Will Obama ever learn?

It may sound peculiar, but there is plenty of truth behind the notion that president Obama and the state of Israel have more in common than the naked eye can see. This simple fact has grown evident thanks to the recent debt ceiling debate, in which Washington is being immersed.

This realization, on my part, took place a couple of days ago. The article I wrote “Facts and Myths about the US Economy” http://www.jpost.com/Magazine/Features/Article.aspx?id=230771 was not sufficiently hostile towards Obama; it was rather critical vis-à-vis some of the conservatives’ talking points concerning their understanding and treatment of the US economy. Predictably, I was condemned by a conservative friend who, more often than not, applauded my writings since we tend to see eye to eye when it comes to Israel’s security issues. This time, he disapproved, saying that I’d failed to see ”Hussein Obama for what he is: A naked Marxist who'd like to dismantle America's free enterprise system and turn this wonderful nation into a third world country.” He added that in November 2012 “this Muslim will be evicted from the White (Black house) house...” He even transferred his hostility to anyone who might come to argue that some of Obama’s economic policies have been correct by saying that I may be “suffering from white/Jewish man guilt.”

He is not alone. He represents many who view the world through the same kaleidoscope.

Oh well. If you read between the lines, you must come to one unambiguous conclusion. These particular comments unearth a serious problem. People holding these or similar views are racists; they suffer from deep and intense blind hate (emphasis on blind). Instead of looking at what the man says or does, they are blinded by his skin color, by his middle name, by some distorted illusory image, painted by rival politicians, bent on demonization and character assassination rather than reality.

Let me be clear. I am not an Obama fan, but I refuse to accept slanted characterizations of this man. Undeniably, he is neither a Marxist—as president, he is more "center" economically than many of his predecessors—nor a Muslim—he is officially a Christian, but unofficially—highly secular.

True, this president tries too hard to appease the Muslims, a fact that annoys me, makes my blood run cold. But when it comes to managing the economy his policies are far brainier than the thoughtless politicians from the Tea Party who would rather bring about an economic Armageddon than agree with Obama even on issues they would have pursued religiously had a Republican president proposed them.

Blind hate is a mental disorder preventing the sickly individual from seeing and perceiving the real world objectively without prejudice. Those who suffer from this perceptual disorder tend to demonize their hate-object without regard to what that object has been saying or doing. And being demonized by brain-washed adversaries without regard to the truth of the matter is a common trait shared by both—Obama and the Jewish state.

When Mitch McConnell announced that “the single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president,” Obama must have deemed McConnell a suicide bomber, since in Obama’s views McConnell “was willing to take us all down, himself included, have the US undergo a double-dip recession in order to score political points.” Obama understood that “ultimately, it’s the Economy, stupid,” which will determine the winner of the next election. In Obama’s view, McConnell was implying that “If we, the Republicans, manage to have the economy stalled, we increase our chances for gaining the upper hand in 2012.”

Isn’t that policy equivalent to Hamas’ claim that the single most important thing they want to achieve is for Israel to be wiped off the map? Aren’t they willing to have their people undergo physical and economic hardship in consequence? Don’t they realize that ultimately “it’s the Jew-hatred, stupid,” which will keep their popularity high, provide them with a purpose, a reason to exist?

Obama should learn his lesson and apply it to his understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He must realize that negotiating with fanatics, whose “all-or nothing” approach, whose blind hostility towards him (or Israel) directs these extremists to view compromise as a dirty word, a blasphemy worthy of the death penalty. I want to believe that the US president is smart enough to recognize that there is no hope for peace with those who view his personal (or Israel’s) demise as a priority overshadowing their own welfare, that the essence of his (or Israel’s) actions is meaningless to his (or Israel’s) hate-consumed rivals, that it’s not what or how well he (or Israel) does or what concession he (or Israel) makes, but rather who he (or the Jewish state) is.

I hope Obama learns his lesson. He should apply that new revelation to his understanding of Israel’s predicament. The US president should equate his latest negotiating experience with the GOP—Obama considers whose agenda to have been hijacked by a financial terrorist organization, a.k.a the Tea Party—with Israel’s long-term experience with the Palestinian Authority—whose agenda has been hijacked by a terrorist organization a.k.a Hamas.

I hope that Obama comes to his senses; he should realize that a peace process is lifeless when the other side refuses to negotiate, sticks to uncompromising positions, hates you for who you are, and not for what you say or do, blames you for their misfortunes rather than looking at the mirror, willing to commit suicide only to see you damaged.

Does Mr. President see the analogy? Will he finally understand? Does he realize that his assessment of Michelle Bachman is equivalent to Israel’s view of Khaled Meshaal, that his “friend” John Boehner is Israel’s Mahmoud Abbas, that his Fox News is Israel’s Al Jazeera, that the Tea Party’s obsession with taxes is equivalent to the Palestinian’s fixation on the Right of Return?

I wonder how Obama reacts to the GOP claims that their program calling for massive budget cuts—bringing about substantial layoffs in the process— contribute to economic growth. Does he see that these claims are equivalent to the Palestinian’s declaration that the terror campaign they refer to as “resistance” contributes to peace?

Unfortunately, Obama may not see the analogy. He may still opt for a peace process; he may still believe that the other side may resort to reason, may opt for a real peace, for a win-win conclusion. What this president fails to realize is that the only win for the other side is seeing him out of office, and in Israel’s case, it is wiping the Jewish state off the map.

This president needs to wake up, open his eyes and smell the dandelion.

It’s an all-out war out there including in your own backyard, Mr. President!

Dr. Avi Perry, a talk show host at Paltalk News Network(PNN), is the author of "Fundamentals of Voice Quality Engineering in Wireless Networks," and more recently, "72 Virgins," a thriller about the covert war on Islamic terror. He was a VP at NMS Communications, a Bell Laboratories distinguished staff member and manager, a delegate of the US and Lucent Technologies to UN International Standards body, a professor at Northwestern University and Intelligence expert for the Israeli Government. More information is available at www.aviperry.org