President Bush and the Knesset Speech Kerfuffle

Before I delve into Obama's reaction to Bush's speech at the Knesset, I want to look at the speech itself. Here's the part of the speech that caused controversy, expanded a little for context. Transcript from the White House.

This struggle is waged with the technology of the 21st century, but at its core it is an ancient battle between good and evil. The killers claim the mantle of Islam, but they are not religious men. No one who prays to the God of Abraham could strap a suicide vest to an innocent child, or blow up guiltless guests at a Passover Seder, or fly planes into office buildings filled with unsuspecting workers. In truth, the men who carry out these savage acts serve no higher goal than their own desire for power. They accept no God before themselves. And they reserve a special hatred for the most ardent defenders of liberty, including Americans and Israelis.

And that is why the founding charter of Hamas calls for the "elimination" of Israel. And that is why the followers of Hezbollah chant "Death to Israel, Death to America!" That is why Osama bin Laden teaches that "the killing of Jews and Americans is one of the biggest duties." And that is why the President of Iran dreams of returning the Middle East to the Middle Ages and calls for Israel to be wiped off the map.

There are good and decent people who cannot fathom the darkness in these men and try to explain away their words. It's natural, but it is deadly wrong. As witnesses to evil in the past, we carry a solemn responsibility to take these words seriously. Jews and Americans have seen the consequences of disregarding the words of leaders who espouse hatred. And that is a mistake the world must not repeat in the 21st century.

Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: "Lord, if I could only have talked to Hitler, all this might have been avoided." We have an obligation to call this what it is -- the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.

Some people suggest if the United States would just break ties with Israel, all our problems in the Middle East would go away. This is a tired argument that buys into the propaganda of the enemies of peace, and America utterly rejects it. Israel's population may be just over 7 million. But when you confront terror and evil, you are 307 million strong, because the United States of America stands with you.

First of all, nowhere in this speech does President Bush name any specific person. The closest he comes is the quote about Hitler. This quote came from William Borah, a GOP senator from Idaho who was also a staunch isolationist.

Look at the third paragraph. "There are good and decent people who cannot fathom the darkness in these men and try to explain away their words." It seems clear to me that Jimmy Carter was the person President Bush was criticizing. Bush gave his speech in Israel, and Jimmy Carter's recent meeting with Hamas is still surely on the minds of many Israelis. From that, it looks like Bush was criticizing Jimmy Carter, not Barack Obama.

Next, look at the last paragraph of this excerpt. President Bush criticizes people who want to break ties with Israel, as a solution to problems in the Middle East. Barack Obama has said nothing of the sort, and I can't remember anyone important accusing him of such. This accusation is actually aimed at people like Ron Paul, Pat Buchanan, and some leftist academics.

So, now to the reaction from Obama. Yesterday, his campaign responded with a statement.

"It is sad that President Bush would use a speech to the Knesset on the 60th anniversary of Israel's independence to launch a false political attack," Obama said in a statement released to CNN by his campaign. "It is time to turn the page on eight years of policies that have strengthened Iran and failed to secure America or our ally Israel…."

"George Bush knows that I have never supported engagement with terrorists, and the president's extraordinary politicization of foreign policy and the politics of fear do nothing to secure the American people or our stalwart ally Israel," Obama's statement said.

And today, he responded with a speech in South Dakota.

Barack Obama rebuked Republican rival John McCain and President Bush for "dishonest, divisive" attacks in hinting that the Democratic presidential candidate would appease terrorists, staunchly defending his national security credentials for the general election campaign.

[...]

"I'm a strong believer in civility and I'm a strong believer in a bipartisan foreign policy, but that cause is not served with dishonest, divisive attacks of the sort that we've seen out of George Bush and John McCain over the last couple days, " Obama told about 2,000 voters at a town hall-style meeting in a livestock barn.

[...]

"They aren't telling you the truth. They are trying to fool you and scare you because they can't win a foreign policy debate on the merits," said Obama. "But it's not going to work. Not this time, not this year."

Bush did not mention Obama by name in his speech, but Obama and other Democrats said the implication was clear.

"That's exactly the kind of appalling attack that's divided our country and that alienates us from the world," Obama said. He vowed to turn the foreign policy debate back against both Bush and McCain, rejecting the notion that Democrats critical of the war in Iraq are vulnerable to charges of being soft on terrorism.

I think this is a strategic move by the Obama campaign, which has been stuck in a primary battle. Obama has all but clinched the Democratic primary nomination, and his campaign is ready to switch their aim from Clinton to the Republicans. And they felt this was our opportunity to begin that switch.

Seizing the opportunity, the Obama campaign created a controversy from a speech in which neither Obama nor any other politician was named. It is also telling that the Obama campaign automatically thought this speech was directed at them. When somebody overreacts to something, there's usually a reason for that overreaction. I certainly think that applies here also.

Trying to create a controversy for political gain, sounds like "old politics."

(Hat tip: Hot Air)