Obama: Netanyahu Speech Not ‘Destructive,’ But a ‘Distraction’

President Obama today downplayed Susan Rice saying Benjamin Netanyahu‘s speech to Congress is “destructive” to the U.S.-Israel relationship. He said, “I don’t think it’s permanently destructive. I think it’s a distraction from what should be our focus, and our focus should be how do we stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.”

The White House and Congress have been at odds over the address ever since John Boehner invited Netanyahu to speak weeks ago, circumventing the White House. Based on a statement from Josh Earnest today, the president may not even watch Netanyahu’s speech when it’s on.

President Obama told Reuters he doesn’t doubt Netanyahu’s concerns about a nuclear Iran, but insisted, “We think it’s a mistake for the prime minister of any country to come to speak before Congress a few weeks before they are about to have an election. It makes it look like we are taking sides.”

He argued that had a Democratic-controlled Congress attempted something similar under George W. Bush, “some of the same commentators who are cheerleading now would have suggested that it was the wrong thing to do.” However, Obama did dismiss that this is a “personal issue” between him and Netanyahu.

You can watch the video here and read the full transcript of Obama’s Reuters interview here.

[image via screengrab]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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