BY SCHMOEL YITZHAK
Hope for the best -- expect the worst. Anonymous
The above bromide is the only realistic mental route to take when interpreting Barack Obama's visit to Israel.
Surely there were positive aspects of the American president's discovery of The Jewish State:
1. He actually came.
2. He actually told the Arabs that Israel must be recognized as a "Jewish state."
3. He made some nice speeches.
4. He told Mahmoud Abbas that he'd better shape up.
Well, that was all very nice of him but, really, what has he done of substance about the real issue, Iran?
Zilch. Nada. Gournished.
And when all is said and done, Iran is what it's all about.
With Uncle Sam's support, Israel must deliver the pre-emptive strike against Tehran's nuclear facilities. Otherwise, sooner or later, the bombs will be raining on Israel and that will be the end of it.
As long as Obama is president, Benjamin Netanyahu will not get that "go-ahead" blessing because his leftists advisors from the Defense Secretary to the Secretary of State and others in the White House brain trust -- whether they know it or not -- are pure disciples of the Neville Chamberlain appease-appease-appease camp.
Over and over again we'll be told that Obama has "all options" on the table when it comes to dealing a blow to Iran but we already have seen that the only "option" is the embargo-sanction that troubles the mullahs as much as a mosquito bite bothers an elephant.
Not surprisingly, Obama pleased many Israelis who were skeptical about his visit.
He pleased them because the president has the knack.
Snake oil salesmen, con men and assorted other frauds have that ability to deceive. After all, how do you think he became president. Step by step, his rise was choreographed while Obama did nothing of substance as he climbed the ladder but give what the public considered eloquent speeches. Ron Ross of The American Spectator has X-rayed the president's style and nailed it down perfectly in print.
"Obama's most dangerous talent is his ability to make people believe he's something he's not," writes Ross. "He's effective because he has successfully hidden his true objectives."
Israelis -- those who believe in him -- should pay particular attention to the next line: "He has convinced his followers that he has their interests at heart, that he cares about them and wants to help them. The key ingredient in his power lies in his ability to deceive."
Do I believe that anything positive will come of the president's visit to Israel?
I would like to be optimistic but America's Commander In Chief has a track record that tells me in the end, he will deceive Bibi on peace with the Arabs, dealing with Egypt, Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran; not to mention what's happened lately with Turkey.
Don't tell me that Bibi's "apology" to the Turks over the flotilla episode came from Netanyahu himself. Never happen.
That was a product of Obama's con job visit. And no sooner had the president departed for Jordan we hear that Erdogan can't wait to visit Gaza and make nice with Israel's sworn enemy, Hamas.
For the moment at least, Jerusalem's relations with Egypt, the Palestinians and, yes, Turkey, remain small potatoes compared with what lies ahead in terms of the Iranian threat.
I would like nothing more than to be fooled by the president but my gut feeling is that he will do nothing of substance -- nothing at all -- to help Israel's defense in this regard.
Because when all is said and done, that man in the White House is what he is a cardboard president. And if Israelis want to believe the nice things he said on his visit, I say let them since Israel is a free country and you can think and say anything you want from The Golan to Eilat.
But my pessimism is based on what I have seen this man do since taking office. Or, as Ron Ross notes:
"Obama sees no difference between his opinions and the truth. He doesn't seem to recognized that there is such a thing as the truth."
Now let's wait and see how the facts of Middle East politics evolve in the next few months to determine who's right.
The advice from here: don't bet a single shekel that Obama will be Israel's genuine pal.
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