israel

Mitt Romney still loves mandates and even universal health care. Here's what he said on his Israel trip:

“Do you realize what health care spending is as a percentage of the G.D.P. in Israel? Eight percent,” he said. “You spend eight percent of G.D.P. on health care. You’re a pretty healthy nation. We spend 18 percent of our G.D.P. on health care, 10 percentage points more. That gap, that 10 percent cost, compare that with the size of our military — our military which is 4 percent, 4 percent. Our gap with Israel is 10 points of G.D.P. We have to find ways — not just to provide health care to more people, but to find ways to fund and manage our health care costs.”

But as Think Progress notes, Israel's healthcare is nothing like that here in the U.S.:

Israel spends less on health care because of a universal health system that requires everyone to have insurance. Every Israeli citizen has the obligation to purchase health care services through one of the country’s four HMOs since government officials approved the National Health Insurance Law in 1995. People pay for 40 percent of their HMO’s costs through income-related contributions collected through the tax system, and the state pays the remaining 60 percent. And by many standards, Israelis are getting better health care than U.S. citizens. The infant mortality rate is much lower, and its mortality rate due to heart disease is half the U.S. rate.

All major news organizations are reporting that Anthony Weiner has advised his associates that he is resigning from Congress. ABC reports the following:

Weiner, 46, has begun sharing his decision with close friends, the sources said, but has not yet sent a formal letter to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo indicating his intentions.

A Democratic source said Weiner called House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Steve Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Wednesday night while they were at a White House picnic to inform them he would resign today.

If any good comes from this, maybe the media will move beyond this story soon. This has become such a major story and distraction.

With the resignation of Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) today, that leaves a question of who could end up replacing him on the ballot this November. Most are predicting that Bob Thomas will pick up the mantle, especially given the close defeat Thomas saw in his primary challenge to Souder a couple of weeks ago.

I don’t know much about Thomas, but from a read of his campaign website, he sure seems to be freshly picked from wingnut fields. There are two issues that really stick out at me. First is his position on Israel:

Most of us in this country are Christians, myself included, and as such we share a direct heritage with Israel. In addition, Israel has been one of only a few consistent friends of the United States, and our only reliable ally in the near east. We must never let our support of Israel waiver. Israel is being constantly harassed by the Syrians and the Iranians and until somebody does something about that there will never be any peace in the region and Israel will be a consistent target of terrorism.

That’s highlighted on his front page, but directly contradicts another one of his beliefs. Go to this page and scroll to the last video. It is entitled “Foreign Aid Is Wasteful”.  Can Thomas tell us who the biggest recipient of U.S. foreign aid is? Let me answer it for him. The biggest recipient of U.S. foreign aid just so happens to be Israel.

So does Thomas’ support for Israel also means stripping them of foreign aid? I am giddy with anticipation to here how he explains that one.

Nothing gets to me more than hearing Republicans talk about Obama and how he is anti-Israel. Of course these Republicans aren’t Jewish, but if you don’t listen to them then you don’t know what you are talking about. Well it seems like Israel is speaking out and showing that the Republicans are just flat out wrong:

Some 27 percent of Israelis believe that U.S. President Barack Obama is anti-Semitic, according to a Haaretz-Dialog poll conducted this week.

Another 56 percent questions said they don't believe politicians who call Obama anti-Semitic or hostile to Israel, or who say he is "striving to topple Netanyahu."

On the whole, Obama's popularity may be declining in American public opinion, but a sweeping majority of Israelis think his treatment of this country is friendly and fair.

Sorry Republicans but you are again on the wrong side of international relations. No big shocker there.

CBS has published a New Republic article entitled “Meet Iran’s George W. Bush”, in which they talk about the similarities between the election in Iran and the 2004 election for George Bush. Now the right is up in arms over this.

Gateway Pundit:

THIS IS WAY-WAY OVER THE TOP----
CBS compares Iran's Holocaust denier, womens right's abuser, America-hating radical to George W. Bush.

NewsBusters:

In today's "Will Bush Derangement Syndrome Ever End" segment, CBSNews.com published an article from The New Republic comparing Iran's crazed leader who believes the holocaust never happened and Israel should be wiped off the face of the planet to -- wait for it! -- America's 43rd president.

Isn't that special?

Wizbang Backup:

This is an outrage! CBS has a piece on their website that is so out of line it's one of the most agregious and disgusting examples of media malpractice I think I have ever seen.

So did these people express the same outrage every time FOX news called President Obama a terrorist or change his name to Osama? Nope. So either they think its ok to say things like this about a democratic president, or they think Osama isn’t as bad as Ahmadinejad. Either reason is totally inexcusable.

I was ignoring the story of the wingnut Pajamas Media sending Joe “the Plumber” to Israel to be some new “war correspondent”. Let’s face it – you can send anyone to a situation and get whatever spin you want out of it, and old Joe the Plumber Liar is no different.

But now that has changed. He had to open his mouth and make another one of his idiotic comments:

I’ll be honest with you. I don’t think journalists should be anywhere allowed war. I mean, you guys report where our troops are at. You report what’s happening day to day. You make a big deal out of it. I think it’s asinine. You know, I liked back in World War I and World War II when you’d go to the theater and you’d see your troops on, you know, the screen and everyone would be real excited and happy for’em. Now everyone’s got an opinion and wants to downer–and down soldiers. You know, American soldiers or Israeli soldiers.

{[}]lt;strong>I think media should be abolished from, uh, you know, reporting. You know, war is hell. And if you’re gonna sit there and say, “Well look at this atrocity,” well you don’t know the whole story behind it half the time, so I think the media should have no business in it.

A candidate for Prime Minister of Israel has basically copied the design of Obama’s website. Not really a bad idea considering Obama has laid the foundation for the next generation of political-web sites.

The U.S. decides not to join in the international ban of cluster bombs:

More than 100 countries reached agreement Wednesday to ban cluster bombs, controversial weapons that human rights groups deplore but that the United States, which did not join the ban, calls an integral, legitimate part of its arsenal.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, whose personal intervention Wednesday led to final agreement among representatives of 111 countries gathered in Dublin, called the ban a "big step forward to make the world a safer place."

So what other countries joined us in not signing onto this ban? We got some nice company here:

In addition to the United States, Russia, China, Israel, India and Pakistan -- all of them major producers or users of the weapons -- did not sign the agreement or participate in the talks.

Of course when you have a President that is too fucking chicken to actually fight in a war, then you have a President that doesn't know the costs of war and what weapons like this actually do.