Comments on: ‘Commentary’ accuses ‘J Street’ of trying to ‘insinuate’ itself between American Jews and foreign policymaking http://mondoweiss.net/2009/03/j-street-is-scaring-the-wits-out-of-the-old-israel-lobby.html The War of Ideas in the Middle East Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:31:21 +0000 hourly 1 By: Rowan http://mondoweiss.net/2009/03/j-street-is-scaring-the-wits-out-of-the-old-israel-lobby.html/comment-page-1#comment-21608 Rowan Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/03/31/j-street-is-scaring-the-wits-out-of-the-old-israel-lobby.html#comment-21608 <p>Since you mention J Street, I shall offer this item by the horrible Rosner, which I would otherwise not have bothered with:</p> <p><i> Sunday Mar 29, 2009<br /> Rosner's Domain: J Street tries to spin my post, their joke-poll<br /> Posted by SHMUEL ROSNER<br /> J Street's Isaac Luria wrote an article with the purpose of discrediting my article on J Street's latest poll (J Street survey is a joke, again). Most of the arguments he's made are barely relevant: he says that I'm a "conservative columnist" (does this make his poll better?), and that he's "not sure that we should care about getting Shmuel Rosner's endorsement" (offense not taken. I think you should. Details ahead). However, on one issue (out of 4-5 that I raised in my post) Luria attempts to show how stupid I am by delving into the details of my post, and J Street's poll. Let's take a look...</i><br /> http://cgis.jpost.com/Blogs/rosner/entry/j_street_tries_to_spin</p> Since you mention J Street, I shall offer this item by the horrible Rosner, which I would otherwise not have bothered with:

Sunday Mar 29, 2009
Rosner's Domain: J Street tries to spin my post, their joke-poll
Posted by SHMUEL ROSNER
J Street's Isaac Luria wrote an article with the purpose of discrediting my article on J Street's latest poll (J Street survey is a joke, again). Most of the arguments he's made are barely relevant: he says that I'm a "conservative columnist" (does this make his poll better?), and that he's "not sure that we should care about getting Shmuel Rosner's endorsement" (offense not taken. I think you should. Details ahead). However, on one issue (out of 4-5 that I raised in my post) Luria attempts to show how stupid I am by delving into the details of my post, and J Street's poll. Let's take a look…
http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/03/31/j-street-is-scaring-the-wits-out-of-the-old-israel-lobby.html#comment-21609 <p>There's a thread on this already at Yglesias:</p> <p>http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/03/whats_driving_the_jihad_against_j_street.php#comments<br /> </p> There's a thread on this already at Yglesias:

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/03/whats_driving_the_jihad_against_j_street.php#comments

]]> By: delia http://mondoweiss.net/2009/03/j-street-is-scaring-the-wits-out-of-the-old-israel-lobby.html/comment-page-1#comment-21610 delia Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/03/31/j-street-is-scaring-the-wits-out-of-the-old-israel-lobby.html#comment-21610 <p>Notwithstanding the lie about who broke the Gaza ceasefire with which it begins, this article started out not too badly, considering it’s Commentary. Then, about halfway through, it slides into the usual hysteria and paranoia. Does Pollak think that nobody is gonna notice?</p> Notwithstanding the lie about who broke the Gaza ceasefire with which it begins, this article started out not too badly, considering it’s Commentary. Then, about halfway through, it slides into the usual hysteria and paranoia. Does Pollak think that nobody is gonna notice?

]]> By: Sin Nombre http://mondoweiss.net/2009/03/j-street-is-scaring-the-wits-out-of-the-old-israel-lobby.html/comment-page-1#comment-21611 Sin Nombre Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/03/31/j-street-is-scaring-the-wits-out-of-the-old-israel-lobby.html#comment-21611 <p>"The simple test of the piece is Pollak's claim that J Street will vanish because its ideas about Israel and Palestine and 'the obligations of American power'...."</p> <p>Interesting how so many partisans of Israel don't just say that the U.S. should do something because it's good, or to help Israel because Israel is good, but always instead that it should do what they want done because it's America's *obligation.* Just like what Jonathan Pollard said about why he turned over all those documents and stuff; it was our alleged obligation to have given them over anyway. </p> <p>No wonder one can sense so little appreciation amongst the partisans of Israel for what America has done for it. We've only been doing our duty apparently, and probably insufficiently at that. </p> <p><br /> </p> "The simple test of the piece is Pollak's claim that J Street will vanish because its ideas about Israel and Palestine and 'the obligations of American power'…."

Interesting how so many partisans of Israel don't just say that the U.S. should do something because it's good, or to help Israel because Israel is good, but always instead that it should do what they want done because it's America's *obligation.* Just like what Jonathan Pollard said about why he turned over all those documents and stuff; it was our alleged obligation to have given them over anyway.

No wonder one can sense so little appreciation amongst the partisans of Israel for what America has done for it. We've only been doing our duty apparently, and probably insufficiently at that.

]]> By: Julian http://mondoweiss.net/2009/03/j-street-is-scaring-the-wits-out-of-the-old-israel-lobby.html/comment-page-1#comment-21612 Julian Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/03/31/j-street-is-scaring-the-wits-out-of-the-old-israel-lobby.html#comment-21612 <p>Sin Nombre:<br /> "Interesting how so many partisans of Israel don't just say that the U.S. should do something because it's good, or to help Israel because Israel is good, but always instead that it should do what they want done because it's America's *obligation.*"</p> <p>Pretty apparent you didn't read the article. Pollak didn't request any American obligation. He said:</p> <p>"Because its conception of Israel, the Palestinians, and the obligations of American power are driven by ideological fantasy, J Street will likely remain, like the Oslo Accords, a permanently thwarted ambition, but at least one with a large email list."<br /> </p> Sin Nombre:
"Interesting how so many partisans of Israel don't just say that the U.S. should do something because it's good, or to help Israel because Israel is good, but always instead that it should do what they want done because it's America's *obligation.*"

Pretty apparent you didn't read the article. Pollak didn't request any American obligation. He said:

"Because its conception of Israel, the Palestinians, and the obligations of American power are driven by ideological fantasy, J Street will likely remain, like the Oslo Accords, a permanently thwarted ambition, but at least one with a large email list."

]]> By: Sin Nombre http://mondoweiss.net/2009/03/j-street-is-scaring-the-wits-out-of-the-old-israel-lobby.html/comment-page-1#comment-21613 Sin Nombre Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/03/31/j-street-is-scaring-the-wits-out-of-the-old-israel-lobby.html#comment-21613 <p>Julian wrote:</p> <p>"Pretty apparent you didn't read the article. Pollak didn't request any American obligation."</p> <p>No, I read it. And what's more I understood it. Of course he didn't request any American obligation to Israel; he posited that one exists already which is why he says J Street will fail.</p> Julian wrote:

"Pretty apparent you didn't read the article. Pollak didn't request any American obligation."

No, I read it. And what's more I understood it. Of course he didn't request any American obligation to Israel; he posited that one exists already which is why he says J Street will fail.

]]> By: Duscany http://mondoweiss.net/2009/03/j-street-is-scaring-the-wits-out-of-the-old-israel-lobby.html/comment-page-1#comment-21614 Duscany Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/03/31/j-street-is-scaring-the-wits-out-of-the-old-israel-lobby.html#comment-21614 <p>The "obligations of American power" are to defend the interests of the American people. Defending the interests of anyone else is a distant second. They specifically do not include waging preemptive war on countries like Iran which are no threat to us.</p> The "obligations of American power" are to defend the interests of the American people. Defending the interests of anyone else is a distant second. They specifically do not include waging preemptive war on countries like Iran which are no threat to us.

]]> By: Citizen http://mondoweiss.net/2009/03/j-street-is-scaring-the-wits-out-of-the-old-israel-lobby.html/comment-page-1#comment-21615 Citizen Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/03/31/j-street-is-scaring-the-wits-out-of-the-old-israel-lobby.html#comment-21615 <p>Right, Duscany--except the gentile whores in Congress and the White House know on which side their continued and ever better baked bread is buttered. No solution but campaign finance reform--not getting anywhere with that though....</p> <p>As low on the totem pole as Frankin, they will convince themselves of anything to sniff higher up the career ladder.</p> Right, Duscany–except the gentile whores in Congress and the White House know on which side their continued and ever better baked bread is buttered. No solution but campaign finance reform–not getting anywhere with that though….

As low on the totem pole as Frankin, they will convince themselves of anything to sniff higher up the career ladder.

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