"A Historic Mistake"

In his column, David M. Weinberg writes: "It is incredible to Israeli officials that none of the American-Iranian talks until now have focused on Iran's 'bad' behavior in the region, from supporting Hezbollah and Syria's Assad, to its subversive activities in Egypt and Jordan, to its genocidal statements with regard to Israel. It seems to Israel that everything is being swept under the carpet in a dangerously enthusiastic rush to craft a new deal with Iran; a deal that may last long enough for Obama to serve out his presidential tenure without having to confront the Iranians. In this context, Israel now clearly understands that the Obama administration has no intentions of striking the Iranian nuclear military complex, ever, under any circumstances. The residual, ritual American incantations of the diplomatic formula that 'all options remain on the table' -- to wit military action could still be contemplated if the Iranians don't follow through on their new commitments -- ring totally hollow. Far too many administration spokesmen have explained over and over again in recent weeks that war with Iran is not an acceptable option. This leads to a full-blown crisis of confidence in U.S.-Israel relations. The credibility of Obama and Kerry on the Iranian file is shot through so badly in Israeli eyes that, alas, almost nothing either of these American leaders can say will allay Israeli fears (and one gets the sense, the fears of Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, too)."

Amazingly, some think that this has earned Obama the Nobel Peace Prize he somehow won in 2009. The historic mistake is that he was re-elected to do even more damage.