The Jewish Telegraphic Agency's new Washington blog is called "Capital J". "Inside the Beltway with Ron Kampeas & Eric Fingerhut." I wonder if they would have come up with that name if not for J Street. I bet not. That blog entry is about Congressman Steve Israel, who represents Long Island, NY, calling for an investigation of Chas Freeman's connections to the Arab world. We don't want any "bias" in our Mideast policy, sayeth Israel. Oh my.
I'd called Freeman an Arabist, because of his connections with Saudi Arabia. Jeff Blankfort writes:
Freeman obviously represents the realists within the Pentagon and what is left of the old guard in the Foreign Service. It is a mistake to call men like him "Arabists," which implies that their critical position regarding US support for Israel is based on a pro-Arab bias as opposed to what they think is in the best interests of the US. To use the reverse of the term which might be more apropos, it would be like calling all of those politicians who kow-tow to the lobby, "Jewists." Speaking quite objectively, it is clear that whatever one thinks of the Saudis, and my opinion of them is no higher than yours, there is no question but that the US-Saudi Arabia relationship is far more important in terms of US interests than is our relationship with Israel. In fact, it is so important both in terms of its role in supplying the world's oil companies with oil and its massive purchases of US weaponry (that it will never use but) that keep our arms factories in business, that efforts by the neocons and other "Israelists" to break up that relationship have gone nowhere.
And Jack Ross weighs in:
Israel isn't the only one being shamelessly unironic about Charles Freeman. The Commentary blog is using all manner of similar rhetoric about
Freeman, the paid agent of a foreign power.
This is absurd on a number of levels. I thought the Saudis were supposed to be our friends against the big bad Iranians, now that it's inconvenient they're the Wahabi fundamentalists again?
You know, "Congressman Steve Israel, who represents Long Island, NY, calling for an investigation of Chas Freeman's connections to the Arab world" is just too f***ing funny of a sentence.
The best comedy is based in the absurdity of politics, as the writers of the Daily Show and Colbert have discovered.
I guess we'll just have to demand an investigation of Steve Israel's connection to the Israel world.
Blankfort on calling Freeman an "Arabist": 'To use the reverse of the term which might be more apropos, it would be like calling all of those politicians who kow-tow to the lobby, "Jewists." '
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If the shoe fits… In fact, we long ago left the Protestant establishment behind. The US Congress is now pretty much comprised of not dedicated Christians, not dedicated Americans, not authentic liberals, not authentic conservatives, but, well,…Jewists.
"Speaking quite objectively, it is clear that whatever one thinks of the Saudis, and my opinion of them is no higher than yours, there is no question but that the US-Saudi Arabia relationship is far more important in terms of US interests than is our relationship with Israel. In fact, it is so important both in terms of its role in supplying the world's oil companies with oil and its massive purchases of US weaponry (that it will never use but) that keep our arms factories in business, that efforts by the neocons and other "Israelists" to break up that relationship have gone nowhere."
Worth repeating.
Israel has no oil. In fact via official memo we guarantee Israel's emergency oil supply unconditionally.
Free Israeli arms are paid for by US taxpayers, and when Israel buys some more, it does so with USA
taxpayer dollars.
Any USA-led military coalition of the willing in the strategic Middle East is always based on exclusion of Israel because otherwise the receptive states would not be willing.
A US Army Missile defense detachment is set up in Israel.
Why?
As more and more Americans become aware of what Israel has done to the natives, and as USA demographics turn increasingly Hispanic, white guilt recedes increasingly.
The terrorist today is the buddy tomorrow, and visa-versa.
The times, they are a changing.
Blowing in the wind.
It's not 1939, 1945,1963 anymore.
One day we will no longer go eyeless in Gaza.
Yes, one day you'll actually be able to walk in Gaza and not have to worry about having your eyes gouged out by a Gazan.
pretty flaccid response there, chris. Why don't you actually answer Citizen's question? Just can't get it up, huh?
"Arabists" is code from the time when the zionists were conducting a similar psywar to day's but against the British Foreign Office. It became a portmanteau term connoting everything from striped pants to homosexuality, partly thanks to the always obliging film industry.
Realist: noun; (in foreign policy) Someone who would throw a friend under a bus to appease an enemy.
So you found your Zionist Dictionary. Good for you, Thom.
Thom: "Realist: noun; (in foreign policy) Someone who would throw a friend under a bus to appease an enemy."
There is no evidence, nor has there ever been any evidence, that Israel is our friend (at least since she tried to sink the USS Liberty and directed Pollard to steal our most secret security files).