Does Israel Have the Patience of the US?

            Historically, Democrats have been the ones to use diplomacy instead of weapons.  The only reason why the US was drawn into two world wars was because in essence we had no choice.  Churchill was courting the US while London was being bombed 79 straight nights and Churchill simply said that enough was enough.  Then the Japanese bombed Peal Harbor and we were fighting the same war on two fronts.  It has been the policy of the Republican Party to go to war for just about any reason, while Democrats historically have been more reserved.  The only reason why the war in Vietnam was escalated, as any student of history now knows, is that Lady Bird had ships that were threatened in the Far East by the Chinese in Vietnam and President Johnson had no choice but to protect the shipping interests of the family.  Otherwise, history will show that it has been the Republicans who are more steadfast in their belief in warfare than the Democrats have historically been.

            This is why Netanyahu and Obama don’t see eye-to-eye in regard to Israel and the threat of Iran.  If Obama were a Republican, I don’t doubt we would see US boots on the ground in Iran, which I believe is what Netanyahu wants to see.  He WANTS the US to have a presence in Iran, just to tell them we mean business.  But the problem we have in this nation, even if the Republicans are in charge in November, is that the American public is war weary.  We just got out of Iraq after more than ten years there and we are now approaching almost a dozen years in Afghanistan.  And now, we have to contend with Iran?  I think what Obama senses is something that Netanyahu and Israel in general does not understand is that the American people are war weary.  We finished the Persian Gulf War in just about a week, but then we left troops in the Middle East in preparation for something drastic to occur.  9-11 was our excuse to invade Iraq.  And probably in Netanyahu’s thinking in hindsight is that we simply invaded the wrong country.

            We watch Iran from a distance now after the hostage situation in Iran dictated our elections of 1980, which is essentially why Jimmy Carter lost the White House because he seemed to be ineffective at getting the hostages out of Iran then.  It took a group of Canadians to essentially do what the US couldn’t or wouldn’t do and it cost Jimmy Carter the election.  Some will say that wasn’t the ONLY reason, but anyone observing the world at that time would say that perhaps if the Canadians did what they did prior to the US elections, maybe things would have been different, but then no one can really say one way or another.  But my guess is that Netanyahu wants US boots on the ground in Iran and he would prefer to deal with a Republican administration than a Democratic administration simply because he knows what the rest of the country knows and that is that Republicans aren’t afraid to go to war.  Maybe there are some in a Romney administration that would push Romney to put boots on the ground in Iran, but the fact is that we as a nation are war weary.  And I am not sure that Netanyahu wants to pull on the US in regard to our elections come November, and see a Republican administration he thinks he can deal with.

            And had it not been for Pearl Harbor and the insistence of Churchill that London just couldn’t take it much more from the Germans, maybe history would be changed.  We just don’t see Iran as a threat to the US, but then we keep saying we will do all we can do in regard to protecting our interests in Israel.  But the question is:  Is Israel going to have the patience with the US that Obama is asking for?  This is a question I am not able to answer.  There are those in the Romney camp that WANT the US to start another war in Iran and Netanyahu knows this.  He is seeking to divide this country even further by suggesting that the US do something or he will.  Frankly, I am not sure that Netanyahu or even the nation of Israel is going to demonstrate the patience that Obama has shown from his administration.  And I am not sure the people of the US are looking for another war.  Frankly, I don’t think that Netanyahu will have the patience and restraint he has shown if Obama is re-elected.  He doesn’t like Obama and Obama doesn’t like his hawkish thinking.  My thinking is that either way, this is going to come to a head.  My thinking is that the Messiah will be here before things escalate to that, because if indeed Israel were to invade Iran, we will see a war this world has never seen before.  Peace.  Brother Ralphie for The Angels of Life Institute