Ted Cruz Calls On John Kerry To Resign Over Israeli 'Apartheid' Warning

[DonViejo]

Source: TPM

SAHIL KAPUR – APRIL 28, 2014, 5:52 PM EDT

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Monday called on John Kerry to resign after the U.S. secretary of state privately told important world leaders that Israel could become "an apartheid state" if it doesn't make peace with the Palestinians soon, as reported by The Daily Beast on Sunday.

In a floor speech, Cruz accused his former Senate colleague of displaying a "shocking lack of sensitivity to the incendiary and damaging nature of his rhetoric."

"Mr. President, it is my belief that Secretary Kerry has thus proven himself unsuitable for his position and that before any further harm is done to our alliance with Israel, he should offer President Obama his resignation and the President should accept it," said Cruz, who was one of just 3 senators who voted against Kerry's confirmation to his post last year.

The conservative firebrand's remarks came on the same day that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), the only Jewish Republican in Congress, called on Kerry to apologize to Israelis and their government.

-snip-

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ted-cruz-john-kerry-resign

[mac56]

1. Carnival Cruz's devotion to Israel is sooo admirable.

[kysrsoze]

20. He just wants The Rapture. And silly me, I thought apartheid was already present in Israel!

[Comrade Grumpy]

2. Dude ought to run for prime minister of Israel.

[HooptieWagon]

3. What an idiot.

[2naSalit]

4. Tell me again...

why can't we deport this cad?

[DeSwiss]

5. Low-hanging fruit.

- No thank you. I don't like to encourage idiocy.

[TwilightGardener]

6. I'm sure Kerry will get right on that.

Right after Cruz steps down from the Senate and goes back to Canada where he belongs.

[karynnj]

30. It would have made more sense for Cruz to step down after his role in shutting down the gov't

That cost the country millions and caused hardship for many.

Here, Kerry used a word also used by Israel's Ehud Barak and Livni in the same context. In context, the entire comment Kerry made would have been both the US and Israel's position without the use of the word Apartheid - instead describing with more words exactly what looks like an apartheid. In fact, the same reason is why Netanyahu even engaged in talks. To do otherwise forces a choice between those two choices.

It is noteworthy that Kerry's response includes the same idea - simply removing the word. I hope that his use of the word gets people to actually think of what was said and is simply fact. Back in January, Friedman had an oped that actually was prescient about where we are now. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/29/opinion/friedman-why-kerry-is-scary.html?_r=0 His title annoyed me then, but the ideas expressed are interesting. Then he questioned if Kerry would speak the truth --- the answer is that he is doing so now. What I hope is that his doing so will - even in a Rube Goldberg type way - push the Israelis back to talks because, other than a binational democracy that they adamantly do not want, a two state solution is the only solution that is morally palatable.

[Blue Owl]

7. What's that shrill whining sound?

Sounds like a Cuban-Canadian Chickenhawk in heat...

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

8. I call on Ted Cruz to resign for being a douchebag.

[penndragon69]

9. FUCK ted cruz...

Israel is already an Apartheid nation, and is not far removed from
being a true FASCIST nation, just like the one that bullied THEIR
ancestors in Germany.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

10. Bullied their ancestors? My ancestors in Germany were liquidated, not bullied

But that is an interest choice of words. Bullied. . .Jews were given wedgies in Germany.

[Hekate]

19. Um. My husband has brothers and sisters who were "bullied" by Zyklon B...

He was born after the war, so he never got to meet them.

Israel has its problems by now, I agree, but you might want to parse your adjectives more carefully.

[leftynyc]

23. Bullied?

Time for you step back, stop blowing fire and get a fucking grip. Jews were NOT BULLIED. They were thrown into ovens, murdered in the streets by their neighbors, whole families went up in smoke. You're letting your "anti-Zionism" rot your brain.

[BlueStater]

11. Oh, go screw yourself, you piece of Canadian shit. n/t

[SoapBox]

12. Hey Shithead Cruz...you first.

Fuck this asshole.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

13. Well, that didn't take long.

[Behind the Aegis]

14. Cruz needs to shut the fuck up.

Despite Kerry's warning, which I didn't think was all that bad, he has done more to resolve the I/A situation than most people and I fully support his efforts. He faces bitter opposition from all sides, and the amount of hate flung at Israel and Palestine was bound to smack him hard. Cruz isn't worth one piece of a discarded toenail from Kerry!

[leftynyc]

24. I read the ENTIRE quote

and frankly, I didn't see a problem with the WHOLE QUOTE. I also appreciate all the effort he's putting forward in this very difficult situation. Both sides went crazy, for entirely different reasons, when that tweet came out. Using 140 characters to truncate a quote about foreign policy is unbelievably manipulative.

[karynnj]

31. Well said

Kerry has been incredible in maintaining his focus when the Israeli right attacked him in disgraceful ways. I didn't hear Cruz demanding that they show the respect due to an American Secretary of State. (Kerry's only response was that his brother Cam, a convert to Judaism, wrote a very good oped disputing their smears - http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4488393,00.html )

I am certain that Kerry went into this knowing exactly what would be thrown at him. His reason has always been that it is necessary and the right thing to do. The US is lucky to have someone with his character, integrity and willingness to fight tough battles -- as he has done more than almost anyone else in the positions he has held. Something even Cruz's supporters would not say of him.

Netanyahu himself - even 2 days ago - praised Kerry's "incredible" efforts. http://www.ktuu.com/news/nation/URGENT-Netanyahu-Interview-Kerry/25683056

[olddad56]

15. before you can ask someone to resign, don't you need some credibility of your own?

[Thor_MN]

16. "proven himself unsuitable for his position"

Pot, kettle, you know..

[AtheistCrusader]

17. Fuck Cantor and Cruz.

[Hekate]

18. If John Kerry said Good Morning, Cruz would form an investigative subcommittee.

Cruz can go pound sand.

[laurent]

21. He is going for money from supporters of AIPAC.

http://www.aipac.org/

[snot]

22. That anyone pays any att'n to Cruz is one of the more frightening aspects of modern life.

[The Wizard]

25. Would everyone please

forward all penis enlargement emails to Ted Cruz.

[Scootaloo]

26. He's already a huge dick, though

[Turbineguy]

28. As Mister Natural would say...

"Go fuck yourself. Do it today!"

[drynberg]

29. HEY TEDDY, DON'T DIS KERRY FOR TELLIN' IT LIKE IT IS

This all happened 'cause somebody disturbed the Tedster during a Bengazi Fantasy...he was off his game and just jumped at the first piece of news he heard...Now, Teddy, it's time to return to Canada and commune with your Wacky Daddy, maybe dream of returning to a Free Cuba...Dream On, Ted.

[liam_laddie]

32. Israel isn't already an apartheid state?

Ask any Palestinian...

And speaking of "...lack of sensitivity," Cruz is a prime example of the type. How can people like him be so ignorant? Ivy degrees? meh!

[KansDem]

33. So "Benghazi" is now spelled A-p-a-r-t-h-e-i-d ?

Who knew?

[copperearth]

34. Does anyone realize that John Kerry is actually Jewish

Kerry is actually Jewish although he doesn't practice it. He is free, in my opinion, to have that point of view. Seems to me that Kerry is 100% accurate and besaides NetanYahoo does not represent a great number of his country's people in this hard line stance. I hope they call for a new election!