The Prez in Israel

So Prez Barack has finally landed in Israel. Seems like the hopes are high, but the expectations are low.  I keep wondering whether there are any hopes to be had at all.  The Palestinians seem a hopeless lot, but a major hurdle to peace may now be Bibi. He is not exactly Mr. Peacemaker. Bibi may be afflicted with what I might call the “Absolute Power Delusion”.  What’s that you might ask?

Well, we all know (or imagine) that:

“Power Corrupts, and

Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely”.

Right??

So, who’s got Absolute Power? Well, my theory is that Bibi is a true delusional right wing politician,  sort of like, oh I don’t know, maybe Newt Gingrich. So, Bibi knows that Israel is pretty strong, courtesy of the US and European powers who have been arming them for decades.  But Bibi thinks, courtesy of right wing political rhetoric, that he will be backed up in any encounter with the Arabs. So, Bibi gets to thinking that he is Invincible . . . aka he has “Absolute Power”.  Or, in other words, he can do whatever the hell he wants.  He claims to have a limited tolerance for Iranian “nucular” ambitions (ahh, Shrub, you were such a funny dude).  And he says that, whatever Our Red Line might be regarding Iran and nukes, Bibi has his own Red Line. When and if Iran crosses his Red Line, Bibi plans to take them out, whether we like it or not, cuz we have said that we have his back.  See that’s how Absolute Power works. The guy with it can do anything he wants whenever he wants (unlike the US, which has to proceed with at least some caution).

Now, the Palestinians aren’t exactly free spirits either. They have all the right wing crazies roaming around their territory, periodically tossing bombs at Israel, which predictably pisses off the Israeli’s.  See, they aren’t really a Nation-State. They’re just a geographic region with a bunch of pissed off people living within.

So, where does that leave Prez Barack? He has to talk to a seriously right-wing Power-Absolutist and a pathetic group of nomads who are not in control of their geographic region. Wow, that’s a real deal—sort of one of the lower circles of Hell in the diplomatic world.

So, best of luck to you Prez Barack. Maybe you need to figure out a way to quietly, in some back room of the Israeli Cabinet, smack Bibi across the forehead with a 2 x 4, just to let him understand that his Power-Absolute thing is a delusion, every bit worthy of Newt Gingrich’s moon base. He needs to come to the table, like all the other  actors in the region. He’s just another pol after all. No More No Less.

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And in that other alternate universe occupied by North Carolina republicans, Governor Pat is planning on eliminating all State income taxes, to free the rich to go out and "create jobs" (or move some more money to the Caymans), and taxing the poor and middle class instead through a series of sales taxes.  Way to go you neo-cons.