Unlike Barack Obama and John Kerry, George W. Bush Supports Israel

Congratulations to former President George W. Bush, who has been honored with the Anti-Defamation League’s highest award for his “inspirational leadership” in the face of the 9/11 terror attacks and his commitment to Israeli-Palestinian peace. The ADL announced the award Friday at a private dinner for the ADL’s national executive committee meeting at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida. The group bestowed its “America’s Democratic Legacy Award” on President Bush, praising him for establishing the United States’ first special envoy to monitor and combat anti- Semitism. "The best Middle Eastern policy starts with an alliance with the only democracy in the Middle East, and that is Israel,” Bush said in accepting the honor, according to an ADL prepared statement. “The cornerstone of peace begins with an unshakable US-Israel alliance.” Abraham Foxman, ADL national director, said that Bush’s “vision…of ‘two states, living side by side, in peace and security still informs our consciousness and our parlance today. You solidified an unbreakable affinity between two democracies challenged by extremists and terrorists – and an ironclad shared understanding -- that security is one of the most important foundations for peace,” Foxman said, adding, “You led a united American people through the trauma of an attack that in one day redefined our sense of security and our domestic and foreign policy. When you were called on to respond to unspeakable terror, hate and violence, you refused to let America give into stereotypes. You answered calls for anti-Moslem revenge with calls for respect and understanding.” Previous winners of ADL’s America’s Democratic Legacy Award include former Presidents Ronald Reagan, Lyndon Johnson, John F. Kennedy, Dwight Eisenhower and Harry S. Truman; as well as Eleanor Roosevelt, Adlai Stevenson, Justice Earl Warren, Saul Bellow, George Tenet, Colin Powell, Henry Kissinger, Lee Iacocca, Walter Annenberg, Dwayne Andreas and Cardinal John O’Connor. ~~~~~ But, a different tone was used to address issues around another American. Secretary of State John Kerry's "exuberance" in the current Mideast peace negotiations "causes some issues," ADL National Director Foxman told Newsmax this week. "He's very well intentioned, very intense - maybe a little bit super-intense," Foxman told John Bachman in an exclusive interview on "America's Forum" on Newsmax, saying that Kerry's claim that Palestinians in the West Bank haven't killed anyone in Israel in the past year has surprised American and Israeli observers. "[H]e warns Israel that it must make compromises [or]...it will be boycotted," Foxman said. "Instead of getting up in Munich and saying to the Europeans : 'The last thing you should do is threaten Israel with a boycott because that undermines the country's strength, it undermines its ability to compromise.' Foxman said that he believes Kerry's statements legitimize boycotts."Unfortunately, threats in Israel don't work," the ADL leader said. "Israel faced an onslaught of terrorism and it stood firm. Certainly economic threats won't work. He understands. He listens. I know him. I like him - and some days, he's just a little overzealous." Foxman told Newsmax that Kerry needs to "criticize and challenge both sides....We've primarily heard him say what the Israelis need to do, what consequence will befall the Israelis if they don't make the critical decisions. I haven't heard him say, 'What are the consequences for the Palestinians?' It would help for everybody if they heard consequences, that they have something at stake," he said. "In terms of Europe, he needs to say to the European countries 'Don’t threaten. Don't boycott.' " Regarding the negotiations between the US and Iran on its nuclear program, Foxman said that he was "comfortable at this stage" with how the talks were proceeding because economic sanctions remain in place along with the threat that Congress would strengthen them if Teheran did not follow through with a final agreement. According to Foxman : "Those sanctions need to be there. It's an important message to Iran. Whether or not they move forward, Iran has gotten a message. Fifty-nine senators, Democrats and Republicans, have publicly said, 'We want sanctions in place in case the Iranians do not make an agreement or fulfill it.' " Foxman added that "It's a clear message. All of us who believe that since it was sanctions that brought the Iranians to the table, if they're threatening that they're going to walk away....they've got something to lose." ~~~~~ Dear readers, there has never been an American President as detached and cool with Israel as Barack Obama. He has denied this but his actions continue to speak. If Mr. Obama were actually making gains for peace in the Middle East by following his "Bash Israel" policy, we all, even including Israel, could say, 'well, it's a big price to pay but Israel is now safer and the region is quiet.' But, the Obama decisions -- leaving Iraq prematurely has led to a quasi-civil war between sunnis and shiites that makes the prior American effort almost meaningless -- announcing, also prematurely, a unilateral withdrawal from Afghanistan has effectively put Afghans back in the cruel clutches of the Taliban and again made the loss and maiming of young American men seem futile -- refusing to deal quickly with al-Assad's brutal crackdown on peaceful Syrian protesters has not only given al-Assad the green light to continue his slaughter of the opposition, it has caused an influx of jihadist terrorist groups and spread both sectarian fighting and 2.5 million refugees into Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. Where is the logic for Obama's mistreatment of Israel? There is none. He has simply decided to favor Arabs over Israelis, and now even those Arabs whose self-interests made them stay close to America are fleeing Obama. It is a model for disaster carried out by an American President who is ignorant of the consequences of his actions and who has chosen not to be advised by those who could guide him wisely. One is forced to wonder if Barack Obama's childhood and early schooling in Moslem Indonesia has permanently tainted his thinking. Indonesia is in no way the Middle East. But, it is too late to help Mr. Obama learn that lesson. All we can do now is wait for the 2016 election. And in the meantime...just like President Bush does... take every opportunity to express our support for Israel.