Political Hippo Circle Jerk - America, farg YEAH!

[Phanatic]

Obama calls leaders of Israel, Palestinians

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090121/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_middle_east_2

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama has stepped into the Middle East peace effort by placing calls to four leaders from the region. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama called the leaders of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and Jordan on Wednesday morning.

Gibbs said Obama emphasized that he would work to consolidate the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Gibbs said Obama expressed "his commitment to active engagement in pursuit of Arab-Israeli peace from the beginning of his term." Obama also expressed his hope for continued cooperation from the leaders.

Obama called Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Jordan's King Abdullah and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

[rjs246]

He also froze the salaries of his staff and signed executive orders outlining ethics guidelines for his administration.

Also dig this:

"Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency," Obama said.

Nice.

[stalker]

He also froze the salaries of his staff and signed executive orders outlining ethics guidelines for his administration.

Also dig this:

"Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency," Obama said.

Nice.

All a great start.

[rjs246]

I honestly can't get a gauge on how important things like this are to the average person but assuming that this type of transparency is extended beyond his staff and applies to restoring individual liberties this is far and away the most important issue to me.

[Geowhizzer]

I honestly can't get a gauge on how important things like this are to the average person but assuming that this type of transparecny is extended beyond his staff and applies to restoring individual liberties this is far and away the most important issue to me.

It would be a nice change.  Hopefully it becomes practice and not just empty rhetoric.

[rjs246]

I haven't seen anything to indicate that he doesn't plan on following through with his promises of transparency and adhering to the laws of the land. In fact it seems paranoid to already be operating under the assumption that something like this would be 'empty rhetoric.'

[Phanatic]

We're all Paranoid anyway so uh... Cheers!

[ATV]

Yeah, because a lot of poor people own 1600-acre ranches.

Does "Down Home" mean poor? I don't think so.

In Crawford Bush wasn't trying to look like a poor person. He was trying to look like someone who's rural and enjoys doing things that lots of rural folks have to do like.........like cutting up dead branches and shtein.

[rjs246]

My kingdom for an ignore function.

[Seabiscuit36]

I'm going to go ahead and say you would really appreciate that type of yardwork when you are in that position. 

[ATV]

So I wrote my Senator Dick Durbin a couple weeks ago to express my disgust over what the Israeils were doing to the Palestinians. Today I recieved this form letter that obviously he has mailed out to anyone no matter what they express to him. What I gather from this is that he's just another one of your suckup douchebag politicians that's afraid of the Jewish lobby. Check out what he wrote that I highlighted in bold, though....

Dear Mr. ATV:

Thank you for contacting me about U.S. support for Israel. I appreciate hearing from you and share your concern for Israel's security and the safety of its citizens.

Israel has endured many years of suffering as ordinary citizens, many of them children, have lost their lives to hatred and terrorist violence. No cause or grievance can justify the deliberate killing of innocent civilians.

Israel has a right to defend itself from rocket attacks by Hamas and other terrorist threats. I was an original cosponsor of S. Res. 10, which passed the Senate by unanimous consent on January 8, 2009. This resolution recognizes the right of Israel to defend itself against attacks from Gaza and reaffirms the United States' support for Israel in its battle with Hamas. It also recognizes the importance of United States support for and involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Israel remains the most important U.S. ally in the Middle East and the only multi-party democratic state in the region. I am proud to have been a strong supporter of Israel throughout my service in Congress. The strong and stable friendship between our two countries, built on a solid foundation of shared values, mutual assistance, and trust, is in the fundamental interest of the United States as well as Israel.

Since World War II, the United States has given Israel more assistance than any other country, and Israel was the largest annual recipient of U.S. foreign assistance from 1976 through 2004. Since 1985, the United States has provided nearly $3 billion a year to Israel. On August 13, 2007, representatives of the American and Israeli governments signed a 10-year, $30 billion aid package. The agreement calls for annual increases in military assistance to Israel, reaching $3.1 billion a year by Fiscal Year 2018.
The Israeli people deserve safety and security. Palestinians should have a safe and sovereign homeland and a voice in deciding their own destiny. But these goals for Palestinians cannot be achieved at the expense of Israel's sovereignty or the safety of its citizens. The establishment of a Palestinian state must come through peaceful negotiations, not violence.

I am pleased that President Obama has repeatedly stated that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be a top priority for his administration and I continue to hope that the Israeli and Palestinian governments can reach a mutual agreement that will bring peace and stability to the region. In the long run there is no alternative.

I am monitoring this situation closely and will continue to stand firm in my support for Israel. Thank you again for your message. Please feel free to stay in touch.

Sincerely,

Richard J. Durbin

United States Senator

So there's your answer. Soon to be 3 Billion dollars a year. I'm am so looking forward to paying taxes these next ten years so that they can help pay for more dead Palestinian children. Thanks Senator, you farging tool.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

What would you do if a Republican ran on an anti-Israel platform?  I'm rooting for spontaneous combustion.

[General_Failure]

So my niece said yesterday "I'm sick of seeing the Obamas on television already!" She understood that it was a big day for their family, but wanted to watch cartoons instead of politicians after she finished her homework. I told her she's probably got 8 more years of seeing them to look forward to, or until she gets her gun permit.

My dad told me I'll probably be on a federal watch list just as soon as she repeats that in school.

[ATV]

What would you do if a Republican ran on an anti-Israel platform?

Not necessarily anti-Isaraeli, but anti-Palestinian oppression.

Republicans tend to be more pro-Israeli than Democrats. I'm not anti-Republican. There have been many competent Republicans. It's the Repubelicans I can't stand.

[Geowhizzer]

I haven't seen anything to indicate that he doesn't plan on following through with his promises of transparency and adhering to the laws of the land. In fact it seems paranoid to already be operating under the assumption that something like this would be 'empty rhetoric.'

I have a general distrust of politicians.   Democrat, Republican, "Independent," it doesn't matter.  Have there been some that have stood above the masses?  Certainly.  I hope Obama is one of them.  But, much like an Eagles Super Bowl victory, I'll believe it when I see it.