"It was all rather disgusting," writes Uri Avnery in Counterpunch.
There they were, the members of the highest legislative bodies of the world?s only superpower, flying up and down like so many yo-yos, applauding wildly, every few minutes or seconds, the most outrageous lies and distortions of Binyamin Netanyahu.
It was worse than the Syrian parliament during a speech by Bashar Assad, where anyone not applauding could find himself in prison. Or Stalin?s Supreme Soviet, when showing less than sufficient respect could have meant death.
What the American Senators and Congressmen feared was a fate worse than death. Anyone remaining seated or not applauding wildly enough could have been caught on camera - and that amounts to political suicide. It was enough for one single congressman to rise and applaud, and all the others had to follow suit. Who would dare not to?
The sight of these hundreds of parliamentarians jumping up and clapping their hands, again and again and again and again, with the Leader graciously acknowledging with a movement of his hand, was reminiscent of other regimes. Only this time it was not the local dictator who compelled this adulation, but a foreign one.
Well, I don't know if I'd use the word "dictator." Netanyahu's grand manner reminded me more of the late comedian Alan King, who would stride centerstage and waggle his right hand as if acknowledging a standing ovation and asking the audience to settle back in their seats, never mind that they were still seated and had no intention of standing. He acted as if he were quelling waves of popular acclaim, but Netanyahu didn't have to pretend--our elected stooges hopped up and down as if they had spring-board asses.
Source: http://www.vanityfair.com/online/wolcott/2011/05/be-my-be-my-bibi-1.html
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