Below are opinions from two non-Zionist Jewish pals of mine about what Gaza means for the lobby/Obama. In this corner, wearing the white trunks, is Jack Ross, who is optimistic and who I completely agree with, and who was dubbed by Brooklyn Rabbi Ellen Lippmann the silent genius. In the black trunks, from the west coast, Jeff Blankfort, who is pessimistic and I disagree with, but I have to honor for having been right about this stuff when I was writing celebrity profiles and kissing Tina Brown's tuchis (that means feet in British). And maybe he's right this time, too? Jack Ross:
May God help me, but I am going to offer my own cautiously optimistic assessment about Obama and the events in Gaza based on your posts of the last few days, hopefully while keeping the human catastrophe in mind. It seems clear to Obama that whatever he's going to do he simply can't maintain the Bush status quo.
I see no reason why Obama can't already inch his way back to the pre-Iraq Bush position, which is clearly where General Jones is. J Street seems to be laying the groundwork for Jewish support for such a move with its statement, which I'll give a B+. Reading the tea leaves of David Axelrod's statements seems to leave plenty of room for that (notice among other things his praise for Jones' "extensive experience in the area"). This could, indeed, potentially mean something along the lines Steve Walt talked about.
And if Rahm Emanuel and Dan Kurtzer can give Obama the cover he needs to be there on Day One, so much the better. When Ford or Bush I tried to move decisively in that direction (to say nothing of Eisenhower or Kennedy), the Jewish community was squarely against it. Obama has a serious and credible faction with him this time, even if it remains weak and arguably compromised. That is the game changer, it will lead to serious upheavals in the American Jewish community, and it will ultimately lead to American support for one state [Jack that's a shocker!].
Indeed, if Lebanon was the beginning of the end for the two-state solution, I sense Gaza will be remembered as the beginning of the end for the Lobby.
Now Jeff Blankfort:
I just read the J Street statement and there is nothing either bold or
brave about it, since it used the word,"justified," to rationalize
Israel's attack rather than pointing out, as did Karin Laub in today's
AP story,that it was Israel
that broke the cease-fire on Nov.4 (which was by no coincidence) the
night Obama was elected. Nor does it point out that Israel has been
deliberately starving the people of Gaza
since Hamas took over since initiating such a blockade is an act of
war. Rather than see The Lobby crumble, you will see one Democrat after
another not waiting for a statement from the wimpering, simpering Obama
("there is only one president at a time") and supporting Israel's air
strikes and ground invasion, should that be coming, as well.
Yesterday, as it happened,I was in the SF public library xeroxing pages from the Christian Science Monitor
from August, 1982, two months into Israel's bloody invasion of Lebanon
(which they have masked with the unwitting cooperation of many
Palestinians by pushing their self-serving scenario of the Sabra and Shatila massacre
as represented by the new film,"Waltzing with Bashir," which just
opened in NY.) Back in 1982, there were editorials criticizing Israel
and noting how US support for Israel was going to be reduced, how
Israel was humiliating the president--Reagan at that time-- and how
Israel's actions were hurting US interests in the Middle East
and on and on in that vein. The result: Israel's stranglehold on the US
grew to be stronger than ever. Until the Jewish establishment AKA The
Lobby hears and fears the seething breath of an angry public outside
their doors, nothing will change.
Ross has this response:
But U.S.-Israel relations were pretty cool during the Reagan years - early tension followed by Lebanon followed by Pollard, and then followed by Bush I . . . .
Completely agree with Blankfort.
When I attempted to leave a post saying the same thing about Israel's breaking of the cease fire and the blockade – on Antiwar.com – it was rejected.
Antiwar!
This was after a post claiming that Hamas must accept some of the blame for Israel breaking the ceasefire and starving and murdering Palestinians.
The lobby is alive and kicking and jumping onto the new left 'revival'….
Blankfort: "Until the Jewish establishment AKA The Lobby hears and fears the seething breath of an angry public outside their doors, nothing will change."
Note how Blankfort doesn't distinguish between the Jewish establishment and the Israel lobby, because he's been around the block a few times and understands they are basically one in the same. Another AKA might be "nation within a nation," — one that certainly has its own foreign policy agenda that has absolutely nothing to do with American interests.
always go with blankfort.
turn on the boob tube and listen to the ass kissing, dirt eating, floor licking boobs. all blame the palestinians. all lie for israel, meaning jews. they worry so much for their dog's/slaves lives called careers that they support slaughter.
may the slaves and their savage masters receive justice.
completely agree with blankfort. i wonder if the optimists want to believe because they so want a jewish state. they know if the lobby isn't broken soon, it will get so much worse in the mideast that there will be no hope of a jewish state. just wondering.
I'm with Blankfort too. All this talk about Obama doing something courageous just seems like pie-in-the-sky optimism, like Evangelicals assuring us that the Second Coming will occur any day now. Obama is showing no sign of doing anything but what's good for Obama. If he had any principles higher than that, he probably wouldn't be President-elect in the first place.
s/b dog/slave lives
Obama is transformation for the Israel Lobby.
The great divide between Hamas and Israel is still real, and until that relaxes, radical analyses of the region are inane.
The real lobby is hidden and fierce. Pelosi and everyone else obeys. They are of the same makeup as the ones ordering the carnage in Gaza, Iraq and Afghanistan. They are also very happy to hear jewish voices of disapproval, such as this blog. Then they show there are good Jews. America IS the Jewish Lobby. . .. … . It is not going anywhere . . . . .. . .. They listen to no one . . . .. Not the Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians and not the Americans and not the British, and not the Good jews. . . . .. . . . And they know violence Very Well!
Serious question: How can Ross claim that by asking Emanuel to be his Chief of Staff he is attempting to gain "cover" and not simply planning to join him in blind support of Israel?
Above I mean Obama, obviously…
Until the people who are pushing Israels interests in the United States are identified and punished harshly for their crimes, nothing will change. As long as these people are able to have separate agendas and standards from the rest of us, and remain largely unknown, they will continue to repackage themselves and their agenda, and pop up wherever there is the least amount of resistance. Why play games any longer?
@ morris
All true, but Main Street America isn't the Jewish lobby. The Jewish lobby is located on Wall Street and in Washington, whispering in politicians' ears, buying them off, putting Big Government to work on its agenda; and in New York and Los Angeles media centers, weaving its lies. It isn't ubiquitous and invincible. It can be located, identified and immobilized, primarily by stalking the Jewish Zionists and their political satraps and allies on both the Left and Right. Even an increasing number of Jews realize how dangerous and evil it is. It’s running out of places to hide, and people to hide behind.
I'd like to think there are many good souls, even in positions of power, that it is all a pyramid, and that without the stranglehold from atop, a reversal is possible. First and foremost is a requirement to denounce all the military ventures spawned in the last few years. It seems as if, the higher up one goes, the darker it is.
So says the asshole who thinks that Treblinka was a rest camp. You and big Ed deserve each other. But then again your Phil Weiss kind of guys.
The Germans never bombed Treblinka.
I think Blankfort is still ahead of Phil and Ross; they are hopeful, looking for signs, while Blankfort is a savvy realist. But Gaza now
is a bit of a wild card that might upset the status quo apple cart–fool me once (Lebanaon), fool me twice (Gaza)….
And I haven't even mentioned bombing Iran…it's now being packaged as attached to a three month time clock in the halls of congress by all the usual suspects.
The other wild card is the US economy, bailouts, etc
The world community needs to pressure the USA to stop arming and giving diplomatic immunity of Israel.
The time has come to STOP once and for all the evil Israeli colonial occupation of Palestine.
We owe it to the Palestinian people to have self determination and autonomy.
No more Israeli control of their borders.
All the problems in the middle east are a consequence to the inhumane, brutal, ruthless and criminal Israeli military occupation of Palestine and its people.
As long as Israel continues with its heinous crimes
there will be no peace in the middle east.