Don't act as though it is the same to read a man's opinion and having him hold a highly visible speech before the legislative of the United States against the will of the President.
PS: Why would anyone think that politicians would not do things for political gain? The whole political system is build on the assumption that they do. So where is the beef?
Oh come on...it is exactly the same. What possible difference does it make to the content of the speech if it is given in Congress or Israel? None.
It maybe more dramatic in Congress...but that changes NOTHING that is in the text.
Plus, the speech is about the same thing that Netanyahu has been spouting for about 20 years.
One of the most famous speeches/statements in the 20th century was the 'peace in our time' phrase uttered by Chamberlain on an airport tarmac.
What is said is what matters, not where one says it.
Do you honestly think that ANYONE in Congress had their mind changed by the speech? Not a chance.
Fine, think what you want.
To me, this was nothing more then Boehner trying to humiliate Obama by using Netanyahu as the means to this end. And there is nothing in his speech that - in essence - he has not been saying for many years.
Everyone with a working brain who has followed this knew almost exactly what Bibi was going to say - in essence - before he set foot in Congress...Iran is evil, threat to the world's peace, full of terrorists, wish to wipe Osrael off the map, must be stopped, they will have nukes soon, never negotiate, blah, blah, blah.
I am neither dem nor rep...but to me it is ridiculously obvious that the only reason Boehner invited that increasingly paranoid Israeli leader (whose own security services keep having to correct through leaks) was for political gain and NOTHING else PLUS that it served no practical purpose - since everyone in Congress knew almost exactly what was going to be said weeks before he even said it.
Complete waste of time to me.