Andrew Exum did yeoman's work by going through a great number of the man's bizarro-world claims. Michael Cohen calls the speech "deeply clownish:"
Speaking of pandering and appeasement Perry also said this, "It is time to change our policy of appeasement toward the Palestinians to strengthen our ties to the nation of Israel." Honestly, this is one of the craziest things I've heard come out of the mouth of a American politician in quite some time.
The United States is currently preparing to veto a UN Security Council Resolution creating a Palestinian state; it has been lobbying members of the Security Council and the General Assembly to vote against said resolution – in what alternate Texas-universe is this appeasement? Perhaps its the same Texas universe where scientists believe climate change is not real? If the United States wa appeasing the Palestinians or even the Arab street (another charge by Perry) wouldn't the Obama Administration be supporting Palestinian statehood. It's almost as if Rick Perry believes that to prove America's fealty to Israel we have to veto resolutions that negatively affect Israel . . . and also have our diplomats tape kick me signs to the back of Mahmoud Abbas.
Matt Steinglass gives Perry a history lesson:
The Obama administration, like every other American administration, has been a staunch defender of Israeli interests, showing far more deference to Israel than to the Palestinians. But there is one way in which America has treated the Palestinians and the Israelis similarly. The US is now engaged in a vigorous, desperate last-minute lobbying effort at the UN to get the Palestinians to delay declaring statehood. And in April and early May of 1948, the US did the same thing to Israel.
But this isn't about any of this. It's about Christianism and an appeal to the religious core of the GOP. Perry was completely explicit about this, and it represents a core shift in which the GOP reflects the politics of the Likud coalition. Perry and Palin are on record wanting more settlements on the West Bank; for them, Israel is the most important ally on earth because it is deemed to be so by the Old Testament. Add some End-Times theology about the growing number of Jews in ancient Jewish lands and bingo! you have what passes for foreign policy.
"As a Christian, I have a clear directive to support Israel, so from my perspective it's pretty easy," Perry said. "Both as an American and as a Christian, I am going to stand with Israel." Notice how this is a doctrinal statement – not a political one. The context doesn't matter; the issues don't matter; what Greater Israel might do doesn't matter. All of this is erased – made "easy" – by theology. And people say Christianism is not real because Focus on the Family has funding problems. They don't need Focus on the Family. They have an entire political party echoing theology as foreign policy. And the great thing about that is that it is indeed easy: you don't need to know anything about the region. You just know you back Greater Israel every time – and you back Greater Israel even against your own president, and deliberately undermine his foreign policy and make alliances with foreign leaders against your own.
"Almost treasonous," someone might say.
(Photo: Texas Governor and Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry listens during a press conference with American and Israeli Jewish leaders and supporters of Greater Israel in the Great Room at the W Hotel Union Square, where he attacked U.S. President Barack Obama's foreign policy, on September 20, 2011 in New York City. By Michael Nagle/Getty Images)
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