Netanyahu Turns Down Invitation To Meet With Senate Democrats During Washington Trip

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

By DONNA CASSATA, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday turned down an invitation to meet privately with Senate Democrats next week during his visit to Washington, saying the session "could compound the misperception of partisanship" surrounding his trip.

Angering the White House and Democrats, Netanyahu accepted an invitation from Republican leaders to address a joint meeting of Congress on March 3 and speak about Iran. The GOP leaders did not consult with the Obama administration, which the White House called a breach of protocol.

Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., on Monday invited Netanyahu to meet in a closed-door session with Democrats during his visit. He declined the invitation on Tuesday and expressed regret about the politically fraught tone of his trip.

"I regret that the invitation to address the special joint session of Congress has been perceived by some to be political or partisan," Netanyahu wrote. "I can assure you that my sole intention in accepting it was to voice Israel's grave concerns about a potential nuclear agreement with Iran that could threaten the survival of my country."

Read more: http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2015/02/24/netanyahu-turns-down-invite-to-meet-with-senate-democrats

[gopiscrap]

1. what a self aggrandizing pig whoring for votes back in Isreal

Obama should get the State Department to deny him entry

[potone]

52. Tell us what you really think.

By the way, I don't like him either.

[BlueCaliDem]

2. Wow. Just...wow. Accepts an invite from Republicans circumventing the PRESIDENT of the United States

but rejects an invite from DEMOCRATS out of fear of "compounding the misperception of partisanship"??

Bibi...by accepting an invite by the Neo-Confederates in the U.S. House in the hope to influence U.S. foreign policy on Iran behind the back of the Democratic Commander in Chief and U.S. President HAS ALREADY shown YOUR right-wing alliance with the Neo-Confederates! There is NO "misperception" here. This is as blatant partisan as it can get.

How dare you.

[MBS]

16. Wow is right.

I've never liked Netanyahu, but this particular caper has been the last straw. Could Israeli voters come to their senses and finally vote this clown out of office? I can dream. . .

By the way, "neo-confederates": perfect label. Thanks.

[BlueCaliDem]

18. Thanks, MBS.

I really didn't have an opinion of Netanyahu before, other than my disapproval that he's a regular on Fox "News" Channel. Now, however, I feel he's gone too far -and he's adding insult to injury by rejecting the invite by Democratic Senators.

I guess they were trying to offer him cover for his partisan visit to a joint session of Congress, but that numbskull is too thick to see it. I guess his over-bloated pride won't allow him to be questioned about his partisan March visit.

[MBS]

19. exactly1

"I guess they were trying to offer him cover for his partisan visit to a joint session of Congress, but that numbskull is too thick to see it".. .absolutely right

[jwirr]

29. Exactly. I hope Israel votes for his opponent.

[24601]

54. On the contrary, it's full of misperception; however, I'm unable to determine just how much is

intentional.

It would be very different if Netanyahu, Israel's highest ranking legislator and who is not the Israeli Head of State, was invited to address or meeting only with Republicans, or Democrats, or Independents but that is not the case.

From my read on this story, PM Netanyahu is addressing/meeting legislators only when all members are invited. He is neither conducting nor attending any smaller partisan meetings that would be open only to members based on his/her political party.

I believe that most Americans tend view the world through the lens of how our government operates. I'd bet that in a fair poll of American likely voters, registered voters or even non-voters, a majority would (as long as it was multiple choice instead of fill in the blank) get Netanyahu's Prime Minister's title. With a follow on fill in the blank/short answer, they would however explain that means he is Israel's "Head of State" rather than understand that the Prime Minister is the highest ranking legislator who, as in many parliamentary systems, exercises day to day control over the Israeli government through the cabinet.

But more importantly, why would anyone for whom transparency is supposedly a value, propose a closed partisan meeting? What is it that that any Member would say to him in a partisan forum that they wouldn't say openly? To echo your words, "How dare you" propose a closed partisan meeting? Closed meetings may be appropriate when conducting executive functions with our Executive Branch, but never in any unclassified legislator to legislator meeting with members of congress. Closed meetings based on partisan divide are never appropriate with a foreign leader.

Shame on Speaker Boehner if he proposes a closed meeting.
Shame on Minority Leader Pelosi if she proposes a closed meeting.
Shame on Majority Leader McConnell if he proposes a closed meeting.
and Shame on Minority Whip Durban for proposing a closed meeting.

[Hekate]

3. Bibi's amping up his insulting behavior. He's not going to have many friends left who aren't NeoCons

...when this is all over.

[Android3.14]

4. But watch, the Dems will show their true colors

Most will attend this meeting, when they should present a unified front through a party-wide absence. There should be a huge swath of empty seats.

There won't be, of course.

Wouldn't it be nice to cheer on a party that actually stood for something?

[Carolina]

6. Wouldn't it be nice

If we cut off aid to that bully and his bully nation and spent those billions of our tax dollars at home on schools, infrastructure...

[marshall]

11. Or we could give that aid to their enemies

then see how far the bully would take them.

[leftynyc]

20. Are you serious?

Anybody who voted to give the money to hamas and Syria would be voted out of office so fast, they would be a fucking blur. What a ridiculous suggestion.

[marshall]

33. It's all about choices in politics

i agree--Hamas and Syria wouldn't be a good place to put money. But there are more prudent avenues to put leverage on Israel.

[leftynyc]

34. Like what?

And try and remember that 70% of Americans support Israel and only 16% support the Palestinians (recent gallup poll). Now what would you suggest, given those numbers, Democrats to do that wouldn't get them voted out of office?

[Turbineguy]

7. The Democrats are better off attending

and sitting silently while the republicans show off.

[Android3.14]

8. I disagree

A half-empty chamber is the appropriate response to this partisan move.

[Turbineguy]

10. Those not attending

will be spun as "anti-Semitic".

[Android3.14]

12. Not if it were a united walk-out

eom

[BillZBubb]

27. But the charge won't stick.

Democrats have to start acting on principle, not as a bunch of sniveling cowards afraid of what the right wing will call them.

[leftynyc]

35. Couldn't it simply

be that except for those 2 dozen Democrats, nobody else agrees with you?

[davidpdx]

17. It won't be half empy

They'll put seat fillers in there. Just watch, they will make it LOOK like a full room.

[BillZBubb]

28. Yep, the right wing has already admitted that.

[jwirr]

31. The Democrats should take their chairs with them.

[davidpdx]

55. Better yet they should glue blow up dolls to the chair

Remember this guy...



Elaine sure does!

[herding cats]

38. Exactly, "House o fill empty seats with staffers to ensure 'standing ovations' for Netanyahu speech"

http://m.dailykos.com/story/2015/02/11/1363815/-House-GOP-to-fill-empty-seats-with-staffers-to-ensure-standing-ovations-for-Netanyahu-speech?detail=facebook

[bigdarryl]

5. They were stupid to try and meet with him anyway

[Tempest]

9. It was a brilliant move

They knew the warmonger wouldn't meet with them. Now it shows that his acceptance of the offer to speak was partisan, violates protocol and is disrespectful to the president.

Not only in this country but in Israel as well.

[android fan]

13. and in violation of the Logan Act...

Boehner needs to be placed under arrest.

[bemildred]

14. Ah, the Logan Act. We have so many laws now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_Act

[heaven05]

15. the republicans

have really turned this country into an evolving nightmare and we have many (hours) to go before, if ever, we can wake up. When are our leaders(DEMOCRAT) ever going to really fight back? I feel I'm on a ship of state that is leaderless, rudderless and lost on an ocean of fear of the RW power that has TAKEN OVER this country and the minds of a majority of it's citizens.

[freebrew]

21. The Dems can stop their funding...

just like the pubs did when they were in the minority. When the pubs want to give $billions to Israel just say no.

That might get their attention. Maybe even Bibi's. Probably not.

[KareBear]

22. Oh please, this is a non-story

From the NY Times correction : “An earlier version of this article misstated when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel accepted Speaker John A. Boehner’s invitation to address Congress. He accepted after the administration had been informed of the invitation, not before.”

[BillZBubb]

30. BS. Nice try at spin though.

This is a huge story. A foreign prime minister invited to address congress by one party in order to counter a policy initiative by a president of another party.

Even if the administration had been informed, did they approve? Or did they trust Netanyahu to do the right thing and refuse the invitation as being too provocative?

[leftynyc]

37. It's a nothing story

that will amount to even less. A couple of dozen of Democrats have announced they will not attend (that would be 23 out of 535). Once again DUers are under the impression that the majority of the country agrees with them on this issue when the recent gallup polls shows what nonsense that is.

[Comrade Grumpy]

41. You seem more aligned with Netanyahu than Obama.

"Obama Aide Calls Netanyahu’s Planned Visit ‘Destructive’ to U.S.-Israel Ties"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141022831

Ah, but it's a nothing story. Right, when the president's top national security advisor tells the leader of a historically close ally to fuck off, it's a nothing story.

This isn't Likudnik Underground.

[leftynyc]

43. Yawwwwwwwn

I'm a very strong supporter of the PResident and I think bibi is an asshole. That doesn't make this a big story by any stretch of the imagination. The vast majority of Democrats will attend the speech and ignore the gnashing of teeth of DUers. Stop making the mistake of thinking DU represents the US or even the Democratic party.

[truthisfreedom]

23. Persona non grata

Turn him back upon arrival.

[truthisfreedom]

24. Nuttin'-yahoo.

[Kingofalldems]

25. Republicans trying for a de facto coup here.

Trying to hijack US foreign policy with help from another country.

Treason.

[Cleita]

26. +++

[leftynyc]

39. You need to look up treason

which has a very specific definition that has do with aiding and abetting an enemy. As much as it annoys you, Israel is a strong ally with the US so not treason.

[Kingofalldems]

40. I think you might want to delete that last sentence.

BTW, I consider Netanyahu an enemy so it is treasonous.

[leftynyc]

42. I don't delete the truth

for any reason whatsoever. You're just another DUer under the illusion that the majority of Americans agree with you. The latest gallup poll puts a rest to that. BTW - your opinion on bibi (who I think is an asshole) is irrelevant. Nobody is aiding an enemy here.

[Kingofalldems]

44. You made a false accusation there.

And you have no evidence because there is none. Where did I ever post or even insinuate I was annoyed by our alliance with Israel? BTW, I have been here 11 yrs. You freaking made it up.

[leftynyc]

45. I did no such thing

It's you that made a mistake telling me to delete an entirely truthful post. but congratulations on being a DUer who actually reads polls and saw what so many are loathe to admit - that the vast majority of Americans support Israel and that support has actually increased in the last year. The fall off of support among Democrats is more than made up for with Republicans and Independents.

[Kingofalldems]

46. I said delete the last sentence which is made up.

Try re-reading the post.

[leftynyc]

47. Really?

Israel isn't considered a strong US ally? Since when? Here's what the constitution has to say about it:

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.

The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture except during the life of the person attainted.

[Kingofalldems]

48. For the last fucking time--you said I was annoyed by

Israel being an ally. That is a damnable lie.

I am done with you but I will remember this.

[leftynyc]

49. You may also want to remember

the results of your alert. And FYI - I'm a woman.

[Kingofalldems]

51. It's still a lie, jury or no.

[workinclasszero]

58. Treason is right!

That fucker Boner should be tried for high crimes!

Doing this shit in time of war as well, BONER!

[oldandhappy]

32. typical tea bag

[vkkv]

36. He is SWINE. U.S. aid to Israel 2014 = 3.1 BILLION

As are those who vote for him in the coming election.

"I believe that we can now say that Israel has reached childhood's end, that it has matured enough to begin approaching a state of self-reliance ... We are going to achieve economic independence [from the United States]."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a Joint Session of the United States Congress - Washington D.C., July 10, 1996
(Source: Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs )

According to this report, the Obama Administration gave $3.1 billion in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) for Israel for the Fiscal Year 2014. In addition, the U.S contributed $504 million to the joint U.S.-Israel Missile Defense Program during FY 2014. If we include that number, American taxpayers give Israel $9.9 million per day.


http://www.ifamericansknew.org/stat/usaid.html

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/U.S._Assistance_to_Israel1.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-strauss/us-aid-israel_b_4251742.html


FUCK ISRAEL and ISIS and .... right wing CANADA

[lark]

50. Now he's a lying murdering hack politician warmonger.

Yes, meeting with Dems is not allowed, but coming at the request of the Republican to do mindful harm to the Democratic presidents' plans is fine. What an idiotic response that will be believed by no one.

[tridim]

53. Now his trip is 100% political. Thanks for clearing that up, asshole. nt

[Tom Ripley]

56. Fuck him and the warhorse he rode in on

[workinclasszero]

57. Fuck off Bennie!

No one wants to see you anyway asshole!

How dare you come over here and insult our President!

This just proves that all conservatives, all over the world are fucking traitors and slimeballs!

[yurbud]

59. he probably thinks he's helping the GOP in 2016 with this shit, but it will backfire dramatically