Living in his own world: Beck rehashes old smears to paint Obama as anti-Israel

Just a few days after the announcement that Israel had agreed to U.S.-sponsored peace talks with the Palestinians, Glenn Beck devoted more than nine minutes to a rant suggesting that the president and his administration are anti-Israel. Beck never mentioned the peace talks; rather, he devoted time to building a sense of impending doom, predicting a “bad conflict coming our way soon in the Middle East.”

“Who's side are we on?” Beck asked before stating that the kind of thinking that “permeates” the current administration is a type that would “defend Iran instead of Israel if a confrontation happens.”

Beck then went on a guilt-by-association spree, using old distortions and falsehoods to attack the president's appointees and advisors over invented anti-Israeli sentiments and purported ties to anti-Israeli organizations.

Beck criticized Obama for having “nothing but kind things to say” about “terrorist sympathizer” Rashid Khalidi -- an old and distorted attack.

Beck also revived the absurd attack against White House Advisor John Brennan for referring to his love of “Al Quds -- Jerusalem.” Beck claiming that Brennan “insulted Israel” by referring to Jerusalem as “Al Quds.” But “Al Quds” is the Arabic term for Jerusalem and other political figures, including a member of the Reagan administration and a former prime minister of Israel, have referred to “Al Quds.”

Beck also attempted to paint Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services head Donald Berwick as anti-Israel because of his position on the board of Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) -- an organization that was a co-recipient of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize -- for the group's supposed “outspoken” criticism of Israel.

And Beck even brought up William Ayers and Jeremiah Wright yet again to attack Obama over Israel.

Beck also suggested that Obama is inappropriately sympathetic to Muslims. He bemoaned Obama's statement at inauguration that “we are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers,” claiming that “I don't think that's ever been said before by a president of the United States in that order.” He then stated that Obama “needlessly th[rew] his hat into the ring” over the Islamic community center in Manhattan. After noting that Obama hosts Ramadan dinners -- which Beck said was not a problem by itself -- Beck presented his most ridiculous piece of “evidence”: Michelle Obama's visit to the “Alhambra Palace mosque,” which, as Beck himself notes, is a tourist attraction.

“Are they sending messages?” Beck asked. “I don't know. I don't know. I've never had to look for messages before.”

The real “messages” that the Obama administration is sending on its position on the Middle East are pretty clear: They're attempting to restart peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. Really dangerous stuff, huh?