Swords for Rattling, not Ploughshares

The Old Testament prophet Isaiah may have spoken of a time when nations would “beat their swords into plowshares;”  but Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu seems to be paying as much attention to these words as Isaiah’s contemporaries did.  He is apparently more interested in saber-rattling, particularly when it comes to standing firm against any objections President Barack Obama may have towards Israeli domestic and foreign policy.  Netanyahu is in town for the annual meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC);  and, while Obama’s address last night tried to focus on diplomatic channels to address the possible nuclear threat from Iran, all that seemed to matter to Netanyahu is that he read Obama the riot act over Israel’s “right” to act unilaterally against Iran.

It is worth noting the timing of the AIPAC event.  The 2008 meeting provided a platform for Presidential candidates to woo this lobby for its support.  Sure enough, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Santorum are all scheduled to address the convention this year.  It is a bit ironic that they will be doing so on Super Tuesday, right after each candidate has taken his last shot at winning over those who will vote on that day.  Since Romney has now gone on record with the statement that “if Barack Obama is re-elected, Iran will have a nuclear weapon,” one can imagine that he is a prime candidate for Netanyahu’s blessing;  but whether that will transfer to AIPAC support remains to be seen.