Obama: I am against the murder of innocents but for immunity for the murderers

Is there something jarring in combining these two pieces of information, published on the same day about the Obama administration?

The United Nations was born of the belief that the people of the world can live their lives, raise their families, and resolve their differences peacefully. And yet we know that in too many parts of the world, this ideal remains an abstraction -- a distant dream. We can either accept that outcome as inevitable, and tolerate constant and crippling conflict, or we can recognize that the yearning for peace is universal, and reassert our resolve to end conflicts around the world.

That effort must begin with an unshakeable determination that the murder of innocent men, women and children will never be tolerated. (President Obama, speech at the UN)

A top White House official told Jewish organizational leaders in an off-the-record phone call Wednesday that the U.S. strategy was to "quickly" bring the report -- commissioned by the U.N. Human Rights Council and carried out by former South African Judge Richard Goldstone -- to its "natural conclusion" within the Human Rights Council and not to allow it to go further, Jewish participants in the call told JTA.

The report said the U.N. fact-finding mission investigating Israel's conduct during the January 2009 war found evidence of Israeli war crimes. Israel has denied the allegations and said the report's mandate was biased -- an opinion echoed by U.S. officials.

The Obama administration is ready to use the U.S. veto at the U.N. Security Council to deal with any other "difficulties" arising out of the report, the White House official said Wednesday. The administration also has made clear to the Palestinian Authority that Washington is not pleased with a P.A. petition to bring the report's allegations against Israel to the International Criminal Court.( JTA )

Yes. This is becoming the Obama doctrine, talk like a lion, walk like a rat. What is shocking about the latest U.S. president is not that he lies. U.S. Presidents lie. It's their job. Bush lied. He lied about nuclear weapons in Iraq as well as about sundry other small and large matters. But in another sense he was as honest as as a straight arrow. He was a nasty and mean right-wing fanatic, and this is exactly how he came across. Obama is not a nasty and mean right-wing fanatic. He is merely the diligent and responsible steward of the empire, its upper class and their interests. For sure, this is a big improvement. The world might not have survived another Republican administration. But on the other hand, with Obama, it seems as if the distance between presentation and content has never been greater.