Haroon says Obama is silent, and that’s bad. MJ Rosenberg says Obama is silent, and that’s good.
As a matter of political principle, as painful as it is for me to say it, Obama must be silent. He is absolutely correct; with three weeks before his inauguration the US cannot be seen as speaking with a forked tongue. Bush is absolutely, 100% wrong now, as he has been on most of his Israel policy. It’s been bad for Israel, it’s been bad for Palestinians, and it’s been bad for the US. However, we must respect the Office of the President, if not its occupant. There is only one President. Bush is it. It is a horrible precedent for a President-elect to speak out about such a sensitive issue, particularly if he is at variance with the current President. It is also bad foreign policy; who is the world listening to.
Obama must remain silent.