On Wednesday, MSNBC host Alex Wagner continued the “Lean Forward” network’s tradition of vilifying Israeli Benjamin Netanyahu by comparing him to a “Scooby Doo” villain who has just pulled off his mask “revealing himself to be who he is actually.”
The MSNBC host began her anti-Netanyahu rant by declaring him to be “President Obama’s greatest frenemy” before she offered up some free publicity for a Washington Post blog attacking the prime minister’s opposition to a two-state solution with the Palestinians.
Wagner opined that "maybe as the Washington Post Plum Line blog puts it, 'The newly honest Netanyahu government isn't such a bad thing. With Netanyahu's journey from the far right to the far, far right, we can be less concerned with his opinion about Iran's nuclear program or anything else and treat him like what he is: an ideologically radical factional leader.'"
The MSNBC host then introduced liberal Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank by gleefully comparing Netanyahu to a villain from the popular Scooby Doo cartoon:
I see some wisdom in what the Washington Post suggests that perhaps Netanyahu pulling off his mask ala Scooby Doo and revealing himself to be who he is actually frees this president up to have more of an aggressive position counter to him, to not have to protect Israel with the U.N. veto on the issue of Palestinian statehood. To be able to pursue an aggressive, or to pursue period, a nuclear deal with Iran.
Unsurprisingly, Milbank completely agreed with Wagner’s analogy and agreed that Netanyahu’s new policy position will actually liberate President Obama and allow him to pursue his desired foreign policy agenda:
[I]t may, in fact, liberate the president since he’s clearly getting no support in any sense from Bibi whether it is on Iran or whether it is on the Palestinians so he's got a whole lot less to lose now.
See relevant transcript below.
MSNBC’s NOW with Alex Wagner
March 18, 2015
ALEX WAGNER: Today, President Obama’s greatest frenemy, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is forming a new government after an overwhelming victory in Israel's parliamentary elections. The win is expected to deepen the rift between the two men, a rift that has plunged to new lows in the recent days. Yesterday, Netanyahu railed against the Arab minority in his country hours after disavowing a peace deal that would create a Palestinian state. But, maybe as the Washington Post Plum Line blog puts it, “The newly honest Netanyahu government isn't such a bad thing. With Netanyahu's journey from the far right to the far, far right, we can be less concerned with his opinion about Iran's nuclear program or anything else and treat him like what he is: an ideologically radical factional leader.”
Joining me now is political columnist for the Washington Post Dana Milbank. Dana thanks for joining me. Is there, I see some wisdom in what the Washington Post suggests that perhaps Netanyahu pulling off his mask ala Scooby Doo and revealing himself to be who he is actually frees this president up to have more of an aggressive position counter to him, to not have to protect Israel with the U.N. veto on the issue of Palestinian statehood. To be able to pursue an aggressive, or to pursue period, a nuclear deal with Iran.
DANA MILBANK: Well Alex, there's always wisdom in what the Washington Post is saying, whatever it’s saying at any given moment. But it certainly is clarifying that he won this surprise victory really. It’s certainly, the magnitude of it is a surprise and probably in large part because of those last-minute positions that really did reveal what they're dealing with here. So there's a limit to what the United States can do now in terms of a peace process going forward.It poses interesting questions for both sides. Republicans have been out there celebrating the victory as if this was a Republican congressional victory, you know, but how closely do they want to tie themselves to the prime minister given that that’s contrary to even the Republican Party’s position on a two-state solution. And it’s also, it may, in fact, liberate the president since he’s clearly getting no support in any sense from Bibi whether it is on Iran or whether it is on the Palestinians so he's got a whole lot less to lose now.
