Robert Wexler (D-FL) says Koffi Annan's comments "irresponsible"

[jerry611]

Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Florida) just said on CNN that Koffi Annan's statements that Israel deliberately attacked the UN outpost is "highly irresponsible." And he stated that people need to stop blaming Israel for the world's failures in the region.

Don't count on Democrats to call for any kind of cease-fire in this conflict. Both political parties in America favor what Israel is doing.

[ThomCat]

1. So "the world" fired on the UN, and not Israel?

Interesting.
:eyes:

[buff2]

2. They suck up for the Jewish votes

That's all it is. Bastards.

[walldude]

6. While I am not taking firm sides in this conflict

"Sucking it up for the Jewish Votes"??? Gimme a break..

[buff2]

26. Well what the fuck else can you call it?

Anyone who wants PEACE would be calling for an end to this shit. Gimme a break....

[walldude]

34. Uh... what the hell are you talking about?

All I said was I'm not going to trust the attacker to tell me it was an accident. I have been calling for PEACE, I have not "supported" Hezbollah or Israel, I have expressed all my support for the people caught in the middle of this. I don't get what you are whining about..

[SteppingRazor]

3. You can't extrapolate "All Democrats" from what Wexler says...

He's very progressive, except where Israel's concerned -- like Lieberman, he's Jewish with a pretty heavy Jewish constituency.

[Cha]

5. Understand but

with lieman..I don't think that misgotten War On Iraq helped Israel..traitorjoe musta thought it was going to help little ol' himself.

[SteppingRazor]

11. Yeah, there is that...

But as I said on the other Wexler thread in GD, Wexler has a very large Jewish constituency -- his district includes most of Boca Raton, among other areas. So, in reality, he is, in fact, representing his constituency, because his constituents are quite supportive of Israel.

[lpbk2713]

17. This is true .....

Frome Wexler's web page .....

Wexler, who previously served in the Florida Senate for six years represents Florida's 19th Congressional district, which comprises portions of Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Born in Queens, New York, Congressman Wexler moved to South Florida with his family at age 10. He earned his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Florida and law degree from George Washington University. Congressman Wexler and his wife, Laurie, have three children.



He knows where his bread is buttered.

[SteppingRazor]

19. You seem to suggest that representing one's constituents...

is a bad thing. :shrug:

[lpbk2713]

21. I don't see how you can interpret it that way.

I'm saying he is loyal to his constituents and that is (usually) a good thing.

[SteppingRazor]

25. Ah! My bad.

that "bread is buttered" phrase usually suggests servility, not representation.

I apologize. Lemme buy you a beer. :toast:

[jerry611]

12. Democrats will suffer without the jewish vote

We will lose a lot of votes, especially in New York and Florida, if the Democratic party takes an anti-Israel stance. Both states have heavy pockets of Jewish voters that usually vote Democrat.

[SteppingRazor]

16. I'm aware of that, but...

you see Wexler as sucking up to the Jewish vote. I see Wexler as representing his constituents, many -- if not most -- of whom are Jewish. In Wexler's South Palm Beach County district, his view is likely the majority one.

[progressivebydesign]

23. but the Lebanonese children will suffer from Israel's bombs.

Sometimes.. you just have to take the higher road and realize that it's about more than the votes, the lobbyists, and the constituencies. Wexler has been spouting off all week in support of Israel.

[SoCalDem]

27. Perfectly Rove-ian , isn't it.. and it's not even October..

Democrats are easily "split", and we just need to accept that fact.
the republican party is the one that satys cohesive because their underlying focus is really on only two things:

1. more money (actually ALL of it) for THEM
2. crotch-sniffing (crude, but they are intensely interested in anything at all that has to do with the "dirty bits". abortion-----girls having sex or they wouldn't be pregnant...porn---can't have anyone getting all "excited, now can we"..... guns----.gotta have guns to protect those wimmin from rapists...racism----can't have those "dark" people "mixin' the blood by having sex with white wimmin....God-----can't allow people to stray from the preachin, or they might be out havin' sex....Gays---gotta keep gays outta everything because they might start "recruiting"..

..........................................................................

democrats are EVERYTHING... environmentalists, intellectuals, civil righters, womens' movement, unions, peace proponents, etc etc.. Not all democrats are into all of these, but we actually stand for things, so when someone in our midst appears to go against one issue we hold dear, we are not as united , and republicans know they can "peel the onion" if they attack on all fronts..

republicans can choke back their anger and stay united, because underlying all the individual interests, are the two key issues they ALL agree on

[CuteNFuzzy]

32. So you admit that the stance, generally, is not a progressive one

I agree.

[SteppingRazor]

37. Oh, I wouldn't go so far as to say that...

I think you could easily make a case that supporting guerrilla groups that advocate Islamic fundamentalism is a lot less progressive than supporting Israel.

Personally, I don't think there's a "good guy" in this story. In war, that's often the case. For example, remember how all those right-wingers screamed and called us "Saddam lovers" because we were against the Iraq War? They're idiots, right?

What I'm saying is, just because you don't support one side, it doesn't necessarily follow that you must support the other. And in this case, I think both Israel's disproportionate response AND Hezbollah's random targeting of innocent Israeli civilians is deplorable.

That said, if we leave the tactics aside, assume that both sides are adhering to the rules of war, and give it a strategic look, I'd probably wind up supporting Israel, simply because it means supporting a Western-style democracy over a group (Hezbollah) that advocates anti-democratic, indeed theocratic, positions. Of course, that point is moot, since atrocities have been committed on both sides.

[Cha]

4. How about not "not blaming

Israel for anythng" that goes on in the area?

[Hubert Flottz]

8. Clearly the Terra-ists fault!

Or the Dude in North Korea!

[Lerkfish]

7. well, there IS a large pro-Israel population in Florida.

He's probably doing a good job of representing his constituents, even though I think he's flat wrong.

I edited to add: this comment will probably offend someone, not my intent. Just saying I think he's doing the right thing by listening to his constituents.

[SteppingRazor]

15. Not just in Florida, but in Wexler's district...

which includes most of Boca Raton and other predominantly Jewish areas. I think you're right -- I think he's representing his constituency.

[TahitiNut]

36. There's absolutely no doubt about it. It's an election year.

He's not politically suicidal. :shrug:

[kdmorris]

41. Well, he's running unopposed this year

Mainly due to his popularity in our district. But all hell WOULD break loose if he said anything else. In everything except for the Israel Conflict, I agree with Wexler 100%. So, I keep voting for him, despite the fact that I disagree with him on that issue. Most of the rest of his constituency DOES agree with him on that, though.

[theHandpuppet]

9. How 'bout the bombing of a UN outpost being irresponsible?

Guess not, huh?

[Cha]

31. Totally Irresponsible..

Accident or not. Where'd they get those "smart bombs" from or did they just use the dumb ones?

[stepnw1f]

10. I Can't Support This

no fucking way....

[CuteNFuzzy]

13. Aren't these things the Right usually says?

I'm shocked lately at the Democrats collective stance on Israel's current aggression against the Lebanese people

[walldude]

14. Somehow I think that Kofi Annan may have a little more

information about what happened than some U.S. Rep shining a seat with his ass in Florida does...

[Little Star]

24. Israeli suspicion of UN clouds Lebanon force plan

Maybe Kofi read this article that I just read a few minutes ago. It seems to explain his response pretty well.

Israeli suspicion of UN clouds Lebanon force plan
Wed Jul 19, 7:43 AM
By Adam Entous

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli commander at the Lebanese border recalls peering through binoculars one afternoon to see U.N. peacekeepers sipping tea with Hizbollah guerrillas.


The officer's conspiratorial take on the meeting a few months ago underscores Israel's long-standing distrust of the United Nations force in Lebanon and its reluctance to see an expanded version as a way to end the current conflict.


"I want to be cautious on this issue," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said of proposals for a beefed up international force that are now taking shape with support of U.N. envoys.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/19072006/6/n-world-israeli-suspicion-un-clouds-lebanon-force-plan.html

[tkmorris]

18. Wexler is my Rep

It's sad, but if he said anything else he would be strung up in the parking lot of the Boca Town Center Mall. I hope he finds a way to be supportive of Israel and her people without condoning their latest excursions into southern Lebanon but I'm not sure that's possible.

[sinkingfeeling]

20. Both Dems and Repubs have to keep kissing up to the lobbyists and

'pro-Israel' groups. Florida has a huge number of Jewish retirees.

[progressivebydesign]

22. Hmm.. what did I read from Wexler the other day that made me wonder??

Shit.. wish I could remember. I read something that he said that shows he is WAY on the side of Israel in this.. big time. Don't count on him to be neutral.

[malaise]

28. What was fugging irresponsible was

sending 5000 ton bombs to intentionally kill the Lebanese people. Fugg him too. What men wouldn't do to be elected.

[Jeanette in FL]

29. During the buildup to the Iraq war, Randi and Wexler had some fierce

fights on the air. Randy would give Wexler facts and Wexler would come back to the Israeli position. That if we didn't take down Sadam Hussein that Israel would never be safe.

The fights were so bad that it was a while before they got back together, but that was after Wexler finally realized that Bush had lied to him and that Randi was right on the whole issue. But he still would fall back on that he had to go with the information that the president was giving him.

Does anyone remember those fights on the air when she was still with WJNO?

[kurth]

30. The dead U.N. peacekeepers must apologize

[DYouth]

33. Bi-partisan consensus: Arabs can go to hell

I'm sorry, but that's all I've been hearing these past few days. This snubbing of Al Maliki is just the culmination of that.

[Crunchy Frog]

35. He also said that he enjoys cocaine and prostitutes.

How much credibility can a guy like that have? :shrug:

[SteppingRazor]

38. In fairness he said that jokingly on the Colbert Report n/t

[Crunchy Frog]

39. He said what he said. I take him at his word.

It makes his other words a whole lot more comprehensible to me.

[leesa]

40. Israel clearly fired on the UN outpost purposely. You can't spin it any

other way. These US government officials who work for Israel rather than the US need to be thrown out.

[rucky]

42. I agree - even though I believe it was deliberate:

It was imprudent for Annan to say that publicly, so soon after it happened, and before an investigation. The facts would lead (almost) anybody to agree it was deliberate, but it's bad form for the UN Chief Ambassador to be the first person who comes out and says it:

Look a few months down the road, when the incident is investigated: Can there be any appearance of an unbiased investigation, with Annan having said what he said? Then the investigation loses its credibility and Israel's apologists have a reason to remain unconcerned.

[ContraBass Black]

43. Just when I was beginning to respect him.