I am glad, finally a Republican had the common sense and the guts to speak out, most of the Republicans know that the aggressive stance of a few among us is wrong, but simply do not have courage to say, what is wrong is wrong.
Those few like, Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, Perry, Cain, Bachman, Huckabee and others even surprise Israelis for the pro-Israeli mouthing they do. Neither moderate majority of Israelis, nor the Jewry around the world is in favor of endangering Israel through Netanyahu’s’ bully pulpit. Loot at the way the American Jews dumped these men and women in the primaries and nearly 70% of Jews are with Obama, the sane man on the Middle East Policy. Netanyahu’s policies will render Israel insecure for generations to come; he has pushed Israel into isolation. I seriously doubt if he represents the view of a majority of Israelis and Jews around the world.
Gates is right, and I have been talking about the same in numerous write ups as well as speaking out on Hannity Show at Fox News. I predict the timid ones will find a shepherd in Gates.
War is wrong, it will destroy Israel, Iran, others and US. The common man gets screwed, while Cheney, Bush and others have their own safe heavens, they will never have to worry about losing the job, putting their hungry kids to bed or getting their home foreclosed.
Secretary Gates, you are a true American hero and a supporter of Israel and the peace.
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer committed to build cohesive societies.
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Former US defense secretary lashes out at Israel, warns against military strike on Iran
Israel ‘does not have a blank check to harm American interests,’ says Robert Gates — who last year called the Jewish state an ungrateful ally
The United States needs to tell Israel that it does not “have a blank check to take action that could do grave harm to American vital interests,” according to former US defense secretary Robert Gates.
Gates, who served under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama from 2006 through 2011, was quoted by the Virginian-Pilot as warning against a military strike on Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities, saying it could “prove catastrophic.”
Neither the United States nor Israel is capable of totally destroying Iran’s nuclear program, Gates said, and any strike would ultimately backfire.
“Such an attack would make a nuclear-armed Iran inevitable,” he said. “They would just bury the program deeper and make it more covert.”
Speaking at a forum in Norfolk, Virginia on Wednesday, Gates added, ”The results of an American or Israeli military strike on Iran could, in my view, prove catastrophic, haunting us for generations in that part of the world.”
Gates, who served in the Central Intelligence Agency for 26 years before becoming secretary of defense, suggested letting the United Nations attempt to persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear program.
Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued at the United Nations General Assembly in New York for the international community — and especially the United States — to warn Iran against passing a “red line” in nuclear enrichment beyond which military measures would be taken. The Obama administration has firmly rejected the idea of red lines, but has said it will stop Iran attaining nuclear weapons.
Last year, shortly before he stepped down as secretary of defense, Gates harshly criticized Netanyahu’s government and called Israel an ungrateful ally of the United States.