The knives are starting to come out in the White House as March 3 approaches, when Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, will attack President Obama's Iran diplomacy in front of Congress.
Today, Secretary of State John Kerry blasted Netanyahu's expertise and wisdom on Middle East matters, noting that just as Israel's Prime Minister was wrong to push for the Iraq war in 2002, so too is he wrong about Iran.
Per TPM:
Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opposition to a potential nuclear deal with Iran, calling it as wrongheaded as the prime minister's backing of the Iraq War.
"Israel is safer today with the added time we have given and the stoppage of the advances in the nuclear program than they were before we got that agreement, which by the way the prime minister opposed," Kerry said during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. "He was wrong."
Kerry was later asked to address Netanyahu's criticism of a hypothetical deal with Iran as a threat to Israel.
"The prime minister was profoundly forward-leaning and outspoken about the importance of invading Iraq under George W. Bush," Kerry replied. "We all know what happened with that decision."
Indeed, Netanyahu "guaranteed" Congress in 2002 that a U.S. invasion of Iraq would have "enormous positive reverberations," and that such an invasion would scare Iran away from any nuclear or nefarious ambitions. You can see for yourself in the video below.
Today, we have Netanyahu returning to Congress, hoping to scare America into a militaristic approach once again, this time with Iran. You know, that same Iran Netanyahu suggested would be cowering in submission at this stage.
However, Netanyahu's secret dealings with John Boehner behind President Obama's back to speak before Congress, now coupled with Netanyahu's refusal to meet with Democrats so as not to appear partisan, have pushed officials to begin a public offensive against Netanyahu.
Kerry's salvo is sure to be an opening one.
--§--
David Harris-Gershon is author of the memoir What Do You Buy the Children of the Terrorist Who Tried to Kill Your Wife?, recently published by Oneworld Publications.