that the Iranians don’t want to engage with us.” Secretary Hillary Clinton, September 19, 2010.
“We want to see the Iranians engage, and as you know, we have attempted to bring about that engagement over the course of the last three-plus years. It has not proven effective.” Secretary Hillary Clinton, December 12, 2011, Washington, D.C.
“To resolve this issue will require Iran to come to the table and discuss in a clear and forthright way how to prove to the international community that the intentions of their nuclear program are peaceful. . . . The question is going to be whether in these discussions they show themselves moving clearly in that direction.” President Obama, March 6, 2012, Washington, D.C.
“That window is closing.” President Obama, March 25, 2012, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
“Time is short.” President Obama, March 26, 2012, Seoul, Republic of Korea,
“Iran’s window of opportunity . . . will not remain open forever.” Secretary Clinton, March 31, 2012, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
”They assert that their program is purely peaceful. . . . We want them to demonstrate clearly in the actions they propose that they have truly abandoned any nuclear weapons ambition.” Secretary Clinton, April 12, 2012, Washington, D.C.
”That window is closing. . . . Now, the clock is ticking. . . . We’re not going to have these talks just drag out in a stalling process. . . . We haven’t given away anything — other than the opportunity for us to negotiate ” President Obama, April 15, 2012, Cartagena, Columbia.
“We will not engage in an endless process of negotiations.” U.N. ambassador Susan Rice, September 20, 2012, New York.
“Iran . . . has failed to take the opportunity to demonstrate that its nuclear program is peaceful . . . time is not unlimited.” President Obama, September 25, 2012, New York.
• “When it comes to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, I will take no options off the table. … That includes all elements of American power: a political effort aimed at isolating Iran, a diplomatic effort to sustain our coalition and ensure that the Iranian program is monitored, an economic effort that imposes crippling sanctions and, yes, a military effort to be prepared for any contingency.” — Speech to pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, March 4, 2012.
• “The United States will do what we must to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.” — Speech to United Nations, Sept. 25, 2012.
Then LAST AUGUST, 2014, just before heading off to his vacation on Martha’s vineyard:
[…] On Iran, the president said the chance that American efforts to strike a deal on nuclear weapons is “a little less than 50-50,” in part because some Islamic leaders may fear such a pact would loosen their grip on power.
“That may prevent us from getting a deal done,” Mr. Obama said. “It is there to be had. Whether ultimately Iran can seize that opportunity — we will have to wait and see, but it is not for lack of trying on our part.”
It’s not for lack of “trying”….
Oh well, we tried:
