“Treason doth never prosper; what’s the reason? For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
-Sir John Harrington, 1600
From the laws of the United States of America, Title 18, Chapter 115, Section 2381 treason is defined:
“Whoever owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years … and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.”
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the new majority leader in the House of Representatives told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting in New York that the new GOP majority in the House will “serve as a check” on the Obama administration, a statement unusual for its blunt disagreement with U.S. policy delivered directly to a foreign leader.
“Eric stressed that the new Republican majority will serve as a check on the Administration and what has been, up until this point, one party rule in Washington,” read a statement from Cantor’s office on the one-on-one meeting. “He made clear that the Republican majority understands the special relationship between Israel and the United States, and that the security of each nation is reliant upon the other.”
Cantor also took issue with Obama administration policies in other areas, including Iran, with the statement from his office saying the congressman “believes that it is time for the administration to fully and aggressively implement the Iran Sanctions Act passed by Congress earlier this year.”
Ron Kampeas from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency news agency found Cantor’s comments extremely surprising, writing, “I can’t remember an opposition leader telling a foreign leader, in a personal meeting, that he would side, as a policy, with that leader against the president. Certainly, in statements on one specific issue or another — building in Jerusalem, or some such — lawmakers have taken the sides of other nations. But to have-a-face to face and say, in general, we will take your side against the White House — that sounds to me extraordinary.”
The cynicism of Cantor and the Republicans in making it clear that if Netanyahu waits until there is a Republican president who will get the Israelis a better deal was clearly intended to hurt Obama by denying him any success in the Middle East. In so doing, he was giving comfort to America’s enemies, the Taliban and Al Qaeda. As General Petraeus has explained on several occasions, a failure to settle the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians hurts America in its war in Afghanistan against the Taliban and against Al Qaeda. What Cantor did constitutes treason.
Holding up the START treaty with the Russians by the Republicans in the Senate gives comfort to our enemies in Afghanistan because the Russians have recently started to help America there. Should go down, this assistance is likely to stop. The Republicans are doing this to further damage Obama and could care less about the consequences.
This is a pattern of behavior that the Republicans have engaged in. During the Vietnam Paris Peace Talks when Lyndon Johnson was president, Johnson learned that Nixon had told President Thieu of South Vietnam that he could get him a better deal when he became president. Johnson phoned up an uncomfortable Nixon, who denied it. Johnson knew he was lying but decided not to act because he thought it would hurt the country. The war went on and Nixon became president.
Jimmy Carter has always been convinced that Reagan cut a deal with the Iranians not to release the hostages until he became president. Reagan admitted lying about Iran Contra, in which America sold needed military equipment to its enemy Iran, so the cash could go to the Contras in Nicaragua in violation of American law.
How dare you call this treason!
All of these actions by the Republicans were treasonous, yet they have gotten away with them. Americans have no idea about all of this. They keep buying the Republican argument that the Democrats are soft on defense and the Democrats let them get away with it. It is unfathomable why this is the case. They keep wondering why “Middle America” swallows the lies Republicans tell. The answer is quite simple. They don’t answer them because they are afraid of the repercussions. And because the Republicans keep winning, “none dare call it treason.”
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