Trump & Netanyahu: A Criminal Bromance for the Ages
Yesterday, a war criminal addressed the United States Congress, receiving repeated rounds of applause and a standing ovation from a rapt Congress. It is, evidently, a Congress obsessed with the diabolical machinations of fat rich men in suits who traffic in felonious activities, bullying, and jingoism. It’s frankly pretty disgusting. And it’s not something I particularly look forward to one day explaining to my kids– why grandma and grandpa were so obsessed with the parallels between Jesus Christ, their lord and savior, and the notion of an American king who would gleefully impose His divine will on crushing anyone who disagreed with Him and His views. If you’re noting that I’m using strong language, it’s because this kind of thing is unprecedented. While Donald Trump might have coddled Kim Jong-Un, praised Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, I’m not about to do so. Nor will I praise– wait a minute, is there a parallel here between him and Benjamin Netanyahu? It would seem so!
Aaron David Miller addressed the issue on CBC’s The Current this morning. It’s a great piece if you have a minute to listen. Himself variously Jewish, a career diplomat, and a peace activist who has advised both Republican and Democratic presidential administrations on Middle East policy, Miller pointed out that Netanyahu faces enormous pressure from Western allies as well as at home, where he’s currently under investigation for corruption. Indictments were laid years ago but the trial is ongoing. Compare and contrast with Trump, who pissed off all of our allies and then landed 34 felony charges. The Supreme Court says that those may or may not matter. Trump re-engineered SCOTUS to suit his own aims, similar to controversial judicial reforms that were ultimately nixed in Israel (critics said they would unduly consolidate power).
Republicans characterized the absence of presidential hopeful Kamala Harris from the speech as an egregious affront to a long and important alliance. JD Vance, also out on the campaign trail, was given a pass, we suppose. But as JD Vance excoriates the president for courting “tin pot dictators” to cop that foreign oil, we are left wondering why tin pot dictators like Trump and his Israeli counterpart Netanyahu– bullies and thugs who characterize their opponents as terrorist-lovers and have attempted to dismantle the separations between branches of state power- get a pass. Netanyahu’s regime has murdered 40,000 or more people in Gaza, and footage of entire cities leveled to the ground should make any civilized person’s stomach turn. The war has failed to bring back the hostages. And this is the man to whom Republicans– and, indeed, some Democrats- want to give a standing ovation?
Be a lot cooler if you didn’t. But what do I know, Bibi? According to you, I guess I’m just a terrorist-lover.
