Michele Bachmann, the outspoken conservative House representative from Minnesota, says the United States will cease to exist if it “fails to stand” with Israel.
“I am convinced in my heart and in my mind that if the United States fails to stand with Israel, that is the end of the United States,” Bachmann said at a meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition in Los Angeles on Feb. 6.
Bachmann went on to explain that God’s special relationship with Israel means the US would be cursed if it were to oppose Israeli policies.
“We have to show that we are inextricably entwined, that as a nation we have been blessed because of our relationship with Israel, and if we reject Israel, then there is a curse that comes into play,” Bachmann said.
The congresswoman’s comments went under the radar until Andy Birkey reported on them at the Minnesota Independent.
Citing a transcript from the Israeli affairs blog Israpundit, Birkey summed up Bachmann’s position as: “Support for Israel is handed down by God and if the United States pulls back its support, America will cease to exist.”
Bachmann, who was elected to the US House in 2006, has positioned herself close to the Republican Party’s populist, right-wing flank, seemingly taking her cues from right-wing talk radio and conservative Web sites.
She declared last year she intends not to fill out the 2010 census form — a federal offense — because she believes it will be skewed by the Obama administration for political purposes.
Bachmann has also argued against the right of the accused 9/11 plotters to be put on trial, arguing that such rights are “preserved for American citizens.” She has dubbed proposed climate-change legislation “tyranny.”
While Bachmann has opposed government intervention in the economy, including President Obama’s stimulus package, Raw Story reported that she and her family have received nearly a quarter of a million dollars in farm subsidies over the past decade.
2 Comments
I feel pity and discomfort to observe the quality of leadership the Americal people are governed by. It is naive to say USA will cease to exist if it opposes Israel. Israel is a burden to USA in all respect (politically, financially and morally). The mass killers cannot have special relationship with God, as suggested by Bachmann. If we look at the long history of jews, nowhere it will support the idea of Bachmann.
It remains to be seen how long USA will be in a position to unconditionally support Israel after recent economic downturn, when increasing number of Americans are jobless and USA is submerged in debt upto the neck. The economic crisis may not be over as suggested by many commentators.
Most probably, we do not live in an unipolar world anymore where USA can do anything at her will.
Bachmann is a scary person and I wish she was alone in her crazy thoughts but she’s not, sadly. And no, the US cannot afford to always side with Israel, or with any country for that matter. This was something recognized by its founders, who believed that the country shouldn’t have such entanglements either. Not only is it the huge amounts of money but it’s the fact that Israel makes a poor friend, getting the US into wars and alliances it would be better to avoid. It’s not that good for Israel as a country either, to never stand on her own.