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​Obama and Netanyahu: Why Presidents Don’t Get to Be Petulant

posted on: Mar 6, 2015

“Whatever one’s view of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress, there now appears to be broad consensus that President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry came across as petty, petulant, and defensive in their reactions. The President’s partisans continue to argue that Netanyahu had it coming — but did he? Obama is hardly the first president to have personal friction with the leader of a close ally, but the George W. Bush and Bill Clinton White Houses never engaged in primary-style opposition campaigns the way this White House did with Netanyahu. This was not only because the Bushes and Clinton were more gracious with their counterparts, but also because they understood the importance of leadership relations to the national interest.

Source: foreignpolicy.com