On May 5, 2016, Ben Rhodes, once known as a writer of fiction and now President Barack Obama’s deputy national security advisor, was interviewed for the New York Times magazine. It was quite an extraordinary interview.
In the interview, Rhodes, a senior figure inside the Obama administration effectively admitted that much of the White House “narrative” over Iran in the build up to signing the deeply flawed nuclear agreement was a preconceived fabrication. He seemed to admit that this preconceived narrative was at the express bidding of his boss, the president of the United States.
In the interview, Rhodes explained how the president wanted to eliminate concerns over previous concessions given to Iran so as to smooth the way toward a more workable agreement between the two countries. To do this the White House purposefully painted newly elected Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as a moderate, when they believed he was anything but that.
In so doing, Obama could then put a distance between America and previous alliances in the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and most importantly, Israel.
Rhodes admitted to crafting an Iranian “narrative” to accomplish this objective. The New York Times article even goes so far as to explain how Rhodes used his “writers’ tools” to help shape this false account of Iran.
In making this admission, Rhodes has effectively admitted that the Obama Administration’s public presentation of their foreign policy is a work of fiction. In making this admission Ben Rhodes is confirming what many have suspected for a long time—that this administration engages in deception that is not worthy of the trust of the American people. In other spheres of public life such an admission would lead to legal proceedings and even jail. In politics, it is simply call it “spin.”
The most amazing thing about this entire matter is not that Ben Rhodes misled Congress when answering their widespread concerns related to Iran’s burgeoning nuclear weapons program. Politicians and their advisors have always lied. It is not even that Ben Rhodes has publically admitted to misleading Congress in a national newspaper, or that he is so brazen about it. The most amazing thing about this entire matter is that nobody seems to care enough anymore to do anything about it.
The Democrats have immediately dismissed the matter as unworthy of their attention during an election year. The Republicans, as they have proven throughout Obama’s eight year tenure, have once again demonstrated how very toothless and ineffective they are in the face of a reckless and lawless president.
There was once a time when many a congressman or senator would have relished this fight. They would have rolled up their sleeves to get stuck into an matter like this. But, alas, not anymore. The other causalities of this sordid mess, apart from the credibility of the office of the president are these points: The standing of the White House; the damaged reputation domestically and internationally of the U.S. government for promoting lies; and the general trust of the U.S. public toward their elected leaders. The ineptitude of Congress in the face of such obvious deception is greatly to blame.
The behavior and ineptitude of Congress is humiliating to the American people. And behind the closed doors of the Oval Office, President Barack Hussein Obama must be laughing out loud at their incompetence. Congress has become Obama’s lapdog.
Ben Rhodes led the charge to deliberately mislead Congress and he has even publically admitted it! In response, Congress asked him to attend a House Oversight Committee to address these serious issues. Rhodes declined and that, it would seem, is the end of it. Congress attempted to hold a public servant who has purposefully deceived them to account, Rhodes refused to engage, and they acquiesced. The matter seems to have reached its conclusion.
Congress’ stinging reaction to this rebuttal? A letter of complaint to a president who just doesn’t care: “Mr Rhodes’ disrespectful, deceptive and destructive conduct has fallen appallingly short… Indeed, if he had conducted himself this way in a typical place of business outside Washington, where American taxpayers work, he surely would have been already fired, or asked to resign.”
Weak, weak, weak.
What a white washed tomb Congress has become. These congressional “representatives” have failed the great American people. Congress is not worthy of the name or the office that comes with the high station occupied by them on Capitol Hill. They are an embarrassment to themselves, their office, and have let down the people they were elected to serve.
It is Congress that is largely responsible for the ruinous policies enacted by the Obama Administration. Obama is Obama and he is just doing what he has said he would from the beginning: Radically transform America. Obama is being true to himself—love him or loath him for it.
Congress, however, exists specifically to provide a check and a balance on the executive power of the president of the United States, and they have failed to do so—time after time. This is just the latest example of many failures by Congress. Congress is now reduced to the status of a mere talking shop, nothing more.
It would seem at this point that Rhodes and President Obama will not be held to account for this blatant fabrication of the truth.
There is, however, a God in heaven who judges and who holds all men and all nations to account, and He is ever-present and ever-watching. He will hold them to account not just for their very obvious moral failings but for the damage they have done to this great nation; and by consequence of their actions, their damage to the world. He will hold them accountable for letting loose the ties of stability that once held the Middle East secure for many years, and for engendering chaos in its place.
He will hold them to account for their obvious and deliberate policy of abandoning Israel, the United States’ foremost ally in this region and in the world.
God’s words echo through time and speak ominously to this White House:
“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3).
Through their deliberate misleading of Congress and the American people in signing this nuclear agreement, Ben Rhodes and President Barack Obama have been anything but a blessing to Israel and God’s word is clear, “whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye” (Zechariah 2:8).
This deal has exposed Israel to harm in new and unprecedented ways and there will be consequences for that.
Faith in the Obama Administration’s foreign policy, especially toward Iran, has been shattered by the Rhodes admission. The idea that the president’s national security right hand man tricked Congress and the American people into accepting a deeply flawed nuclear deal is deeply upsetting, unsettling and erodes the most basic expectations voters have in their elected officials; representation with honesty and integrity.
This affair has proven that the Obama Administration is possessor of neither honesty or integrity.
Soon, however, there will be a new president and then Ben Rhodes will be out of a job. But the irrefutable nightmare of a nuclear armed Iran will still remain, as will the damage caused to the office of president by this blatant dishonesty and other incidents like it.
And little Israel will be standing more alone than at any time in her history, facing a multitude of threats and enemies in any direction she chooses to look.
Is your mission accomplished then, President Obama?