Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin called for the United States to draw a "red line" against Iran to prevent the country from getting a nuclear weapon; an "existential" issue for him.
"Once the Iranians understand that there's a line that they can't cross, they're not likely to cross it," he told David Gregory on Meet the Press.
Iran, Netanyahu argued, is guided by "unbelievable fanaticism," likening the Tehran government to the protesters who stormed U.S. embassies across the Middle East this week.
"It's the same fanaticism that you see storming your embassies today. You want these fanatics to have nuclear weapons?"
In addition to the rising tension between Israel and Iran, the turmoil across the Middle East continues to dominate the administration’s focus. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, said this morning that they "can't predict with any certainty" when the protests across the Middle East would end because it is "a spontaneous reaction to a video."
As for questions to whether there was a breakdown or failure of U.S. intelligence gathering that could have prevented or given fair warning to the raids, Rice said that there was “no actionable intelligence to suggest that any attack on our facility in Benghazi was imminent.”
“We did have indications that there was the risk that the video might spark some protests” in Cairo, she said.
Rice also responded to criticism from the GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney for the administration’s response to the turmoil. He has said that the U.S. should not “apologize” for American values. Rice called that criticism “vacuous.”
“I think the American people, and certainly our diplomats and development experts who are putting their lives on the line around the world every day, expect from our leadership unity in times of challenge,” Rice said.
Make sure to watch the entire program on our website, to hear more from our guests including a special roundtable the dealt with the question of American leadership in the world and whether or not it's declining.
Also make sure to watch our PRESS Pass interview with Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles, co-chairs of the presidents fiscal commission and thought leaders on how to handle the country's economic future.
We'll be back next week. If it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press.
Leave a Comment:
You have a tendency to repeat talking points as though they're facts. Today's show was more of the same. Netanyahu is not the leader of the Jewish people, he's the elected leader of Isreal. You're in a position of trust. Try to honor that trust by knowing the facts.
I think our administration has apologized to much. I agree with Cheny's daughters thoughts that America is not feared or respected anymore because we have gone soft on some issues. That did not just happen with Obama but Bush and partly Clinton. We need to keep our military strong. I fear that Obama is being weak with Iran because he does believe in the Curan instead of the bible. If we do not stop Iran we will all be kissing our butts goodbye.
Cheneys' Daughter is sure from the mold of her father ,who was a big factor in taking us to war in Iraq and has cost us about 4 Trillion ? Plus cost few thousand of our soldiers lives and still many are dying today in Afganistan? Many in the Middle East are mostly behind us, but now the fringe fanatics have taken a horrible film produced, by who CNN says is an Egyptian born Christian, to attack? The media is not talking about this man and his being Egyptian here in our country or in the Middle East? Mary from Nevada is she willing to go fight these wars or is her family now fighting our wars? I have two in the military.
Putorium, I respect your point of view, but let me correct you on something. It was not Cheney or Busy that caused the wars it was the terroists. See what most americans don't get is that if our military didn't act when we did then more substantial attacks would have been enacted on America costing more lives and money than what was lost. I to have a brother in the Army and a father that is retired from the military and both know the truth about fighting for this country and keeping citizens safe from attacks on American soil. The more we stay neutral the more America becomes weak and venerable to out side extremists that want to destroy this great nation. Please lets not let what happened a Pearl harbor happen again because of the ignorance of self preservation.
They act like they are surprised at the violence erupting in the Middle East. So say that this video alone has sparked this violence is ridiculous. It would appear to any reasonable American that the radical Muslims of the world are waiting on any minutia issue to kill Americans. Without proper leadership and controls in these countries, the activity will not only spread and become worse, it will be brought to the United States. What this Administration has done through its "Spread Democracy" efforts is to tear down the very walls that helped protect the citizens of these countries and Americans working overseas. If they believe it will get better, they are naive. Rice can say that Romney's comments are vacuous; but what is vacuous are foreign policies, in particular the Middle East, of this Administration is bearing the fruits of its efforts. No one with any degree of 'intelligence' can deny this fact.
I agree with Heyward and Mary. Your show did little to address the real issue of the violence in the middle east. You are still, 4 days later, talking about a statement from Mitt Romney, never mind that from 2 attached embassies, there is unrest in 21 different areas. Not to mention 8 more service men were killed in Afghanistan.
It was also quite inappropriate to badger the Prime Minister with your repeated political questions trying to back him into a corner to speak against Mitt Romney -- talk about playing politics instead of reporting on the news.
This in an incredibly significant point in time. When can we count on NBC to report on the real new?
David it would have been appropiate for you to ask Netanyahu why he would insult President Obama and meet in private with Mitt Romney when he did his less than successful world tour? I am so frustrated with all the insults of our President being brushed over by the U.S. Press. Surely, that sent a message to the world that he does not support President Obama and you wonder why the President did not go out of his way to meet with Netanyahu...go figure. I would just like to know what Netanyahu is going to do when Obama wins the election. The only thing Isreal can do is vote him out to fix his horrible relationship with the U.S.
Cathy get the facts! Obama has snubbed Nehanyahu on more than one occasion over his term in office; latest not willing tho meet with him this week while in NY or DC! Instead Obama will be fund raising and on Letterman GO FIGURE and find some new sources for your information.
it's probably not a "symbolic" gesture or events as much as it's just crazy human beings wanting recognition
As we approach the last few months of the election I see a failing republican candidate, capitalist's seeing their plans to remove every financial regulation fading away, a big bucks war machine desperately threatened by imminent contract budget cuts, extreme christian religious zealots losing their opportunity to oppress our freedoms of choice. Is it a coincidence that a stupid viral video from a us radical religious cult goes out to enrage the already fragile middle east, or, is all this chaos an insidious strategic effort by those who need a fear deversion to offset political advantage. I dunno...what do you think?
David it would have been appropiate to ask Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin why he would meet with Mitt Romney, if he was not trying to insert himself in the "U.S. Presidential Election." He disrespects and insults President Obama with this behavior and then wonders why the President is not going out of his way to schedule a meeting with him....go figure. He should call Mitt and meet with him. I also wonder what Israel is going to do when Obama wins and their leader has alienated our President who they depend on for financial and military support.....Benjamin better worry about his political future....you think!
Maybe its because I've just turned 80, but why is there no discussion about the Vandenberg Resolution, which is/WAS? all about foreign policy. It expressed the principle that '...foreign policy stops at the waters' edge...." Vandenberg, a Republican senator, must be spinning in his grave.
Why hasn't Mr. Gregory brought it up, and will he?
The 1948 Resolution was all about bipartisan compromise, a time when Republicans and Democrats in Congress were able to meet, discuss and agree that political candidates didn't act in a way that might damage foreign policy.
As if to leap into the political arena to demonstrate his insensitivity to and disregard for dealing competently in current affairs I(remember London?), clueless Rapid Romney was there with his attack on our President EXACTLY 10 minutes after the end of the 911 observances. That's right: 12:10AM, Sept 12. Talk about shooting from the hip!
Check it out, try and send the results to Peter King, et al, including the leaders in both campaigns.
To add to my comment he Vandenberg Resol;ution, try searching for it with wiki vandenbergresolution or
We can't buy muslim world for democracy, our job is to educate them. Egyptians and Libyans just went to the polls for the first time, America need to educated them about democracy,
understand their religion, their Koran is important to them, also Palestinians and Israelis issue need to solve. Jordan King talk about it everyday, America need to listen to their ally in the region.shut first is old adea it does't solve problem.
David, I think a host should try a little harder to make your personal views a little less obvious. It's clear to everyone including your guest that you don't like President Obama. I asked you not to press him to express into bipartisan comments because he was going to work with either party President. You continued to badger him trying to criticize President Obama on behalf of Romney. How many times did he tell you he supported a bipartisan position? Do you listen to and respect your own guests? You seem like you keep firing questions till you get what you want as quickly as Romney gets on a podium and makes statements without facts. No surprise you are a supporter of his.
Once again the main stream media fails to even mention that Israel has nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. Shouldn't this at the very least be a part of the discussion? Insisting that Israel join the international community in nuclear disarmament would greatly strengthen our credibility as to demanding that Iran cease its nuclear weapons program. Netanyahu speaks of the danger of Iran's nuclear program and no one questions his own country's weapons of mass destruction. It's time we face the reality of Israel's nuclear weapons.
Israel has nuclear weapons, this should be part of the discussion,
I have a good fortune to write Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu's obituary. I ain't kidding. Check it out.
SiDevilIam 0 minutes ago
Apparently, Jeffrey Goldberg and Maureen (Goldfinger) Dowd, have a thing going. I love The Atlantic. Subscribe it too. Never read a page of print version. I get my kicks reading books.
I tried to send my good buddy, Blake Hound (dog) shell a short but cute Tweet.
“BOy.” This “BOy,” Tweet followed by a link to my blog.
http://mysistereileen.org
One of my latest blog post says it all.
http://mysistereileen.org/2012…
Any questions, Jeffrey Goldberg?
…and I am Sid Harth@mysistereileen.org
netanyahu is playing a dangerous game. but what is really dangerous is that he is trying with his conning power to drag all the western powers into his own conflict with iran. the israeli iranian conflict is largely the result of the unacceptable israeli policies against the palestinian population. the suduing of the palestinians has always wrong, unjust, unacceptable. israel keeps denying the palestinians their state, their settlements are illegal as declared by international law. oppressing the palestinians, strangling their econmy, blockading gaza, uprooting their olve trees destroying palestinian homes. what is this? it's just plain criminality. it is likely that after netanyahu there will not be another israeli prime minister. therefore it would be best for him and for all concerned to go to iran and make friends with the iranians. if netanyhu respects the palestinians the whole muslim world will respect israel.
With all these people who are obviously very smart dealing with the Iranian problem why doesn't a single person bring up the one single important fact and that is that Israel has the biggest nuclear arsenal in the middle east given to them from the US, By not mentioning this known fact it seems everyone is trying to make this news totally one sided and very unfair (and virtually pushing the US into a war that will kill tens of thousands of innocent people). I thought honesty was to play a role in the intelligent mind of the US? Is there an honest man out there?
Read more: #ixzz26fJ886Px
mr netanyahu is playing a dangerous, but what really is more dangerous is the fact that he is trying with all his conning power to drag all western powers into his conflict with iran. the israeli iranian conflict is the result of wrong and unacceptable policies against the palestinians. but all the world knows that the israeli settlements are illegal, and israel is unwilling to allow the palestinians to have their free and independent state. instead israel keeps oppressing the subdued population. they keep strnging the palestinian economy and israel is unwilling to lift the siege of gaza. now netanyahu att all costs wants to attack iran. it's all wrong. netanyahu should make peace with all its neighbours, provided they are willing to show them respect. will they? only if they decided to be less greedy, less hard hearted, less selfish.
David Gregory is hosting MTP to get the facts but push talking points for GOP. It is a shame that MSNBC has taking a show with a lot of credibility when Tim Russert was host turned it into a GOP hour. Tim Russert was so good I didn't know that he was a person who leaned Democrat until after his death.
David Gregory will continue to be the death spiral of MTP as long as he pushes talking points instead of facts.
A Message of WAR!
In an interview with Fareed Zakaria:
Fareed Zakaria: You know that there are people in the United States who’ve criticized President Obama for not supporting Israel strongly enough. Do you believe that President Obama is a very strong supporter of Israel?
Ehud Barak: He is extremely strong supporter of Israel in regard to its security. Traditionally, the president will support Israel in keeping its collective military edge and taking care of its security needs. But this administration is excelling in this. And it could not have happened without the immediate direct support of the president. So I don’t think that anyone can raise any question mark about the devotion of this president to the security of Israel.
(Joshua Mitnick | The Christian Science Monitor | Sep 14, 2012), “After months of publicly and privately expressing support for an aggressive posture towards Iran, Mr. Barak seems to have joined those opposing an attack any time soon. With much of Israel’s military establishment and the US opposed to a strike, a Barak defection would isolate the Israeli prime minister as the lone proponent of military action at the upper reaches of either country.
“[Barak] came to recognize that without America you can’t do a thing like attack an Iranian nuclear site,” said Shimon Shiffer, a veteran columnist at the daily newspaper Yediot Ahronot. “He is not with Netanyahu at this stage. Their alliance is over.”
It seems to me that President Obama has been a strong ally of Israel; the American People both Democrats and Republicans support the Jewish State without question. It is not a good idea for Prime Minister Netanyahu, to purposely put America’s relationship with Israel in the middle of a VERY polarized electorate, which sounds like a very bad idea.
America is WAR weary; we have lost over 5,600 American sons and daughters in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. American Tax Payers have lost United States Treasure that is mind boggling, 1,373,461,650.000 and counting, according to the National Priorities Project. We are being asked to pay this bill with Social Security, Medicare, Tri-care, Medicaid, Food Stamps for the hungry and our homeowner’s exemption and charitable deductions.
It is terrifying to me that Mitt Romney who would not even serve himself in the military nor has any of his sons, saber rattles in such a cavalier and cartoonish manner. This man who cannot express his policies to the American People, this man who cannot share his taxes so that we can make an informed vote, this man who has questionable ethics and is simply a LIAR and this man who neglected to mention the sacrifices of those sons and daughters fighting abroad wants us to TRUST HIM to lead us into another WAR.
This WAR that Mr. Netanyahu and Mitt Romney want us to engage in is not some small military conflict. It will ignite the Middle East; it will quickly and surely get out of control and could take us into a World War. It does not sound at this point that Prime Minister Netanyahu even has the support of his Countrymen for this action at this time.
President Obama has my support to try to solve this conflict in a thoughtful, NON EMOTIONAL and deliberate manner. Hopefully with Diplomacy, I have no appetite for another WAR, of course when the time comes I will be an American and fully engage and support the President’s decision. But rushing in to a WAR without doing “Everything” we can to avert this calamity would be my preference.
I do not TRUST Mitt Romney in peace time, let alone in War time. His bungling has shown the American People he is NOT READY to be the Commander in Chief, saber rattling will not convince me. I
Being "strong" does not mean we have to throw our weight around, does it? What happened to leading by 'example' - these middle eastern countries have only known violence and warfare as a means to resolving their differences. How do we teach them to stop the violence if we are not able to be the bigger nation and show them the way out? It's like beating our kids for wrong-doing and then expecting them to grow up and not be violent??? Have we learned nothing? War is a last resort and only in defense. Why do republicans always want to deal with the rest of the world by always going on the attack? As far as Israel goes - why are they letting FEAR run their life? Where is their FAITH? Does anyone in the world besides me KNOW that any nuclear anything, even our own so called 'power plants' are dangerous and having any of them go off affects EVERY LIVING THING ON EARTH as we live in a closed bubble - like a snow globe. Why aren't we using more solar? If Iran wants to be a regular player in this new economy - why aren't we showing them that solar is the more reliable energy source?
Hey... who was that crazy old White guy on the Roundtable? Oooooohhhh, never mind it was just Rep. Peter King (R-NY) lol
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"Hey Useful Tools & other Conservative imbeciles... remember October 23, 1983 how 241 Marines were killed in Lebanon then President Reagan cut & run ?" by SPQR
Was looking forward to a good discussion regarding the paradigm shift occurring in the middle east today and expected some in-depth historical context regarding the extreme conflicts between the various Islamic sects in the region, and their militias and the part they each play in this most complicated 1,000 year conflict, exacerbated by the Christian Crusades, and generations of occupation by European and American "infidels."
I also thought there might be an update on the well-planned and carried out attack on our Consulate in Libya, reported to be in retribution for the recent killing of an Al Qaeda leader.
But...sadly, an interesting and enlightening discussion was not to be. Instead, we were subjected to an ugly partisan attack on the Obama administration by host David Gregory and, shockingly, an apparent approval of Mitt Romney's outrageous and ignorant political cheap shot statement at 10:00 pm on 9/11, that was "held" until after midnight, but which was proven to be completely wrong.
I was shocked and horrified by David Gregory's whole line of questions, which were pure political bias, and his complete disregard for his role as a discussion host. There was no objectivity, and when Andrea Mitchell tried to give some historical context to the situation and the impossibility of any type of U.S. or any other countries' foreign policy, he cut her off. And then he pandered to the Israeli Prime Minister, who is a close personal friend of Mitt Romney. It was all political theater, and I found it quite disgusting.
As an old hag who was around BEFORE WWII, I agree with Sunnyvale George and Yahoo Thom. They are absolutely correct. The 1948 Vandenberg Resolution is still in effect, and as far as I am aware, we have ONE President at a time, and foreign policy STOPS AT THE WATER'S EDGE..!!
Shame on you David Gregory. Your ignorant, uneducated and dangerous bias is obvious, and you should NOT be sitting in the late, GREAT Tim Russert's chair. You are unworthy of that honor.
Great post, but I was never a fan of Russert after his sorry Dick Cheney interviews....
I agree. How can he not see his bias attitude? I used to listen to the whole show, but now I just view pieces. As a journalist he should not be supporting one party over the other. To try and attack Romney thru the PM is worse than sorry journalism.
Jeez, I'm glad I watched the late rerun of this show cause if I would have watched this Sunday morning it would have ruined my day. David Gregory quoting Liz Cheney? You people are f**king pitiful
If a foreign leader is on your show dictating foreign policy to our President of course he is injecting himself into our politics. That point should have pushed harder. Americans don't want another war unless we're attacked.