House Speaker John A. Boehner issues a stinging rebuke to President Obama on Wednesday, telling him to get his troops in order after an administration official was quoted calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a wimp, in more colorful language.
Mr. Boehner said it was time for Mr. Obama to treat American allies better and American enemies with a firmer hand, and said the president has threatened a long-standing bipartisan consensus.
“When the president discusses Israel and Iran, it is sometimes hard to tell who he thinks is America’s friend and who he thinks is America’s enemy,” Mr. Boehner said in a statement questioning why Mr. Obama allows his senior advisers to show disrespect and use profanity.
The Atlantic quoted an unnamed senior administration official who called Mr. Netanyahu a “chickens—t prime minister,” saying he lacked political courage to make statesmanlike decisions.
The relationship between Mr. Obama and Mr. Netanyahu has been frosty, and congressional Republicans have regularly chastised the president for taking a tougher stand on Mr. Netanyahu’s policies. The Israeli leader has pushed for a stricter approach to Iran’s nuclear program, while the White House says it’s trying to negotiate a tricky international deal that must keep many stakeholders happy.
More recently, the Obama administration has signaled anger at settlement-building in Palestinian areas.
SEE ALSO: Netanyahu fires back at reported ‘chickens—t’ slur from U.S. official
The White House fired back at Mr. Boehner Wednesday afternoon and pointed out the speaker’s own tendency to use colorful language.
“It’s an interesting observation by the speaker of the House who, as you all know, has a penchant for using some pretty salty language himself. It’s a little rich to have a lecture about profanity from the speaker of the house,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters.
He also said the U.S.-Israel relationship remains strong.
“Comments like that do not reflect the administration’s view and we do believe they are counterproductive,” Mr. Earnest said. “There is a very close relationship between the United States and Israel.”
Mr. Earnest also said he is unaware of who made the the remarks.
For his part Mr. Boehner said he’s tired of watching the administration “insult ally after ally” while making an “apology tour” to enemies.
“The president sets the tone for his administration. He either condones the profanity and disrespect used by the most senior members of his administration, or he does not. It is time for him to get his house in order and tell the people that can’t muster professionalism that it is time to move on.”
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.