MICHAEL B. ABRAMSON

A Better Way to Protest Speaker Boehner’s Invitation

to Prime Minister Netanyahu

 

            While Congressmen and Senators have a right to protest whether Speaker Boehner acted within his authority by inviting Prime Minister Netanyahu to speak to Congress, they should choose a different tactic than skipping the speech.  By missing the speech, they are taking their frustration out on Netanyahu and the US-Israel relationship rather than on Speaker Boehner.  Most importantly, they could be impacting American national security by missing the opportunity to learn Netanyahu’s perspective on Iran.  A more appropriate tactic would be a Congressional discussion and vote on the propriety of the speech replete with rules and/or precedent concerning who invites foreign heads of state to speak to Congress and how one does so.  Those planning to skip the speech should consider their actions in light of the impact on U.S. national security, the knowledge of Iran which the Prime Minister can share, the strain to the U.S.-Israel relationship, and the courtesy due one of America’s best allies.