Turns Out, These Colors *Do* Run, to the Phone, When Foreigners Make Them

U-S-A! U-S-A!

In an unusually public rebuke, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel said Monday that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had been forced to abstain from a United Nations resolution on Gaza that she helped draft, after Mr. Olmert placed a phone call to President Bush.

"I said, ‘Get me President Bush on the phone,' " Mr. Olmert said in a speech in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, according to The Associated Press. "They said he was in the middle of giving a speech in Philadelphia. I said I didn’t care: 'I need to talk to him now,' " Mr. Olmert continued. 'He got off the podium and spoke to me."

Fascinating. I'm picturing the reaction from our "conservative" friends, as well as Very Serious Media Figures, were any other foreign head of state besides that of Israel to ever make such a boast about the President of the United States of America, particularly were that president a Democratic one. Why, not even all the free clip-art animated stomping gnomes on any of the Infinite Internets could ever even approximately illustrate the Righteous Patriotic Fury that would be unleashed!

Rob says that this bragging might present a bit of a PR problem for Olmert; "I rather think, though, that the Israel lobby (such that it is) acts more effectively for Israel's interest when people pretend publicly that it doesn't exist." But that's precisely what's interesting to me about the comment. The fact that  this isn't the cable news outrage du jour is not really all that unexpected. But, more subtly, the fact that Olmert had to say out loud what usually just goes without saying shows a bit of stress, a hint of tension. Israel oviously gets a lot out of its current relationship with America, but that this relationship ought to be seen as rather peculiar from an American perspective, to say the least, usually goes unmentioned. That Olmert mentioned it shows that he's quite worried about his position. That's pretty much the only reason a politician ever risks telling the truth.

On another note, I've always though it was un-American for Americans to go arround parroting the proaganda of the American government, as our "war-blogger" pals liked to do. That these same mega-patriots -- as well as Village insiders and Serious Political Figures -- are also eager to dish out propaganda for a foreign government has always been a rather freakish and degrading spectacle, though, of course, it is not within the bounds of Civil Discourse to point this out.

Comments

[Ripley]

Well, it just goes to show how important Bush is. Somehow...

[Me]

For the record, I think Olmert is full of shit. Not that the scenario he describes isn't possible, or even plausible, but this has too much of the "bragging guy" aura about it for me to take it seriously.

[Bitter Scribe]

Let's hope that Obama at least won't jump quite so high when Israel whistles.

[Ripley]

Maybe it was actually Olmert who called Rudy! during his speech at the NRA convention.

[Eric Martin]

For the record, I think Olmert is full of shit. Not that the scenario he describes isn't possible, or even plausible, but this has too much of the "bragging guy" aura about it for me to take it seriously.

Well, Condi was made to look like a fool. Regardless of whether or not Bush actually left the podium to take Olmert's call, Condi was forced by Bush at Olmert's behest to abandon a resolution that she was drafting (with others).

That's rather remarkable. Or rather, it would be in any other context.

[tracy]

I had assumed this was in response to recent reports that the Pentagon shot down (pun intended) any help from the U.S. to provide Israel with bunker busters to attack Iran.

I can imagine the need for a blustery demonstration that the US/Bush is still supporting Israel.

[Jack]

I don't buy it. Something about this story stinks.

[SteveB]

I think tracy's got it right. Except I think it's a little more like this: Bush leaks the story about refusing Israel the aid it needed to bomb Iran because he's now in full legacy-polishing mode, and wants to show he's not as crazy as people give him credit for. This humiliating story about being called to the phone by his Israeli masters is payback for that.

What both Bush and the Israelis know, but would never admit, is that standing up to Israel is actually popular with the American people, and being seen as an Israeli puppet is unpopular. I know, go figure.

[Duncable]

I think that maybe they're also testing the waters a little, see how much they can get away with publicly. Everyone knows this BS goes on behind the scenes (not that it makes it ok, cause what you don't know can most certainly hurt you), but the fact that he's bragging about it, throwing the story around so casually, is truly disturbing.

On the risk of sounding like a certain little chicky....I think the sky is finally falling.