The Narcissist and Megalomaniac in the White House surely does fancy himself a Diva, having proclaimed:
“I think that I’m a better speechwriter than my speechwriters,” Mr. Obama told Patrick Gaspard, his political director, at the start of the 2008 campaign, according to The New Yorker. “I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors. And I’ll tell you right now that I’m going to think I’m a better political director than my political director.”
The Diva President fancies himself the smartest man in any room, who is always right on every issue and therefore everyone else is wrong and no other alternative than his own opinion need ever be presented to him. And he takes disagreement personally, and is quite vindictive when anyone he regards as an inferior intellect tries to upstage him.
But the Diva’s hissy-fit over Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address to Congress seems to have unleashed a ‘Streisand Effect;’ giving the speech a much higher profile and importance than it would have had if the Diva and her entourage had just kept their mouths shut.
For Obama, the speech before Congress is a personal affront; for Netanyahu, it’s a matter of addressing an existential threat to his nation. Netanyahu understands that the real purpose of Obama’s Deal with Iran is not to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, but to prevent military action against Iran *until* they can develop a nuclear weapon.
Democrat (Liberal) attendance is not required. If they want to miss an opportunity to purse their lips in disapproval, that would be just fine.
However; they might be a little scared about the Jewish vote within their constituencies.
If the White House had kept it’s own counsel and just stayed quiet, few would be commenting on Bibi’s speech. In ordinary times, addresses by foreign leaders to a Joint Session are not that unusual, over 100 have done-so of the years including several Israeli leaders. A photo-op and short column in the NY Times and then he goes home.
But now it’s the News of the Month. The cover of every newspaper and the lead on every news broadcast. Everyone in politics now has to answer questions about his remarks and take a stand on attending, or being “…otherwise committed to business away from the Chamber”.
Obama’s natural instinct to say or do the wrong thing at the wrong moment strikes again.