Would that this be brought up at HRC’s hearings….like that will happen.

I’m waiting for someone to call Bush “Olmert’s Poodle” the way Blair was called “Bush’s Poodle”.

I think you just did.

i’m not sure i believe olmert on this. are there any other sources?

So w, how’s that ‘leaving office with my head held high’ thing working for ya?

As if we needed any further proof that Olmert is an asshole.

While Olmert’s story is self-aggrandizing, it has the ring of truth. Does anyone doubt that Israel exerts such influence on U.S. foreign policy? The only surprising element is that the U.S. Secretary of State pushed a SC resolution that Israel hadn’t signed off on.

Anyone got a tag on any media coverage of whatever speech Bush supposedly gave in Phila?

The Guardian has a piece on it here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worl…..lmert-bush

It’s like Olmert is reading from a script written by the American Nazi Party. Is that guy nuts, or is he just trying to wreak havoc.

So, Condi, how’s that Mideast Peace Agreement coming along? You know, the one you were going to arrange between last August and now?

Worst. Administration. Ever.

Is that guy nuts, or is he just trying to wreak havoc.

I wouldn’t consider those mutually exclusive options.

Is that guy nuts, or is he just trying to wreak havoc.

yes. see gaza.

he appears to be willing to do anything, with no regard for others, including the life and death of the people of his own country, including even the future viability of his own country, in order to appear bigger than life in his own mind.

thanks for the link. but here also olmert is the only source:

Olmert, in a speech in Hebrew, is reported to have said: “When we saw that the secretary of state, for reasons we did not really understand, wanted to vote in favour of the UN resolution … I looked for President Bush and they told me he was in Philadelphia making a speech.

“I said, ‘I don’t care. I have to talk to him now’. They got him off the podium, brought him to another room and I spoke to him. I told him, ‘You can’t vote in favour of this resolution.’ He said, ‘Listen, I don’t know about it, I didn’t see it, I’m not familiar with the phrasing.’”

Olmert said: “He gave an order to the secretary of state and she did not vote in favour of it – a resolution she cooked up, phrased, organised and manoeuvred for. She was left pretty shamed and abstained on a resolution she arranged.”

Israeli leaders do think they control American foreign policy. Ariel Sharon is supposed to have related similar stories, but I agree that Olmert is a weasel and I would take nothing he said at face value.

Bush did give a speech in Philadelphia. Be nice to know if there is any record of it being interrupted so he could take a phone call.

The craziest thing about this is the silence of the jingosphere.

No, that I’d expect.
Houston, we have a problem.
The Cone of Silence ruptured, and something’s spewing out. Code Red! Code Red!

So much for the viability of the Annapolis scam!
166 hrs & 13 min

More like Olmert’s Chihuahua…nothing but a whimpering purse-dog.

The kind you throw your shoe at….

You are right. Now, if a foreign leader made a similar statement about a Dem administration…

It’s nice to finally know who’s running things in DC. Do you suppose Israel will support universal health care for us?

OK… just what kind of “allies” are these people? What kind of joker of an allied PM would make hay of punking the American president, even if he did do it? We all know shrub is worthless as a president, a leader and a human being, so it does not surprise anyone that he could be used like this, but, seriously, Olmert’s way out of line here. The past centuries, wars would’ve been started by less obnoxiousness than this.

Well, since an Israeli telecom co seems to intercept everything, just ask Olmert to cough up the recording of the call.

I say we play along with the story and we ask him to show hard evidence as in a recording of the call.

if the results of this insanity wasn’t measured in piles of bodies, this kind of public bitch slap to the Bush adminsitration would be hilarious.

but unfortunately, there are dead kids and i can’t laugh.
such a waste of lives.

Digg it.

I don’t think they have much involvement in our domestic policy. Other special interests draft policies on that, like Big Pharma, for instance.

Everything else I have seen is based upon reports of Olmert’s speech in Hebrew at Ashkelon. Maybe Haarez or some other Israeli source may have corroborating stories

Al Jazeera has the story as well: http://english.aljazeera.net/n…..66779.html

http://www.philly.com/philly/n…..23069.html
This is the only story I can find from that day in the Inquirer that talks about Bush giving a speech. He gave one touting himself on NCLB – there is nothing here about Bush being called away from the podium for a call..zip. I think Olmert is playing a ‘mine is bigger than yours’ game here. He may have called Bush to put pressure on him, but I don’t think that anything like his story of ‘I got him pulled away from the speech’ thing took place. My two cents.

Maybe we can get Joe the faux plumber journalist to go interview Olmert.
166 hrs & 7 min

Olmert’s is not only bigger, it’s curled and salty like a pretzel. Just the sort of thing Bush could get choked on.

hugh @14 – were sharon’s claims true in addition to being self-aggrandizing? i’m not saying i disbelieve either… just doing bit of fence sitting.

ratfood @15 – excellent point. i will see what i can find.

Oh that’s going to play well in the Arab media. The US has to get out there with a formal diplomatic protest over this. If true, this is shear lunacy. I remember when apartheid South African leaders used to do this exact maneauver all the time, but they were South African and nobody would listen to their claims anyway.

I mean if Olmert is going to BRAG then he should REALLY BOAST.

But my guess is that there is a part Olmert is leaving out in his retelling of the call…perhaps a reminder to Bush…

Who the hell is really running this country ?

What kind of joker of an allied PM would make hay of punking the American president, even if he did do it?

I have no clue. My first three guesses:
1. Deluded,
2. Drunk,
3. Scared shitless.

Or some evil cocktail mix of the above.

There are many parallels and intersections between Israel and apartheid South Africa.

He’s clueless he still actually thinks he did a good job!

Good riddance !!!

The best narrative I read today was from Juan Cole at Informed Comment who had problems with the narrative as well, consequently has a different take on the story.

http://www.juancole.com/2009/0…..to-be.html

Congratulations Olmert. I have gone through 3 phases now, just now finishing the last one: 1) Full support of Israel, believing that they are good(tm); 2) Becoming disillusioned and diffident towards Israel as they screwed the Palestinians again and again without any proportionality at all; to 3) Outright anger and disgust with Israel, wishing that we’d fully cut them off and let them sit on their own.

Israel is NOT the 51st state. Tel Aviv is NOT the capitol of the USA. Israel’s existence has nothing to do with the USA. If it had never existed or if it ceased to exist tomorrow, it would not affect the USA in any substantive way.

It is time that it was dealt with based on reality as it is: Israel is of no importance to the continued existence, is actually a net harm, to the USA and its true interests. Cut them loose.

Israel SUCKS!

Was being snarky, of course. Seriously though, is Israel calling all the shots on our foreign policy? The very thought of that makes me feel queasy.

I would say that Sharon had roughly as much credibility as Olmert.

See how it works? Anyone who still thinks the US in in charge of its foreign affairs is gravely mistaken. The tail is wagging the dog.

America is not attacked by Islamists because of Israel. But one of the reasons America is attacked by Islamists is because of Washington’s unlimited and unqaulified support for Israel. This is a staemnt of fact, not opinion or analysis. It goes along with the fact that the Islamists attack us because we are the protectors of Islamofascist tyrannies in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, Egypt and elsehwere. Surely a fact is a fact and ought to be the basis for discussion when we find American treasure and soldiers being spent to defend Israel and various Arab police states.

Arrogant and self-centered sociopaths like Olmert don’t give a damn about consequences. The world is their oyster, and they’ll take the whole damned thing down with them.

I read somewhere (here at fdl?) that Cheney was against signing, Rice was for signing, so Bush compromised and ordered her to abstain.

Just left ya a reply back on that Attaturk thread. Gotta run so won’t be able to respond, but know “it ain’t no big thang,” as the kids say…

There was his January 8, 2009 speech in Philly about the NCLB Act…

I really do think this is a bit of grandstanding on the part of Olmert..
http://www.albionmonitor.com/0…..gaza6.html
“Meanwhile, disgraced Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who was forced to resign amidst a corruption scandal and will step down in the new year, is concerned about his legacy, and hoping to win some redeeming credit for any successful Gaza campaign..”
On the other hand, I also read a piece recently where he claimed he had called Bush to tell him to brief Obama on ‘the unique relationship between the United States and Israel.”

Wait until Bibi Netanyahu wins the Israeli elections as he most likely will…

Cheney wanted to VETO. The President compromised…

The only exert influence over the facets of our foreign policy they think effect them. Very few examples during the past 60 years of the U.S. doing anything that appeared to run counter to Israel’s wishes. That isn’t entirely the result of outside pressure, U.S. pols have mostly been willing accomplices.

reply to Twain @ 39

I hope the responses @ 8, 26, 37 will provide a loci of reports that you can find a level of information you are comfortable with. All the best……

away

Can anyone get raw footage of the bush presser to see if he disappears off stage for a minute or two? Is this just bluster for Israeli internal political consumption (there is an election in the offing). Did this really happen?

Either way, both men are on their way out, so neither will suffer any fall-out if it did or didn’t happen.

Bush needs to swap his american flag lapel pin for a star of david.
165 hrs & 51 min

per ratfood, time a mini-timeline:

via t-bear’s haaretz link: it’s UN Resolution 1860. and the phone call was made at 3:30 A.M. – jerusalem time? that would i think make it 8:30pm EST (EST is 7 hours behind?)

jan 8:

9:32 A.M. EST

Press Gaggle by Deputy Press Secretary Scott Stanzel
Aboard Air Force One
En Route Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Press Briefings

11:19 A.M. EST – 11:46 A.M. EST

President Bush Discusses No Child Left Behind
General Philip Kearny School
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

8:30 PM EST – 3:30 A.M., Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also intervened with a desperate phone call to President George W. Bush

The meeting began at 9:15 p.m. and ended at 10:15 p.m.

Security Council
6063rd Meeting (Night)
Resolution 1860 (2009) Adopted by 14 in Favour, Abstention by United States;

is this correct? am i missing anything?

thanks

I would say that Sharon had roughly as much credibility as Olmert.

thanks. could be true and the boasting is in the telling? or could be at least partially made up? i can’t seem to push myself off the fence

Shorter Olmert:

I dragged my bitch outa there, slapped him around and he called off the Ho.

apologies to Attackerman

oops. epu-land. guess i’m just too slow….

Good work, although I’m not certain what to make of it.

Juan Cole gets into it a bit and notes that, in fact, Bush made his speech without interruptions. The details as given by Olmert are in opposition to objective reality. There may have been a conversation between Bush and Olmert the War Criminal (a War Criminals Caucus, as it were) while he was generically in Philly going over notes, joking around with aides – calling them insulting names, etc – but it was not in the midst of anything of particular importance.

Still, I can’t express enough my total disregard and despite for Israel and its actions. It is a state predicated upon war crime after war crime, iced with crimes against humanity.

Eastern time is 6 hours later than London (Greenwich time), IIRC Tel Aviv is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich so NY time would be 8 hours later than Israel time.

selise,

Philly bloggers I have been reading do not mention an interuption of the speech. I have not found any video posting. And as you note through your WH link, there is no interruption in the transcript (except Spellings clarifying a teacher’s name).

Now, was the start of the speech delayed?

That would be about 7:30 pm Eastern time

This is confusing. Either he made the call at 3:30 A.M. or he interrupted a speech in Philadelphia. I don’t see any record of Bush giving a speech in Philadelphia that night. For what it’s worth, I’m watching the speech at the school now, and there are no interruptions so far. You can find it on this page: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2009/01/

I’ll repeat my request to Olmert. Get the recording of the call. Olmert is leaving out details and exaggerating other details.

I agree with Juan Cole:

Finally we come to the really big mystery. If the substance of what Olmert said is correct, even if he got some details wrong, then why in the world did Bush listen to him? Bush is outgoing and faces no new elections. His party cannot benefit or suffer with the Israel lobbies from a decision he took in relative secrecy since it won’t even face another election for 2 years, by which time this Gaza war will be completely forgotten.

Why in the world would Bush over-rule the US Secretary of State, for the sake of Olmert, in the midst of delicate negotiations with European and Arab allies? Here are the only possibilities I can think of:

1. Bush is as dumb as he looks and just agrees with the last person he spoke to.

2. Bush hates it when the roar of cannon dies down, and is a sadist who enjoys prolonging war far too much to ever actively back a ceasefire.

3. Olmert has something over Bush. I remember that Bush had taken on Sharon in September of 2001, calling for a Palestinian state and ordering Sharon to stop colonizing the West Bank. Sharon was so furious that he compared Israel’s situation to that of Czechoslovakia in 1938, when the rest of Europe let Hitler grab part of it. But by spring of 2002 Bush was bending over backward to please the Likud. What changed? Something did. There is a mystery to be explained here. I only point out that along with the previous two explanations, this one would make sense of otherwise baffling behavior on Bush’s part.

I think Juan Cole’s remarks may reflect what happened, an aid in the WH told Olmert that Bush was giving a speech in Philidelphia, not that he was at the moment speaking in Philidelphia, thus the confusion in the report. Go look up: http://www.juancole.com/2009/0…..to-be.html

You mean I’m watching this speech for nothing? Man, it is tough going.

error alert: Greenwich is 5 hours ahead of NY, not 6. Therefore Selice’s 8:30 pm was correct. Tel Aviv is 7 hours ahead of NY.

House Judiciary Issues Scathing Report on Bush/Cheney Imperial Presidency
Christy’s upstairs a flight.

You know what? Fuck Israel.

Precisely.

May the great god Cthulhu bring us a President that doesn’t have Israel’s dick in his/her mouth!

If you start your bed rest now, you may recover most of your sanity and intelligence by the weekend.

TURN OFF THE VID!

“he appears to be willing to do anything, with no regard for others, including the life and death of the people of his own country, including even the future viability of his own country, in order to appear bigger than life in his own mind.”

I lost track…were we talking about Olmert or GWB?

thanks t-bear, klynn, ratfood, praedor, saltinwound.

just a wag now…. the time of the phone call makes some sense – if it was only an hour or two before the security council meeting i can see olmert calling bush directly rather than going through their staff. but unless bush was making another speech that evening, olmert was most certainly embellishing the bit about pulling bush off the state.

regardless of the veracity of olmert – what does seem clear though is the “silence of the jingosphere”

regardless of the veracity of olmert – what does seem clear though is the “silence of the jingosphere”

And Olmert’s willingness to humiliate Bush and Rice.

You could look at it from this viewpoint: Bush wants credit for expanding democracy in the middle east, his “real” reason for invading iraq and killing Sadam. He must therefore acquiesce to the demands of Israel, our traditional toehold and, literally, our spearhead of democracy in the middle east. The policy of Israel is the USAs policy in actual fact. No reason not to let Olmert run it. (After all, he has balls).

So, total support must be given to Israel the democracy, to further the Bush agenda of democratizing the middle east, his cover for having gone to war in Iraq by lying about WMDs. Bush wants to be able to add another notch for democracy in his gun and cover his real reason for attacking Iraq. he’s thinking about his long term legacy of bringing democracy to the world. From his point of view, this might make sense.

Maybe he really can ignore starving and dying children just fine, thanks.

“Why is the United States of America taking orders from Israel?”

Thats a easy one. Because you are owned lock stock and congress.

Why is Israel dictating US foreign policy considered news? they have been in control of US foreign policy for decades.

It’s news because their PM is openly bragging about how much he owns us. That’s not happened before, as far as I know.

There are many parallels and intersections between Israel and apartheid South Africa.

Maybe 911 of them.

11:19 A.M. EST – 11:46 A.M. EST
President Bush Discusses No Child Left Behind

8:30 PM EST
3:30 A.M., Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also intervened with
a desperate phone call to President George W. Bush

The meeting began at 9:15 p.m. and ended at 10:15 p.m.
Security Council

is this correct? am i missing anything?

Let’s see…

The Sun rises in the East so it’s morning in Israel before our night is done. It’s still night in Israel at 3:30am (GMT-2 probably).

GMT would’ve been 1:30am probably.

US time is GMT+5 (as I recall).

So, we were at 8:30 probably.

It appears to me Bush may have spoken to Olmert about 30-45 minutes before the UN vote, but as you show, many hours after the 11am speech.

Yeah, I think you’ve got it right.