Everybody knows Bibi, Mitt, and Barack. Sheldon Adelson could use some introduction.
Sheldon was born poor in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1933. He is now the 8th richest person in the United States.
He is a potent force in right-wing Israeli politics through his financial support of Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and his ownership of the widely-read Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom. His paper consistently supports Bibi, calls for the US to initiate hostilities with Iran, and trashes President Obama for not doing so. In the US, Sheldon was Newt Gingrich's largest contributor, and is now a major supporter of Mitt Romney. He has indicated he is willing to spend $100 million to beat Obama. Sheldon has been described by those who have worked for him in the casino business as determined, obsessive, a micromanager who will go 24/7 to get what he wants.
Sheldon describes himself, "As a man with a grand vision and a pair of brass monkeys who would like to leave a visible footprint on history."
Here's how these guys relate.
- Sheldon loves Bibi; Bibi loves him back.
- Sheldon loves Mitt; Mitt loves him back.
- Bibi loves Mitt; Mitt loves him back.
- Sheldon and Mitt do not love Barack; Barack is cool with that.
- Bibi doesn't love Barack, but pretends he likes him; Barack is hip to the fact that Bibi plays pretend, and Barack is cool with that.
- Sheldon and Bibi want Barack to bomb Iran, but Barack won't do it, so they want Mitt to beat Barack, because Mitt will do what he's told by Sheldon and Bibi, both of whom Mitt loves. Barack is hip to Sheldon and Bibi's gig, but he's not cool with war, and he's way not cool with losing to Mitt.
- Bibi will be in the US in late September and would like to meet with Barack, so he can pretend he likes Barack as much as he likes Mitt. Barack is not cool with meeting, so Bibi and Barack decided to pretend that nobody wanted to meet in the first place. Barack is cool with that.
Welcome to Mid-East politics in an election year.
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