Former NYC Mayor Ed Koch has a lot of explaining to do. He admits in this article that he expected President Obama to renege on his stated support for Israel, just not as quickly as he has.
If he expected Obama to turn his back on Israel, which Koch says he did, why did he end up supporting him? Is Democrat party loyalty really that strong?
“Frankly, I thought that there would come a time when he would renege on what he conveyed on his support of Israel,” said Koch, adding, “it comes a little earlier than I thought it would.”
“It’s very disappointing, I believe he will ultimately regret it,” Koch said, “and it undoubtedly will reduce support for him in the Jewish community, but I don’t think he (the President) worries about that now that the election is over.”
Disgraceful.
Koch says that the nomination of Chuck Hagel to head up the Pentagon is terrible.
“It’s not good,” he said, “but fortunately, Congress, overwhelmingly both Democratic and Republican supports the Jewish state, so I’m sure they will defend it against the defense department when it ruptures the current good relationship which exists.”
“I’m sure that the Arabs are drinking orange juice and toasting Hagel’s good health,” Koch said.
“I believe it will encourage the Iranian program. I believe it will encourage the jihadists. They will say ‘ah, we are winning the battle. America is beginning to desert Israel,’” he added.
Asked if he had an idea as to why the President selected Hagel, Koch said, “If I wanted to be Dr. Freud, I’d open up an office. I don’t know.”
How about, because Obama doesn’t like Israel and wants to use this nomination to signal that, while also maybe creating a split in Republican ranks? There is already some evidence that the split he wants is starting. Shortly after announcing the nomination, the former Defense Secretary Robert Gates and former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Colin Powell both released statements. Both are nominally Republicans, and both announced full-throated support for Hagel.
No sympathy from me for Koch, though. He is getting it good and hard as he expected, just a little sooner than anticipated.
Israel-Firster says something everyone would expect an Israel-Firster to say.
Cripes, the world is a big place and it has a lot of countries that are not Israel. We give Israel $3 billion of our tax dollars every year despite it being an incredibly rich country that can fend for itself. I think Ed Koch’s Opinion of the Situation is not something that should matter right now.
“How about, because Obama doesn’t like Israel and wants to use this nomination to signal that, while also maybe creating a split in Republican ranks?”
The idea that nominating veteran *republican* senator Chuck Hagel to the position of Sec of Def should split the republicans shows just how crazy the right is these days. Let’s see, Hagel is
-a veteran who served in vietnam and was decorated with five medals
-a former staffer in the Reagan administration who resigned in protest of efforts to mistreat american veterans
-a successful businessman
-a republican senator who served 12 years (he won reelection by a huge margin, as in >60 points)
-a member of the foreign relations committee in the senate
Yet again Obama has chosen a path that should thrill republicans but so many of them are just rabidly opposed to the man that they can’t help but snap at the hand held out to them…