Mr. O. at our Shabbat table

The most frequent topic of conversation at Shabbat tables in Jerusalem is;  “Why is Obama so anti-Israel?” I have received phone calls of apology from left of center idealogues who now accept that Mr. Obamas actions bespeak a man who has little appreciation of  the miracle created by suffering peoples of different cultures and languages, coming to an arid land , making it flourish and establishing a very real democracy.  He appears to have little concern for the survival of the State of Israel.

The question keeps me awake at night because it is so complex.  Incredibly intelligent people tell me that they also try to understand the phenomenon. Opinions range from; “He is evil”… to :”He is inept.”…to:” He is naieve about the Middle East.”

None of these explanations tell the whole story. Trying to understand the core of the man may take a psychiatrist… and I have read their assessments as well.  Mr. O. has been labeled a narcissist and a megalomaniac.  I label him as an egocentrist.  He sees the world as revolving around himself.  In the world of politics this is not unexpected. He holds the most important position in the Western World.  Until recently we thought he held the most important positon in the world, but he has considerable competition in Putin and the Ayatollah and the leaders of China. Thus, respect for his position is shaky after years of weak leadership.

If we accept that Mr. O sees the world totally from his own tinted lenses… let’s consider the following;  First: He was raised in a positive Muslim environment…loving his Muslim father and community that surrounded him, possibly seeing the faith in its’ most positive light.  Upon entering politics, being a very savvy politician, he apparently realized that this affinity would not help his political ambitions.  An American political hopeful needed to be seen as a church going Christian.  So he went to the Reverend Wright’s church in Chicago and sat in his pews listening to virulent anti-Israel, and anti-semitic tirades for over twenty years. He paid his dues in the Christian world.  Among my associates, they proclaim; “Could you imagine any Jew sitting in a synagogue and hearing hatred spewed from the pulpit?  Surely that Jew would leave and find another schul?”  But Mr. O did not leave. He absorbed it all and it did not offend him. Since becoming elected President of the United States, he is rarely seen going to a church on Sundays. I will not address his political associations in Chicago… we have all read about them and they were more than problematic influences in his earlier political activities.

Mr. O’s exquisite oratory and ability to inspire the masses got him elected, not once but twice.  It is hardly surprising that he sees himself as all powerful and great.  The American people crowned him….and he accepted the “Crown” believing it to be that of a King, rather than that of the people’s leader in a well developed democracy.  His ego and  feelings of self-superiority explain his multiple attempts to ignore Congress and do deals behind the backs of the elected representatives of the American People.

Enter Bibi Netanyahu… a “pipsqueak” (as my father used to say);  a man representing a mere 8 million people… less than a quarter of the population of the State of California. This annoying man has been an irritant to Mr. O since the day each took office.  Why should Mr.O have to even acknowledge this person who represents no one of importantce?  He tried to ignore Bibi on his initial visit to the White House and relations went downhill between the two men on a personal level from that point forward.

Mr. O. does not share the Holocaust with the Jewish people. He does not share the belief that this amazing country is critical as proof that a democracy can really exist in the Middle East.  His proclamations that the Arab Spring would bring democracy to the Arab world were proof that he had no clue as to what is required for a democracy to evolve…the will of the people to live an ordered and just life, respecting the rights of others unlike themselves. (This of course includes respecting the rights of their own women, of other religions and most bizarrely…the rights of Muslims who chose not to be fundamentalist… all equally evil in the eyes of those who fought for the Arab Spring.)   The perpetrators of the violence have since welcomed the likes of Isis and Iranian funded terror groups on their soil.

When Mr.N.  insisted on accepting the invitation to address Congress it was the final straw. How could this man who represented almost no one… have the unmitigated gall to go against the will of the almighty President of the United States?  Those who say that Bibi made a mistake by going to congress…are absolutely incorrect.  Mr. O was infuriated at the nerve of Mr. N to go against his will. But had he decided to stay home,  the core distaste for Mr. N and all he represents would have remained the same. Because Bibi went to speak before Congress, the result was clear. Congress then demanded its’ right to review any deal made with Iran behind closed doors…to approve or reject it.  Mr. O. had no intention of allowing this oversight by the very elected representatives of his own people.

Recent statements by Mr. O. have caused analysts to conclude that while he claims to love Jews, that he is actually an anti-semite who has had great assistance in creating a refutation of the claims against him. This sophisticated duplicity is a clever device. Saying that he holds Israel to a higher moral standard than other nations, is a fraudulent cop out of the highest order.

Unfortunately, Mr. O. only sees Israel as a thorn in his side.  This tiny country has unmitigated nerve to try to warn the world of Iran’s real intentions.  It has the audacity to demand its own survival. Why should  such a small country of so few people, have the right to make any demand at all ?   That is the essence of Mr. O’s  disdain for Israel… Who in the hell do we think we are ?!?!