Vote for nuclear Iran, then march in Israel Day parade?
Every year, New York hosts a "Celebrate Israel" parade.
On that day, tens of thousands of enthusiastic marchers are greeted by tens of thousands of enthusiastic supporters of Israel along much of the length of 5th Avenue.
Politics being what it is, New York politicians – both elected and aspiring – take part in the parade, to put on display their friendship with Israel.
And this year, they have one other – although somewhat harder – way to show that friendship: the Senate and the House will vote on Obama's Iran deal, the deal that grants Iran's nuclear program full legitimacy 15 years from now.
While Israel and her friends are appalled at the resulting dramatic strengthening of the mullahs, and the danger it poses to Israel (and for that matter, America), Obama is leaning hard on senators and congressmen to vote "yes."
Some – like Senator Gillibrand – stated that they plan to vote for the deal. We have not yet heard that she, or other suchlike, have changed their minds.
And so I have this question: should those who can show their friendship with Israel by voting against the deal, and yet choose not to, be allowed to march in the parade, and tout themselves as "friends of Israel" so as to garner the votes of Israel's friends?
What kind of friendship is that – the friendship that is paraded around yet forgotten the moment things get tough? What good is the friendship exercised the Obama way – by pushing the friend around, on the pretense that it is done for that friend's own sake because the friend is too stupid to know what is good for him?
Why would friends engage in unfriendly actions? And why pretend they didn't?
Why would the enablers of nuclear Iran be marching in the Celebrate Israel parade?
Why won't the organizers announce right now, loud and clear, that any such pseudo-friend, any politician who does not vote against the deal will not be invited?
The need to explain their absence from the Celebrate Israel parade to Israel's friends should give those politicians an added reason to think carefully when casting their votes to enable nuclear Iran. Hopefully it will help them make a right, even if politically difficult, choice.
Let us put politicians on notice: if you are not with us, we won't be with you. It's that simple.