Republicans making mischief with Israel PM Netanyahu visit

John Boehner and Republicans at September 2013 rally to shut down federal government

Republican U.S. House Speaker John Boehner‘s invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vividly demonstrates that, after winning both houses of Congress in last November’s election, Republicans have no desire to work with President Obama or the Democrats for the common good. Boehner’s invitation to Netanyahu is Republican political mischief-making in the extreme.

First, while Congress has a limited constitutional role in foreign policy issues such as ratification of treaties in the Senate, Congress (and especially the House of Representatives) does not get to conduct foreign policy on its own. That’s primarily the job of the President and the Executive Branch, and, at least, the Constitution envisions that Congress and the President work together to achieve foreign policy goals. The White House thus called the Republican invite of Netanyahu a “breach of protocol.” Many analysts also see the Netanyahu visit as part of a Republican effort to undermine the Obama administration’s negotiations with Iran over its nuclear weapons. Some analysts have speculated on whether it might be treason for John Boehner and the Republicans to invite Netanyahu without consulting President Obama. Others have stated that Boehner might be in violation of the Logan Act in the very least.

Second, Israeli elections are just two weeks after Netanyahu’s planned speech before Congress on March 3. Therefore, it is difficult not to see Netanyahu’s U.S. visit as a political stunt to raise Netanyahu’s status in Israel. Recall that Willard Mitt Romney tried to do the same thing by visiting Israel in July 2012 during the height of his Presidential election campaign against President Obama, and that did not work out so well for Romney. While Netanyahu is free to seek such publicity, Republicans should not have offered themselves as Netanyahu’s enablers, and vice versa, since it now looks like the U.S. Republican Party is meddling directly in Israeli domestic political affairs.

Third, Boehner’s invitation to Netanyahu appears to be yet another transparent attempt by Republicans to drive a wedge into the Democratic Party over support of Israel, and likewise to peel off the votes of Jewish Americans, who vote much more for Democrats than for Republicans. Congressional Democrats and President Obama have rightfully objected to Boehner’s stunt. Some Republicans then charged Obama and the Democrats with failing to support Israel. It’s a silly charge, of course, and it will not stick any more than previous Republican attempts to do the same thing. The fact is that, no matter which party is in the White House or in charge of Congress, U.S. support of Israel as a friend and strategic ally has been a bedrock principle from the beginning. Jewish voters in the U.S. know this, which is why they support Democrats for many other reasons, not the least of which is that they feel the Democratic Party shares their values of empathy, compassion, and liberalism.

Fourth, Boehner’s invitation to Netanyahu just after President Obama’s extremely successful State of the Union address is the latest proof of Republican hubris and overreaching after winning last November’s Congressional elections. Republicans made this mistake after their 2010 Congressional election wins, and it looks like they’re making it again. When even two Fox News commentators criticize Netanyahu’s visit to Congress, the Republicans seem to be in danger of experiencing another round of political blowback like they did in the 2012 elections.

Image adapted by DonkeyHotey, used under Creative Commons license. http://is.gd/ytJel1