It's not Fark until they create a dozen facebook groups to talk about it.

The mics were supposedly open for three minutes, but no reporters heard anything EXCEPT this one tidbit?

Can't help but wonder if the translators did the extra remarks? :D

Its the kind of smart diplomacy one would expect from the Obama Administration.

doyner: Tatsuma: Oh, also Republicans are going to beat this one over and over and over and over again.

This is a pretty big error during an election year.

Yeah. Commiserating with a foreign head of state about another, however recalcitrant, is inexcusable.... Yelling "liar" at the President, however, is patriotic.

It isn't a big deal, obviously, but it's the sort of story Fox News loves; "Obama secretly plots with the French against Israel! Shocking hatred of Israeli leader captured by microphone blunder!"

Reverend Wright taught him to be a good anti-semite.

Tatsuma: Oh, also Republicans are going to beat this one over and over and over and over again.

This is a pretty big error during an election year.

Nope, Obama's still protecting Israel. Nobody has ever pretended that Netanyahu is anything but demanding, anyway.

Also, here are the full remarks as reported:

"Tu en as marre de lui, mais moi, je dois traiter avec lui tous les jours !", a rétorqué Obama, qui a ensuite demandé à Sarkozy d'essayer de convaincre les Palestiniens de mettre la pédale douce sur leur demande d'adhésion à l'ONU.

The translation "sick of" pour "avoir marre" in TFA is a bit inflammatory, I would translate it more as "fed up with" or "had enough of". In French it sounds more like Obama is just expressing sympathy with Sarkozy's frustration. Obama's saying that he's carrying the load of dealing with Israeli-Palestinian relations. In the next breath he asks Sarkozy to convince the Palestinians to withdraw their bid for UN membership. I'm not sure how you can interpret Obama going around keeping UN Security Council members sweet (and working behind the scenes to discourage the Palestinians in their bids for international recognition) as anything but pro-Israel. What matters here, the mildest off the cuff remark, or the administration's actual policy?

To be fair, Netanyahuis is a dick.

They didn't call him a black asshole so it isn't racist and they didn't comment on how tall he was compared to their wives, so it isn't sexual harrasment. This will be out of the news by noon tomorrow.

Tatsuma: Sarkozy told Bibi that France would vote 'no' on the UNESCO vote, then voted yes... and then right after that,he calls Bibi a liar?

Since I've got you here, do you actually think Netanyahu will go through with getting rid of the settlements at Givat Assaf? Or do you think he'll buckle under the pressure from his coalition?

"there were discussions between journalists and they agreed not to publish the comments due to the sensitivity of the issue."

This seems a little hard to believe. In fact, the whole story seems a little suspect.

Sure, Obama and Sarkozy are allowed to have their opinions of other leaders and they certainly are entitled to express their opinions to each other in private. Unfortunately, this meeting wasn't exactly "private" and plays into the notion Obama is not Israel's friend.

Obviously there will be many that post to the Fark Politics tab that have no problem with this at all. The unintended problem this could create is if Israel feels the US does not have its back, it may become more likely they will act on their own in dealing with Iran.

I have no doubt that the two leaders thought they were having a private conversation, but unfortunately this situation is an embarrassment and one that I hope the White House gets out in front of in trying to smooth this over.

Tatsuma: Oh, also Republicans are going to beat this one over and over and over and over again.

This is a pretty big error during an election year.

The large bloc of Israeli ultra-nationalist-bomb-Iran hawks in the GOP and among the voting public will be very upset by this damning turn of events. How concerning.

The Israel stance by Republicans is so strange to me. When polled they want to basically abolish all foreign aid, but they simultaneously trip all over themselves to cut Israel a blank check in monetary support. I guess it's that mutual love of killing brown skin people.

Anyways, it's just such a pity that they didn't start out with some zingers about Berlusconi. Anything to precipitate his demise. Then again, Merkozy are practically trash-talking Berlusconi in press conferences these days.

moralpanic: To be fair, Netanyahuis is a dick.

Pretty much what I came here to say. I mean, really - is there anyone who doesn't hate the man?

FTA: "Their mics were accidentally* left on"


*No

InmanRoshi: The Israel stance by Republicans is so strange to me. When polled they want to basically abolish all foreign aid, but they simultaneously trip all over themselves to cut Israel a blank check in monetary support. I guess it's that mutual love of killing brown skin people.

Nah, more like "The Jews have to occupy the whole of Biblical Israel and rebuild the Temple so the Sweet Babby Jeebus can return to Earth to take his place as the King of Derp"...or something like that.

Tatsuma: Oh, also Republicans are going to beat this one over and over and over and over again.

This is a pretty big error during an election year.

It's not an election year.

And who cares? He's going to run for the President of the US, not the President of Israel.