Bibi's Political Situation: Not Our Problem

Nahum Barnea is Israel's top political reporter but his recent report on President Obama's sensitivity to Prime Minister Netanyahu's precarious political position surely represents nothing but spin by the Prime Minister's office.

Barnea reported last week that in a phone call President Obama asked Netanyahu what the political constraints were that limit his ability to engage in negotiations with the Palestinians. What would Lieberman let him do?  The Likud ultraright?  The settlers? Obama then assured Netanyahu that he would not push him beyond those limits.

 I can''t believe such a conversation ever took place.

Why would the American President care about what the constraints on Netanyahu are? Worse come to worst, we push him too far, his government collapses, and Tzipi Livni comes in.

Or Ehud Barak or whoever.

It is not our business. That conversation might make sense if the Israei prime minister was considered critical to US interests --  like Yitzhak Rabin -- who was in synch with US policies. Neither Obama nor Clinton have any use for Bibi.  Why would they bend our policies to accommodate him?

The answer. They wouldn't. 

Here's a more likely Obama-Netanyahu phone conversation.

Obama: "So Bibi.  Anything we can do to help you get Lieberman out of the foreign ministry?"

Bibi: "I feel you, sir.  But the prosecutors are taking care of that."

Obama: "Well, let me know.  We can help if you want us to."

Bibi: "Most def, sir."

Now that is a conversation I can believe in, even if I just made it up.