Here is a detailed analysis of the evolution of Obama’s views on the Israel-Palestinian issue. For anyone who wishes Israel well but is still supporting Obama, you owe it to yourself to read it carefully. The author clearly demonstrates how the left’s hostility toward Israel is part and parcel of their generalized hostility toward Western societies.
The title that was given to the article…”Pro-Palestinian-in-Chief”…seems questionable, though. Supporting the “Palestinian cause” in the way that Western leftists do is not really pro-Palestinian, at least not pro-those-Palestinians-who-want-to live peaceful and happy lives. Great harm has been done to these people, as well as to Israelis and to the world in general, by the way in which the Palestinian conflict with Israel has been hyped and romanticized. It is specifically the insane focus on anti-Israel beliefs and action which has acted to prevent the economic development of the Palestinian areas and ensure the continue immiseration of its people, and all of this has been greatly aided and abetted by American and European leftists.
See this related article by Fouad Ajami, which contrasts the behavior of the Palestinian leadership with the behavior of pre-statehood Israeli leadership.
I have no doubt that Obama is pro-Palestinian and, if re-elected, would swing well to the left in this, as in other subjects. Actually, the west bank Palestinian society is prosperous and doing pretty well. Michael Totten has gone to the worst areas, like Hebron, but most of the west bank is doing well.
Gaza is the mess due to Hamas being in charge there but even there, there are nice restaurants and some level of normal life. The tragedy is that the Palestinians are so close to a real solution. They could accept the 2000 agreement that Arafat walked away from and cooperate with an Israel that has a booming economy and a labor shortage. They don’t have to condemn themselves to a life of rage and economic failure. The Prussians who lost East Prussia in 1945 are not living in settlement camps and planning suicide bombings. If you start a war and lose it, you accept the consequences. Except the Muslims who are still mourning defeats in 1258.
The central tendencies of Obama’s values are clear to anyone who pays attention to what Obama does. However, people who evaluate Obama based mainly on what he says tend to believe that Obama agrees with them on whichever issues they think are most important. Such people also tend to overlook Obama’s evasiveness about his past behavior.
People who want to be fooled will be fooled.
“people who want to be fooled”….and, of course, for people in certain professions, turning against Obama is a material career risk, and for people in heavily-Dem social circles, turning against him may mean a loss of friendships.
So, plenty of reasons to want to be fooled.
There is also a lot of crony capitalism that reminds me of Germany 1933 when Krupp and the other industrialists thought they could control Hitler. I’m not saying Obama is Hitler but a lot of smart people are supporting him thinking they can profit from the connection. Finance in this country is out of control and TARP prevented the healthy consequences to foolish behavior so it continues.