Forbes Attacks Boehner and Bibi

++Rick Ungar wrote an article in Forbes Magazine titled "Bibi Netanyahu--aka the Republican Senator from Israel--May Have Made A Fatal Political Mistake".

++Ungar writes that the Israeli political scene is up in arms about Bibi trying to interfere into the American political scene and that those Israelis who are upset are moving to the Labor-Hatnuah coalition. In a Channel 10 poll, the Labor-Hatnuah coalition stands a chance of winning 24 seats and Likud 20 seats. The same poll found that Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livini have a good chance of assembling between 61 to 68 seats to form a governing coalition.

++The other target of Ungar's article is Ron Dermer,the Israeli ambassador to the United States. Ungar repeats the Kerry stories we have heard and adds a bombshell from Israel. Moshe Dyan,the head of the Civil Service Commission, has warned Dermer of potential criminal charges because he endorsed Bibi's re-election in American media. This is "despite Israeli Civil Service regulations prohibiting him from doing so." 

++Haaretz goes into this story in depth, pointing out that Dermer broke the rules when he was interviewed by Jorge Ramos of the cable news network Fusion.

++Ungar turned the heart up in his prose against John Boehner, who he snarkily said had accomplished nothing while Speaker. He questioned whether Boehner wanted his legacy to be embarrassing The Office of the President of the United States. No matter what you think of who is in the presidency, the Office of the President is to be respected. I was surprised how vehement Ungar was on this since he generally doesn't support President Obama. Clearly this whole affair has struck a nerve. 

++Leftwing bloggers have made the point that Boehner violated the Logan Act, which prohibits someone from acting as the government of the United States when they aren't. In this case, Boehner doesn't have authority on foreign affairs.  Of course, this is a symmetrical accusation that has its counterpart in the Right's accusations against Nancy Pelosi traveling to Syria and pronouncing the then young Assad, Junior as being a reformer. Remember when Assad's wife was featured in Vanity Fair?