I’ve been listening to Mahmoud Abbas give his speech at the United Nations for almost an hour now. If he wants to win over the American people, he probably should use less vituperative language, but that’s not what he’s trying to do. It’s clear that the overwhelming majority of the planet’s people basically agree with the argument that he’s making. And the United Nations will vote accordingly. Watching our ambassador Susan Rice, I can tell that she’s very uncomfortable listening to Abbas detail the many humiliations and depredations his people have suffered. She’s uncomfortable because she knows that she will soon have to veto Palestine’s bid for full membership in the United Nations.
I don’t blame the Palestinians for taking this step. What are they gaining by waiting for something to change? I also can’t blame the president for vetoing the Palestinian’s application. But any moron can tell you that our veto will be incredibly unpopular and will endanger our national security and undermine our international relationships. The cost of letting settlement activity go unchecked is growing and growing.
You can watch the debate in the United Nations on C-SPAN3. Yoshihiko Noda, the prime minister of Japan, is speaking now.
Update [2011-9-23 23:21:51 by BooMan]: It looks like Obama pulled the frying pan out of the fire at the last moment.
