Based on President Obama’s handling of a press conference just now, it doesn’t seem that the private meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went too well yesterday.
Obama was visually frustrated when asked questions about the rising tension between the Jewish State and Iran. Obama claimed he “had Israel’s back,” yet had the following exchange with ABC News reporter Jake Tapper.
Tapper: "You said, 'we have Israel's back.' What does that mean?"
Obama: "It means that historically, there has been cooperation."
Obama was also asked by Fox News Chief White House Correspondent Ed Henry why he hasn’t visited Israel as president. Obama responded by saying historically other presidents have not visited Israel in their first term.
Obama pushed for more sanctions against Iran and accused GOP presidential candidates of “loose” war talk and beating the drums of war.
“Now what’s said on the campaign trail you know those folks don’t have a lot of responsibilities, they’re not Commander in Chief,” Obama said. “This is not a game, there is nothing casual about it.”
But are GOP candidates really "beating the drums of war?" Or simply just defending Israel? You decide:
Sticking with issues in the Middle East, Obama was asked about the ongoing violence in Afghanistan as a result of the inadvertent burning of Korans on Bagram Airbase by U.S. military personnel.
“The situation with the Koran burning concerns me, I think it is an indication of the challenges in that environment and an indication that now is the time for us to transition. Obviously the violence against our people is unacceptable.”