SECRET VIDEO: On Israel, Romney Trashes Two-State Solution

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

Source: Mother Jones

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ukhFBJgrZxM

At the private fundraiser held May 17 where Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney candidly spoke about political strategy—noting that he saw half of the American electorate as freeloaders and "victims" who do not believe in personal responsibility—he discussed various foreign policy positions, sharing views that he does not express in public, including his belief that peace in the Middle East is not possible and a Palestinian state is not feasible.

Mother Jones has obtained video of Romney at this intimate dinner and has confirmed its authenticity. The event was held at the home of controversial private equity manager Marc Leder in Boca Raton, Florida, with tickets costing $50,000 a plate. During the freewheeling conversation, a donor asked Romney how the "Palestinian problem" can be solved. Romney immediately launched into a detailed reply, asserting that the Palestinians have "no interest whatsoever in establishing peace, and that the pathway to peace is almost unthinkable to accomplish."

Romney spoke of "the Palestinians" as a united bloc of one mindset, and he said: "I look at the Palestinians not wanting to see peace anyway, for political purposes, committed to the destruction and elimination of Israel, and these thorny issues, and I say there's just no way."

(...)
Romney was indicating he did not believe in the peace process and, as president, would aim to postpone significant action: "So what you do is, you say, you move things along the best way you can. You hope for some degree of stability, but you recognize that this is going to remain an unsolved problem…and we kick the ball down the field and hope that ultimately, somehow, something will happen and resolve it."

Read more: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/romney-secret-video-israeli-palestinian-middle-east-peace

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Caught again -- Can we expect another stuttering deer-in-headlights press conference from Willard to explain why he told his donors he has zero interest in pursuing peace?

Though I'm sure warmonger Sheldon Adelson loves the sound of this one.

[Firebrand Gary]

1. K&R

[titaniumsalute]

2. Oh wow! What a dumb thing to say.

Now we see his foreign policy.

[deminks]

3. Who the hell is this fool and why is he on my teevee?

Worse than Palin. I did not think that was possible. A joke, and not a funny one.

[Douglas Carpenter]

4. a piece of filth incapable of human empathy

[rgbecker]

5. This is better than 24 hour commercial free rock and roll!

The hits just keep coming.

Romney is not ready for prime time.

[FlaGranny]

6. Actually,

this is the first time we've seen him as an articulate, confident speaker with ideas - no matter how revolting the ideas - the real Mitt at last. Now we see the reason he is so hesitant and stumbling over answering the simplest of questions - he has to remember not to tell the truth.

[Douglas Carpenter]

7. he seems to have no trouble taking openly and articulately when he is among his own kind

[truth2power]

18. Interesting you would say that, because the first thing that came to mind

when he started speaking was how uncharacteristically articulate he sounded. I guess he was quite comfortable with that crowd.

BTW, the quality of that video was remarkable. I'm always curious as to how people who work undercover are able to carry out their tasks. It seemed like the camera was stabilized somehow. Well, kudos to whomever did it.

[hifiguy]

26. I was somewhat shocked at how loosey-goosey

he was on that recording. No stumbling or phoniness at all. This is the real monster behind the mask he affects when addressing the lower orders.

[defacto7]

46. This is the message I have been trying to get across

since I've been here at DU. He is NOT what he seems.

[JDPriestly]

42. I wondered whether it was a video taken by a security camera installed in the house.

Is the camera pretty much focused on the podium of Romney or does it move around? It seems to zoom in and out, but does it move around?

[SaveAmerica]

20. Not a good actor, can't remember his lines

[Selatius]

8. Seems AIPAC has a direct pipeline to his brain.

Personally, I don't think there will be a two-state solution, but for far different reasons than Willard. As long as Palestinians remain a fractured group and as long as the Israeli far-right exploits it by continuing to seize land and build more illegal settlements on that land and encourages the continuation of this trend, no good will come out of this except more suffering and repression.

[goclark]

9. mitwit =Manchurein Candidate

They hold the direct path to what's on his shoulders.

[iandhr]

24. This is more Sheldon Adelson

AIPAC is too "liberal" for Adelson.

He stopped supporting them when they officially supported a two state solution.

[Blue_Tires]

31. +1

[iemitsu]

10. the man with no plan.

guess even romney doesn't expect himself to win. if he did he would have a more sophisticated understanding of the situation in the levant.
what romney knows about the holy land he learned from the book of morman.

[NOLALady]

11. What?

"somehow, something will happen and resolve it."

Mitt sounds so Presidential!

[reflection]

13. Yes We Can Kick The Can Down The Road!

And Wait For Something To Happen!

[newspeak]

33. yeah "something will happen and resolve it"

hmmm, like mass genocide? like an exodus, people fleeing from even more encroaching settlements?

[hexola]

12. This stuff does help him with conservatives

Its a niche group really - but Freeper types will feel more comfortable with Romney after hearing this.

[SCVDem]

14. Voter Fraud

I demand the best hackers be employed at the computer voting centers to lock down the systems against manipulation.

It's the standard magicians misdirection putting all the attention at the ballot box and making everyone forget about the biggest possible way to meaningfully mess with the numbers. It's already proven the computer vote is not secure.

With Rmoneys money and disdain for We The People, this must be a priority.

[goclark]

29. #1 and K and R

[defacto7]

47. Yes yes yes

Beyond a doubt... THE priority!

[George II]

15. This one is worse than yesterday's - he should just go home and STFU!

[olegramps]

16. I am more shocked by the $50,000.00 price tag for selling the work stiffs out.

He probably could have got $250,000 at least. That is a small investment that will bring them 100 times fold. Just, admit it. The plutocrats own us lock, stop and barrel. What is amazing is that working class Joe-six-packs are so damn stupid that they will vote for this unmitigated bastard along with Ryan, the worshiper of Ayn Rand's atheistic philosophy that the poor should be exterminated like vermin.

[nanabugg]

27. I would love to see a list of the attendees. nt

[defacto7]

48. He was here in Salt Lake City yesterday....

He made 3 million in 3 minutes!

[Bossy Monkey]

17. "This could very well be the stupidest person on the face of the Earth" -- "Ruthless People" n/t

[kentauros]

44. Dammit, now I want to watch that movie again!

"Either the chief is a complete moron and complete morons are rare... (she looks up at Earl Mott, a "complete moron&quot

[Bossy Monkey]

45. "Do I look that stupid?" "Yes, you do!"

[SaveAmerica]

19. If that doesn't get each DUer to take 5 people to vote on Nov 6, nothing will

He is beyond dangerous. Although he is pretty handy for putting what we knew about Republicans out in the open.

[iandhr]

21. He doesn't realize that a two state solution is essential for Israel's survival.

[defacto7]

49. That doesn't matter

if what your constituents want is ARMAGEDDON. They don't want peace.

Don't think logical. It's not there.

[beac]

22. Substitute "Republicans" for "Palestinians" and

"the Middle Class" for "Israel" and Mitt might actually have told the truth for once:


"I look at the Republicans not wanting to see peace anyway, for political purposes, committed to the destruction and elimination of the Middle Class, and these thorny issues, and I say there's just no way."

[muriel_volestrangler]

23. "on the other hand ... I ignored the opinion of a former Repub Secretary of State

so that I just stuck with my own prejudices".

Fuck, this man makes Dubya look like a nuanced foreign policy operator who was eager to get the best of all advice and bring peace. How else can you interpret a long diatribe against all Palestinians, which then ends up with:

On the other hand, I got a call from a former secretary of state. I won't mention which one it was, but this individual said to me, you know, I think there's a prospect for a settlement between the Palestinians and the Israelis after the Palestinian elections. I said, "Really?" And, you know, his answer was, "Yes, I think there's some prospect." And I didn't delve into it.

So a former secretary of state, who we will presume was a Republican, since they called Romney, thinks a settlement is possible, and Romney isn't even interested?

[Blue_Tires]

32. It's good to see the mask finally come off for all to see

[hifiguy]

25. Keep digging, Willard,

just keep digging.

[EnviroBat]

28. There's just something disgusting about,

not only the sound of this assholes voice, but the accompanying din of those rich pricks shoveling their 2500$/plate dinners down their maws. God Damn I hate fascists...

[Ash_F]

40. Really, they sure had some bad table manners...

banging and clanging their silverware. I eat with better etiquette when I'm alone.

[RiverNoord]

30. I am profoundly disgusted with this horrible person.

THE source of hostility in the Arab and much of the Muslim world against the United States is our deeply unbalanced policy on Israel, supporting its ongoing seizures of land occupied by the Palestinians for centuries. We have the power to end this and thereby begin the process of healing between the US and the people who just happen to live on top of the vast majority of the remaining petroleum reserves on the planet.

A statement like this would be ignorant and arrogant if made by an average American. Coming from a major party's candidate for the office of the Presidency of the United States, it is profoundly disturbing.

[cpwm17]

34. His views on the Palestinians are very similar to the views of some of the pro-war crowd on DU

I see similar and worse views expressed on DU all of the time.

[magical thyme]

35. k&r. this needs more airtime.

We've seen Mitt's honest take on the 47%.

Now it's time for his take on the ME.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

36. We will never have peace as long as we treat Palestinians as if they are savages.

[azurnoir]

37. Keep in mind Mittens isn't talking about a "one state solution" either

well unless that state is Israel but really what he's he's talking about a forever occupation

[oldsarge54]

38. What is Really Scary

Is Mitt is not saying anything that the rank and file have been saying for months. When I venture out into yahoo and other domains, the commentators/bloggers are saying just what Mitt said. This concerns me is that it indicates that the unity of this country is on really shaky ground. While the Republicans cry out that Obama is indulging in class warfare and envy of the 1%, it seems the real Republican warriors are operating on envy of the 47%, who are presumably living the good life on their dime. It is the disdain that the Republican rank and file hold for their opponents that disheartens me. After the election, just how sore are the sore losers going to be, and who will be the victims?

[defacto7]

50. hear, hear!

[Ash_F]

39. Romney's right. The two-state solution has problems.

So I am sure he will back a truly democratic, one-state solution, with 4 million Palestinians voting representatives into the Knesset.

For freedom, piece and democracy right?


ps - I love how he parroted the common right-wing lie that "Palestinians don't want peace", which makes anything you do to them ok, of course.

[Stewland]

41. Romney

If the Palistinians had the upper hand Romney would be pandering to them. Remember he flips and flops so can anyone believe anything he says.

[Douglas Carpenter]

43. I doubt this will in itself directly hurt him with the public in the short term. however,

to foreign policy experts, media people, academic and others who are concerned about protecting American national interest -it makes him look like an absolutely dangerous buffoon. These are people who do influence public opinion in the long run.