Reply #20: Ok, here is my take on this.

[rebel with a cause]

I lived in NYC for eight years, and on Long Island six months before that. The six months were spent working for and living with a family that were liberal Jews, I was a small town Protestant so this was a new experience. During the next eight years I had some very good friends, some of whom were Jewish, but I also had some very bad experiences with a radical Jewish group (especially after I had my Latino children) that lived in the same area that I did. These experiences left me a bit prejudice against them for quite some time. My bad. I have had to work hard to get over those feelings, but when I see some of the things done to the Palestinians, those memories come flooding back. By the way, my friends shared my dislike for the way this group treated others.

Now to get to what Obama said. "My view is that the United States' special relationship with Israel obligates us to be helpful to them in the search for credible partners with whom they can make peace, while also supporting Israel in defending itself against enemies sworn to its destruction,"

To me this says that we have a strong relationship with Israel, and this relationship makes it necessary for us to try to help them find peaceful solutions to their problems with those that are willing to do so. This does not say that we will support them in oppressing other groups. It then says that we will support Israel in their need to defend themselves against those who are set on destroying Israel. This is not really unreasonable for him to say. It is what we would say to any of our allies. Anyway, this is my take on it, and I don't have a problem with it.

Sorry if I offended anyone, but just being honest.