Foregone conclusion, concluded

One of the few admirable things the Obama administration had done up to this point (which actually did exceed the measurement error of 3 nanofluxes on the change-o-meter) was to take a fairly strong rhetorical stance against Israeli settlement expansion.  The Israelis thumbed their noses, of course, leaving Obama with the choice of either backing up the rhetoric or abandoning it.  So which did he choose?  The answer may surprise you!

Prodding Israel and the Palestinian Authority to restart talks aimed at a permanent resolution of their decades-old conflict, President Obama dropped a demand for an Israeli settlement freeze, U.S., Israeli and Palestinian officials said. [...]

Sitting with Netanyahu and Abbas, Obama softened his regular language on a settlement "freeze," saying that Israel has had meaningful discussions about "restraining" settlement activity.

Hey, I said "may".  It may also surprise you to learn that polar bears like cold weather.  What am I, a mind reader?

I do like this notion of "restraining" settlement activity, though; you can imagine a similar story informing us that police asked a murderer to restrain his stabby activity while they continue to hold negotiations between him and his victim.  Or maybe you can't.  I think we already established that I'm not a mind reader, didn't we?  But I digress.

Several U.S. officials said that Obama told Abbas that although the U.S. believe a settlement freeze would create a better atmosphere for talks to begin, the lack of one should not be used an as excuse not to talk.

"Let's not have the perfect be the enemy of the good," Obama told Abbas, according to the officials.

More like "let's not have the awful be the enemy of the abysmal", but why quibble?  So now we're back to the standard U.S. position: Israel can keep stealing Palestinian land, using the peace-delaying process (technically referred to as the "peace process") as cover, and the Palestinians are expected to help the charade along by showing up for the meetings.  You couldn't even call this a fork in the road; it's more like the driver got distracted and the car drifted a few feet, but now we're right back to the center line.  On the road to nowhere.  In the dark.  And there is no driver.

Look, people, these metaphors don't write themselves.

I think my favorite bit was this, though:

U.S. President Barack Obama told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Tuesday that he was dissatisfied with their recent foot-dragging on getting Israeli-Palestinian talks restarted.

A senior U.S. administration source Tuesday told Haaretz that "during the tripartite meeting Obama strongly expressed his impatience."

It's getting more and more difficult to choose Obama's most repellent trait, but I'm sure we'd all agree that the smug, paternalistic condescension is a serious contender.  Or maybe we wouldn't, because, well, minds, reading...you know.

Comments

[KDelphi]

More like the shitty is the enemy of any good..I am so sick of Obama saying that that I blow chow.

[John Caruso]

Let me be clear: I agree.

[NomadUK]

we'd all agree that the smug, paternalistic condescension is a serious contender

We all would, I imagine, but what I still fail to fathom is how anyone with half a brain didn't pick up on that trait during the fucking campaign. It was clearly on display.

Why haven’t we all got a vote in the US election? Surely
everyone with a TV set has earned that right just for
enduring the merciless bombardment every four years.

- Julius Nyerere, former president of Tanzania

[Catherine]

"we'd all agree that the smug, paternalistic condescension is a serious contender"

"We all would, I imagine, but what I still fail to fathom is how anyone with half a brain didn't pick up on that trait during the fucking campaign. It was clearly on display."

Yes, it was. Hope is a dangerous, dangerous emotion, and covers over cubic miles of crap.

Great quote by Julius Nyerere.

[KDelphi]

When do I get to say I told you so to my entire family? Should I save it up for Xmas? Oh, thats right, we've decided we cant afford to celebrate it this year.

Actually, I already have (ask them) Their reply is "Well, i wasnt all about Obama, and I was no Obama girl, but, he was better than McCain or Bush, blah, blah, blah..."

better 'n Bush---the Dem mantra for life.

[Jenny]

Well, you're in luck because Obama won't be the solution to this conflict anyway: http://antonyloewenstein.com/2009/09/24/saree-makdisi-obama-won%e2%80%99t-solve-the-middle-east-crisis/

[KDelphi]

How is anyone 'in luck" in that Obaam wont solve the conflict?

Maybe I misunderstand.

[Jenny]

Well, better for Palestinans and advocacy groups to solve it on their own as opposed to Obama completely overlooking the Israel goldstone report,no?

[SteveB]

Smug? Paternalistic? Condescending? But he's just trying to be helpful to the Israelis and the Palestinians, in the same way that he's offering this helpful advice to the G20 protesters:

"I was always a big believer in - when I was doing organizing before I went to law school - that focusing on concrete, local, immediate issues that have an impact on people's lives is what really makes a difference and that having protests about abstractions [such] as global capitalism or something, generally, is not really going to make much of a difference."

Can you imagine George W. Bush being as helpful as that? Of course not. I, for one, welcome our new concern-troll President.

[KDelphi]

Did anyone else see the video (at The Progressive) where the protestor is being "disappeared" by either military or mercenaries (we have to guess which now) Hell, WHY did we put that loophole in Posse Comitatus?? Damn! Im sure Obama is getting ready to revere is any day.

Hes probably on his way to Bagram....

Jenny, yes, you are probably right..with friends like us...Obama was right about one thing! We sure as HELL cant "solve all the world's problems anymore"!! LOL! We're too busy creating them~!