Why Critics of the Israel Lobby Are Politically Homeless
Block, the spokesman for the Israel lobby, made a point of flashing his credentials:
Look, Amy and Juan, as a Liberal Democrat who is a long-time listener of this program, I fundamentally believe that the audience and you are in a position to understand that liberal fundamental values, which are celebrated in Israel -- freedom of the press, women's rights, gay rights, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion -- are denied to those living in Palestinian areas and throughout the rest of the Arab world... Israel... is based on fundamental free values, that [are] not replicated in the Arab world, where education systems inculcate children with hatred and teach them that martyrdom and death is preferred over science and math and education.
Block was saying that the Democratic Party base is pro-Israel country. He's hardly alone. Alan Dershowitz has also described himself as a Kennedy liberal, David Brooks describes Iraq hawk Joseph Lieberman as a traditional, anti-Vietnam-war liberal Democrat.
They do so with some justice. Open Secrets has figures on what it calls pro-Israel PAC's contributions to political candidates that show that these groups give overwhelmingly to the Democratic party. Or consider Bruce Kovner, neocon majordomo, underwriter of the American Enterprise Institute and the New York Sun; he gave lavishly to Iraq war hawk Charles Schumer, another echt-Democrat politician who refuses to apologize for Israel.
This is the fascination of the Walt Mearsheimer criticism of the Israel lobby. No one can deny that this paper has had great political resonance. It has a real constituency: it has galvanized the realist opposition to the Iraq war, been passed around among military officers, been read hungrily by the rational and sensible and patriotic (as well as yes, by antisemites) to try and explain the mess the Bush Administration has gotten us into (by its deluded decision to occupy Arab lands and participate in a brutalized cycle of violence, the spinoffs of which will land on our shores). The critique of the Israel lobby's role, and specifically of the mis-identification of American interests with Israel's, will continue to resonate for years to come, as the paper is more fully disseminated and debated. Brian Lamb says he tried to get the authors on C-Span for three months, then bragged that his was their first broadcast appearance (apparently he had not yet talked with Dershowitz, and learned that the two men had "destroyed their professional reputations."). How long before the Nightly News beams them up?
I'm saying these ideas are too important not to ripple through electoral politics. But so far they are orphaned. The issue did not come up in the debate between Lamont and Lieberman, for the reasons Block states above. Walt and Mearsheimer have repeatedly been denounced in the New Republic, which speaks for the Gore-Summers-meritocratic Democratic braintrust. But as I have argued, these strains are just under the surface, and may well be dividing the Democratic base.
"Critics of the Israel Lobby Are Politically Homeless"
this should tell you something about the merits of the lopsided paper that you swallowed - hook, line and sinker- that ignores the US's economic and strategic benefits from Israel.
What is the connection that Israel wanted the US to invade Iraq or had any any beneficial interest in the US doing so?
The sad fact is that one can be stridently anti-Palestinian and still declare oneself a liberal.
There is no other minority on earth to which this logic applies. Imagine rejecting the rights of gays, Jews, African-Americans or any other hroup but then adding "of course, I'm a liberal."
Ridiculous. Liberalism recognizes the basic human rights of all people and that includes both Israelis and Palestinians.
Bottom line: you can't be a bigot and call yourself a liberal.
Phil Weiss, I am glad you have this blog. You have been doing great writing on this issue for years. Bravo.
Phil,
You are absolutely right. The Israelis have moved into the White House and taken over. American foreign policy is decided in Tel Aviv. The Israelis wanted the Saddam threat removed and, lo and behold, it was done. The Israelis did not want 2,500 of their soldiers to die, (look at the current fuss over one corporal), so orders were sent to the Israeli agents working in the White House (some people call them neo-cons - a more palatable label). In a recent TV documentary, N.Chompsky pointed out how the BBC is not afraid to describe how Israel Stormtroopers blow the heads off Arab children, whereas the American media suppresses and rationalizes these horrors. It is claimed that Israel is our ally. When I remember how the Israeli airforce machine-gunned our sailors on the USS Liberty, I think "with allies like these, we won't need enemies, already".
Keep up the good work, Phil!
The reason, why liberal democrats do not even lift an eye brow about Israel's atrocities and human rights violations is simply this:
They are packed with Jews. And Jews usually do never criticize Israel, and wherever they are, the suppress criticism. This is why democrats are so corrupted and never call Israel what it is: A fascist, racist piece of mud.
Genocide is never an appropriate approach to dissention. There is no excuse for starving entire populations no matter what the offense. The courts said that Geneva Conventions need to apply even though our government ruled that it was legal to override the Geneva Conventions. Isreal should listen.
United nations was created by USa--solely to create Israel from Palestinian lands.
Can the UN create a country today?--never could!
WI & WWII,were created to trap Germany to invade Russia . History proves--don't cross the Jews. Why not create a homeland for the Arabs-- Hawaii--USA stole it and why not give it to Palestinians
Phil, when you say "Walt Mearsheimer ... has ... been read hungrily by the rational and sensible and patriotic (as well as yes, by antisemites)" you achieve a rhetorical own goal that more or less completely neutralises your purported argument. This is because the unexamined term "antisemite" acts as a depth charge which necessarily implodes the core opposition to the larger scale Jewish ascendancy in Western foreign affairs. The very use of this term equates, or levels down, to the level of Wilhelm Marr's biological racism, every sort of opposition which is not hermetically restrained, according to marxist principles, to territorial zionism in abstraction from the rest of Jewish life.
The Russia President Putin said once.
The Jews are like a bacterium.
A Bacterium can only life in a sik Body,but if the Bacterium once is isolatet, the Bacterium will die, and the Body recovers quickly.
The List below is my Compilation of the Names of the Power-Jews and their International most criminal Donkeys.
Gues by yourself, who of them is the hidden Hand.
USrael is,no doubt, the Executer,the iron Arm of the Power-Jews.
The Western European Politicians are their obedient Stableburs.
In Germany, all the nearly 600 Bundestagabgeordnete,of which more then 100 are Jews Politicians, are controlled by the
"Zentralrat der Juden",they are massiv bribed and blackmailed by the Zionist Jews.
The Mossad has from each and every Politician criminal records on File,allways ready to be revealed in the Case of disobedience.
So,the Israelis / Jews have also moved into the "Deutsche Bundestag". The former Ausenminister Joschka Fischer,former Head of the green Party,is one Example,he is now wellcomed by the the Power-Jews in USrael.
Presidents,Bundeskanzler are not elected,they are apointed.
You'll agree with me,there is no such thing called Democracy.
You will wonder which names you'll on my List below.
I m a German,so english is not my nativ Language.
==================================
BILDERBERG MEETINGS
Rottach-Egern, Germany
5-8 May 2005
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
==================================
Royals / Gekroente Haeupter
---
NL
Netherlands, H.M. tihe Queen of The
B
Philippe, H.R.H. Prince
==================================
INT
Padoa-Schioppa, Tommaso
Member of the Executive Board, European Central Bank
USA
Collins, Timothy C.
Senior Managing Director and CEO, Ripplewood Holdings, LLC
USA
Donilon, Thomas E.
Partner, OÂ’Melveny & Myers
USA
Feldstein, Martin S,
President and CEO, National Bureau of Economic Research
USA
Ford, Jr., William C.
Chairman and CEO, Ford Motor Company
USA
Geithner, Timothy F.
President, Federal Reserve Bank of New York
USA
Graham, Donald E.
Chairman and CEO, The Washington Post Company
USA
Haass, Richard N.
President, Council on Foreign Relations
USA
Holbrooke, Richard C.
Vice Chairman, Perseus
USA
Hubbard, Allan B.
Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council
USA
Johnson, James A.
Vice Chairman, Perseus LLC
USA
Jordan, Jr.,Vernon E.
Senior Managing Director, Lazard Frè²¥s & Co. LLC
USA
Keane, John M.
President, GSI, LLC; General, US Army, Retired
USA
Kissinger, Henry A.
Chairman, Kissinger Associates, Inc.
USA
Kravis, Henry R.
Founding Partner, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
USA
Kravis, Marie-Jos饊 Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute, Inc.
USA
Ledeen, Michael A.
American Enterprise Institute
USA
Luti, William J.
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs
USA
Mathews, Jessica T.
President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
USA
Medish, Mark C.
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
USA
Mehlman, Kenneth B.
Chairman, Republican National Committee
USA
Pearl, Frank H.
Chairman and CEO, Perseus, LLC
USA
Pearlstine, Norman
Editor-in-Chief, Time Inc.
USA
Perle, Richard N.
Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
Einer der Plutokraten und gef䨲lichsten Mä®®er fí²Ší°¤en Weltfrieden.
Der "Prinz der Dunkelheit" bei der Arbeit - Richard Perle
USA
Rockefeller, David
Member, JP Morgan International Council
USA
Rodin, Judith
President, The Rockefeller Foundation
USA
Ross, Dennis B.
Director, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
USA
Vinocur, John
Senior Correspondent, International Herald Tribune
USA
Warner, Mark R.
Governor of Virginia
INT/USA
Wolfensohn, James D.
President, The World Bank
USA
Wolfowitz, Paul
President designate, The World Bank
USA
Zakaria, Fareed
Editor, Newsweek International
==================================
Internationals,the European Commission of the Satanic €-EU
Europ䩳che Kommission und andere
INT Ruler-Organisationen
==================================
INT
Almunia Amann, Joaquin
Commissioner, European Commission
INT
Barroso. Jos
QED
Enjoy your allies Phil.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
It is a bit disturbing to see our countries being 'run' by others. especially mean people. The next few decades are going to be really interesting to see how things work out. eg. China, islam. My advice to the jews is to settle down and do the right thing by us, or when the wars start and the nukes start dropping down they might find themselves all alone in the new world after the wars.
Or the chinsse might just kill us all anyway.