THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy are facing deep embarrassment after they were inadvertently recorded disparaging Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, as a "liar".
The exchange, which took place during talks on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Cannes last week, has already prompted a backlash on the American right and is likely to undermine Mr Obama's claims to be a friend of Israel as he campaigns for re-election next year.
The French and American presidents, speaking during what they believed to be a private encounter week, failed to realise that a simultaneous translation of their conversation was being broadcast to journalists outside the room.
During a discussion on Israeli-Palestinian policy, Mr Sarkozy gave an unapologetic assessment of his views of Mr Netanyahu, saying[g]: "I cannot bear him, he's a liar."
Damagingly his pro-Israel credentials, the US president did not demur.
Instead he exacerbated his sin in the eyes of pro-Israeli Americans by retorting: "You may be sick of him, but me, I have to deal with him every day."
The exchange was gleefully seized on by Republicans who have accused Mr Obama of "throwing Israel under the bus" for his past criticism of Mr Netanyahu's settlement policy in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. » | Adrian Blomfield, Jerusalem and Jon Swaine in Washington | Tuesday, November 08, 2011
My comment:
I should like to say the following: Name me a politician who doesn't lie! Can anybody think of anyone? And who is Obama to call anyone else a liar? Three things we know about Obama are that he bloviates, he poses, and he lies. So this accusation coming from Obama is a bit rich, to say the least. Likewise, I don't think that Sarkozy is in any position to spout off about another politician's propensity to lie, either. Can he look in the mirror and honestly say he never lies? I very much doubt it.
It is truly astonishing that these two presidents didn't have the common sense to go out for a walk in the fresh air, or something, to discuss such a sensitive matter. They should have known that talking in a conference about such matters would be explosive if caught. How naïve and inexperienced they both were!
Further, I should like to say that I have great respect for Netanyahu as a politician. He is tough, and he understands the minefield that is politics in his region. Obama and Sarkozy, apparently, do not. Netanyahu is experienced in ME politics; Obama and Sarkozy are greenhorns.
Netanyahu is a man who, I believe, is genuinely dedicated to peace; but he is also a realist, and he knows exactly that until the Palestinians recognise Israel's right to exist, there will be no peace in the Middle East. And that's a fact which seems to go over Obama and Sarkozy's heads. – © Mark
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