Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks about Iran during a joint meeting of the US Congress in the House chamber at the US Capitol on March 3, 2015 in Washington, DC.[/caption]During his speech before Congress, Prime Minister Netanyahu used a number of grand, rhetorical sound bites. It was all part of a concentrated effort to convince a foreign legal body to disregard their own presidents policies in favor of his own. And judging by the standing applause, these ten lines may have been the most convincing - and baffling.
1. It was never my intention forspeech tobecome political.
As anyone witheven a cursory knowledge ofAmerican politics knows, anything and everything is political once it comes beforeCongress. A New York soda ban last year made buying Coca-Cola a radical statement. Even Clint Eastwoods American Sniper became a way forRepublicans toshow their bonafides. But sure, Netanyahu thought everyone would be cool withhim circumventing the leader ofthe United States.
2. Iran is busy gobbling upnations.
Gobbling is defined as eating (something) hurriedly and noisily, making it a curious choice ofwords. Given that Netanyahu is trying toreinforce the image ofIran asa source ofancient evil inthe region, it seems odd he would choose language more evocative ofa McDonalds cheeseburger thana mortal threat toglobal security.
Kia Makarechi?@Kia_Mak
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Bibi speech had more references than a Drake song: Game of Thrones, Google, tweets, Farewell to Arms, Robert Frost, Moses #NetanyahuSpeech
8:22 PM - 3 Mar 2015
3. To defeat ISIS and let Iran get nuclear weapons would be towin the battle, butlose the war.
Somehow it seems harnessing nuclear energy is much less threatening thana group offundamentalist marauders beheading any journalist they can get their hands on. Even aside fromthe broader fact that the Iran-ISIL comparison is a false equivalency, that sounds likea battle worth winning.
4. We must all stand together tostop Irans march ofconquest, subjugation, and terror.
There has indeed been a recent wave ofconquest, subjugation, and terror, butthe marching hasnt been done byIran, but again byISIL. As seen, quite literally, below.
5. The days when the Jewish people remained passive inthe face ofgenocidal enemies are over.
The sentiment is correct. It goes withoutsaying that no one should tolerate genocide. But there is very little inmodern history tosuggest that Israel has remained passive. There was the Six-Day War in1967. There was the 1981 airstrike which destroyed the only nuclear reactor inIraq. Not tomention the military strikes which killed six members ofHezbollah inthe Golan Heights two months ago.
6. This deal will change the Middle East forthe worse and will spark a nuclear arms race inthe region.
If you listened tothe rest ofthe speech or read the previous 5 quotes it should be pretty clear that Netanyahu believes a nuclear arms race is already taking place inthe region.
Steven Oh@stevenoh88
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When did the GOP adopt #Bibi as their president? There's more applause from GOP for #NetanyahuSpeech than for all Obama speeches combined.
8:22 PM - 3 Mar 2015
7. Netanyahus insistence that Iran will always be an enemy ofthe United States.
Bibi may have gotten confused here. When addressing a joint session ofthe US Congress, its easy toforget that you do not, infact, represent the United States. He is also not a representative ofIran, making his bold statement aboutthe relationship betweenthe two nations a little speculative.
8. The standing ovation received afterNetanyahu called fora nuclear free Middle East.
Good, then everyone is inagreement. Israel, asa preeminent member ofthe Middle East, must surrender any and all nuclear weapons it has developed.
9. Israels neighbors know that Iran will become more aggressivewhen sanctions are lifted.
There he goes again, speaking fora number ofnations which he does not, infact, represent.
10. That Robert Frost reference.
Toward the speechs closing, Netanyahu referenced the famous Frost poem, The Road Not Taken, toencourage US lawmakers tomake a difficult choice. But asseveral scholars have noted, this interpretation is a gross misunderstanding ofthe poems meaning, which is, infact, a somber acknowledgement that our choices mean less thanwe think.
Logan Bayroff@Bayroff
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I don't think Bibi understands that Robert Frost poem.
8:16 PM - 3 Mar 2015
Probably not the message Bibi traveled 9,000 miles todeliver.
One person, atleast, wasnt watching. According toReuters, President Obama told reporters that he didnt watch, butread the transcript, and didnt see anything new.
By Sputnik News
