Regarding the fatal bomb explosion in Jerusalem, Obama condemns "the bombing" -- but not the bomber. As for fire directed at southern Israel from Gaza, he condemns "the rockets and mortars" -- not the Palestinian groups which do the actual firing, or Iran which supplies them with such weaponry.
Moving on, It's fine for Obama to say there is never any justification for terrorism. But neither is there any justification for ignoring the source of this particular terrorism
Obama again tiptoes around the plain fact that this was a Palestinian attack on Israeli civilians when he calls on "the groups responsible" to end such attacks. Which groups? Hamas and Islamic Jihad have been pelting Israel with some 60 rocket and mortar attacks in the last four days. Why throw a cloak of anonymity around them? And could the Jerusalem bomber have been inspired by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas's incessant anti-Israel incitement campaign, including serial glorifications of suicide bombers? Shouldn't Obama, at a minimum, have called on Abbas to end such incitement?
The president, in his statement, extends "deepest condolences" for both victims of the Jerusalem bombing and for the deaths of Palestinian civilians a day earlier. That's playing the all too familiar, but totally misplaced, equivalence game. What Obama fails to point out is that the Jerusalem bombing was deliberately aimed to injure and kill as many civilians as possible, whereas there was no such intent the day before when the IDF, responding to rocket and mortar attacks from a grove, accidentally hit these Palestinian civilians next to the grove.
There is a moral difference between Hamas' use of Palestinian civilians as "human shields" when directing rocket attacks against Israel, and the IDF going to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties.
So, Obama ends his statement by urging "all parties to do everything in their power to prevent further violence and civilian casualties." Again, the equivalence game. As far as Obama is concerned, Palestinian terrorists and Israel have equal responsibility to end the mayhem. Obama obviously doesn't get it. It's not Israel that has racheted up violent attacks in recent days and weeks. It's Palestinians. If they would stop, the violence would end. Obama needed to point the finger at the real culprits. He didn't.
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http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/03/obamas_fatuous_statement_on_te.html at March 23, 2011 - 05:34:40 PM CDT
Note: Words matter, messages matter. Given individuals believe Obama's gift is his language, then read on to understand why we are making the following a "big deal."
