“We thought we’ve seen everything. But Bibi managed to surprise even us.

[malaise]

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jan/23/democrats-obama-boehner-netanyahu-congress-visit
<snip>
The White House is growing more confident it can withstand efforts to frustrate its policy of nuclear talks with Iran, as a furore over the intervention of the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, appears to be encouraging wavering Democrats to rally around their president.

In the first White House press conference since the Republican House speaker, John Boehner, sparked controversy by inviting Netanyahu to speak before a joint session of Congress amid calls for a tougher approach to Iran, administration officials claimed there was support for their argument that planned legislation authorising new sanctions, if talks fail, would be counter-productive.

“I think there is plenty of indication that the … at least some members of Congress have found this rather plausible line of argument pretty persuasive,” the White House spokesman, Josh Earnest, told reporters.

Earnest refused to speculate on a likely vote count, but sympathetic lobbyists in touch with Democratic congressmen claim the polarising impact of Boehner’s invitation to Netanyahu is making it harder for Republicans to reach a veto-proof majority for the sanctions bill.

“This move by Netanyahu has definitely backfired in terms of Democrats,” said Dylan Williams, director of government affairs at J-Street, a Washington lobby group which describes itself as pro-Israel but supports a two-state peace process for a Palestinian state.

J-Street sent out a letter to its US supporters on Friday, urging them to warn their congressmen not to support the visit, which will fall just two weeks before elections in Israel.

“This invitation looks like a thinly veiled attempt to scuttle the critical negotiations taking place right now aimed at ensuring that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon,” said the letter. “Bibi and Obama disagree on how to deal with Iran, and that’s fair. But a foreign leader lobbying Congress is inappropriate.”

On Friday a senior Israeli opposition figure, Tzipi Livni, accused Netanyahu of leading the country into “crisis and diplomatic isolation”, amid growing criticism of his handling of relations with the US.

[leftynyc]

1. It's backfiring all over the place

The Israeli people are pissed as hell because Bibi has been behind in the polls and look at this as a craven stunt for votes - with the crazy way the vote goes in Israel, his party could lose but he could still be PM if he pulls together a governing coalition but the Israeli's look ready to dump him. Boehner looks bad for breaking protocol (he doesn't look bad with republicans but independents is where the action is). Americans don't like Iran but they don't want to fight a war over them. If both sides could gracefully get out of it, I'm convinced they would.

[Hubert Flottz]

2. Netanyahu and Boner are two of a kind...

A couple of spoiled Reich wing Cry-Bibis.

[libodem]

3. You said it

[malaise]

5. +1,000

They disgust me

[Fred Sanders]

6. You can take the man out of the Reich but you can not take the Reich out of the man.

[merrily]

4. A foreign leader lobbying Congress is nothing new. You don't have to be

invited to Congress by Congress to do that.

[Fred Sanders]

7. Invited.....after secret negotiations bypassing the WH against all historical protocol is special.

At least the Israeli media is not covering for them as thenAmerican media is.

Viva REAL free speech, dead in America, sold to the highest bidder.