Sarkozy tells Obama, Netanyahu's a liar. Journalists blush.
“Who the fuck does he think he is? Who’s the fucking superpower here?” Bill Clinton said in exasperation about Benjamin Netanyahu after one of the Israeli prime minister’s characteristic displays of arrogance in 1996.
Now we learn that last Thursday at the G20 summit in Cannes, France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy privately described Netanyahu as a “liar” and said “I cannot stand him,” to which President Obama gave the fairly tepid response: “You’re fed up with him, but I have to deal with him every day!”
The exchange was picked up on an open microphone but the press in Cannes who overheard the presidential tête-à-tête agreed that it was too sensitive to report.
Are these journalists or presidential courtiers?
The surprising lack of coverage may be explained by a report alleging that journalists present at the event were requested to sign an agreement to keep mum on the embarrassing comments. A Reuters reporter was among the journalists present and can confirm the veracity of the comments.
A member of the media confirmed Monday that “there were discussions between journalists and they agreed not to publish the comments due to the sensitivity of the issue.”
He added that while it was annoying to have to refrain from publishing the information, the journalists are subject to precise rules of conduct.
Like when they are supposed to curtsy, make full bows, or discreetly look the other way?
Even now, now that the Sarkozy-Obama indiscretion has leaked out, there are several variations of translation of what Obama said.
“You may be sick of him, but me, I have to deal with him every day.” “You’ve had enough of him? I have to deal with him every day!”
These are different ways of translating “Tu en as marre de lui, mais moi, je dois traiter avec lui tous les jours !” That’s how Obama’s words were rendered on ArretSurImages.net.
So even though the press has broken its four day silence, instead of reporting the exact wording — words surely spoken in English — the press is merely repeating what has been reported on the French website — and even though the contents of that report have been confirmed by Reuters.
Watch out for the word sensitivity in any news report. Chances are, what it really refers to is complicity.
Nice start Obama. Now, when are you going to kick him down the stairs?
Now that we have a bit of ‘accidential’ truth out in front of the world how long do we have to wait for some courage? If the “worlds leaders” had the balls to tell it like it is up front we may start seeing some justice for the Palestinian people.
So the two revile Netanyahu, but the guy gets everything he wants – the logical conclusion must be that he holds a great deal of power, something we all know from the disgraceful standing ovations from Congress. So what to do? Shouldn’t a leader of a country of 8 million holding a grip on the policy of a superpower of over 300 million be called an extreme danger to national security worthy of a direct address to the nation that bypasses Congress? After all, Obama is the chief executive, though I think he believes that the word execute only applies to extrajudicial killings. I admit it, I’m afraid for the United States where we the people have lost control and can’t elect someone who can exercise any when it is most needed.
Talking so generally about “the press” this and that does not give us the facts. Who in the press ignored it, who do they work for, and who owns the organizations for whom they work? Do we have any reason to think that certain American media might be more loyal to Israel than to the American public? We would be wary of what Salt Lake City and Ogden papers say about Romney, and it would be fair game in the US press to comment on it the possibility of bias in a Mormon-owned paper, but saying anything about who does own all the major newspapers and other media and how that just might influence their actions with regard to Netanyahu – this is not an approved move.
As if we don’t know that, lol, and look who’s talking; Sarkozy and Obama: both are poodles of the same’ol-same’ol, and both are liars, almost just like Natenyahoo.