In probably his last major act as President, Obama directed the US to abstain on a vote to condemn settlements in the West Bank. What a cowardly act. He could have at least voted with the majority if that’s how he feels about Israeli settlements.
It’s called “nuance”. Of course, it requires being a sentient being to get it, so that lets you out.
Obama voted at the UN? Wow, the dude really gets around!
…said the judgmental guy who posts anonymously on the internet.
What a fucking prick.
Thanks Obama. Glad you’re out of here. Don’t let the door slam you in the ass.
Nuance is a great thing, when it’s nuance, rather than just splitting the baby.
I know, I know, he probably only found out by reading the newspaper.
Didn’t he check his twitter account? I thought thats where Amercians conducted their business these days?
The use of Abstenations is a long tradition of the Americans on the issues related to the Israel where there is the criticism, when there has been the decision not to veto.
You should be pitting yourselves for your own gross ignorance of your own historical practices and extremely stupid habits of ignorance of history in partisan criticism…
Wish I could say the same.
The “nuance” is that he doesn’t have to worry about an election. Do you honestly think he would have directed our vote this way had it taken place in October of this year?
Abstention seems like a pretty wishy-washy tactic for someone allegedly empowered to extremism by not having to worry about an election. It seems much more rational to believe that abstention reflects the contradictory nature of the situation: on one hand, strategic support for Israel, and on the other hand, established US bipartisan support for a two-state solution which the settlements are undermining. A vote either way would have made it much more difficult for the US to have any future role as a fair-minded arbitrator in two-state negotiations.
Naturally, the Orange Peril has a different viewpoint, but then again, he’s also starting a nuclear arms race with Russia. The way his policies are evolving, it’s anybody’s guess where war will break out first. The only thing reasonably certain is that it will be preceded by an angry tweet. :rolleyes:
The nuance is that he does not have to worry about an election or save powder for his wife/brother as the last two US President did.
Why is this vote different from every other vote?
He’s not alone. A veto vote has broad, bipartisan support.
Because not every other vote involves such a strong intrinsic contradiction between supporting an ally and condemning something stupid and counterproductive that the ally is doing.
Not sure that one press release from Hoyer constitutes proof of how broad the bipartisan support is. Regardless, you can hardly claim that abstention is some sort of reckless extremist position. What if Obama had directed the US vote to support the rest of the Security Council members? How would that have gone over?
Just to be clear, you honestly think Obama would have voted the same had this vote taken place in October instead of January?
How many press releases does the Minority Whip have to issue before you think it’s significant? If you haven’t read about this, then here are some more.
I have no idea, and that isn’t what I said. I said that I can see the logic of an abstention from a resolution that puts the US in a conflicting situation, and a vote either way would have undermined its credibility as a negotiator in future peace talks.
It says “Republicans and some Democrats” condemn the abstention. I have no particularly strong position on it myself, TBH, and am generally pro-Israel, but I’m also pro-peace. I don’t see how a US veto would advance the cause of peace, or enhance the status of the US as an impartial interventionist in the region. It would simply be the kind of one-sided militancy and sabre-rattling that Republicans seem to love.
There is another problem for politicians. There are now estimated to be nearly as many Muslims in the U.S. as Jews. As they gain citizenship and vote - and their kids grow up, they will turn into a significant voting block.
What makes you think they would be a cohesive and unanimous voting block, as regards Israel and her policies, when American Jews don’t?
I suspect they will be a more cohesive voting block than American Jews are on this matter. Much like the post Castro generation Cuban Americans were a pretty cohesive voting block - and it wasn’t for fifty years that the voting block dissolved on that issue.