At a moment when clarity is necessary in condemning the Israeli attack, when the entire world is looking to see if Washington is indeed a paper tiger when it comes to Israel, Obama caved to the Israelis in negotiating the UN Resolution. The rationale according to Tapper:

I’m told there won’t be any daylight between the US and Israel in the aftermath of the incident on the flotilla yesterday, which resulted in the deaths of 10 activists. Regardless of the details of the flotilla incident, sources say President Obama is focused on what he sees as the longer term issue here: a successful Mideast peace process. “The president has always said that it will be much easier for Israel to make peace if it feels secure,” a senior administration official tells ABC News. The suggestion is that US condemnation of Israel would further isolate that country, and make further peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians even more difficult.

But if the US bars an independent study of the incident for Israel's own inquiry, he will bury the peace process as well. The Arab and Muslim world will see another Cheney in the White House, decorated with empty rhetoric about change.

Time after time, Netanyahu just pwns Obama; and the US president just lets it happen. Muddying a clear contravention of international law with weasel words about the self-defense of the flotilla is not good enough. And if Obama thinks he will somehow placate the pro-Israel lobby by this, he is surely mistaken. They want to destroy Obama's presidency just as much as Netanyahu does.

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