Great analysis by Steve Walt of the Freeman affair, its chilling effect and the silver lining (Israel lobby was seen fleeing the scene of the crime in a Lexus). Great time-line and reporting of the foreign-policy establishment's support for Freeman by Daniel Luban and Jim Lobe here. Walt's best line is that the Democratic Party is a party of "wimps." And he's talking about the man who just won a "historic election." He's right. Obama has a progressive base but fails to represent it on Gaza or the occupation.
Why? Because of a money interest in the occupation. Because he fears the desertion of big Jewish givers on key congressional races.
This is why I constantly invoke Lincoln and the 1850s. The existing party structure had cut a deal and failed to represent the moral leadership of the country, the newspapermen of New York and Chicago, the churchmen and abolitionists of Boston, and freethinking lawyers in Springfield, Ill., who were opposed to the spread of slavery. These people were willing to leave their parties to oppose slavery and build the Republican Party. The Democrats called them radicals for doing so. The Dred Scott decision by the Supreme Court revealed to the intelligent what the intelligent all know now: the political structure is corrupted by a force that as Chas Freeman says is endangering our national security.
The great imbalance politically now is that Tons of Americans are unrepresented by the Israel lobby. There is righteous rage, as Luban and Lobe point out, among the foreign-policy elite over this question. Old lefties like me are up in arms. Realists at Harvard are upset. Multiculturalists are appalled by Gaza. The antiwar intellectuals are upset. Who will represent us? Not wimps.
P.S. Very dark piece by Joe Klein: "Assassination." The real target of the Freeman mob (not the lobby, he says; and Klein is wrong/incurious) is Obama. Scary. I'm sure assassination/target is unconscious, inadvertent.
To paraphrase a line said about another, "The Dems never miss a chance to miss a chance."
The great imbalance now is that Tons of Americans are unrepresented by the Israel lobby. There is righteous rage, as Luban and Lobe point out, among the foreign-policy elite over this question. Old lefties like me are up in arms. Realists at Harvard are upset. Multiculturalists are appalled by Gaza. The antiwar intellectuals are upset. Who will represent us? Not wimps."
Who will represent the vast majortiy of America that is not represented by the Lobby or mentioned in Phil's list?
I think this is actually a blessing. the job of head of the NIC isn't any great shakes and in going after a relatively small fish in plain sight the lobby has simply given the likes of phil weiss and steven walt more material!
of particular interest to me personally is the combinations of celebrating and denying on the part of the lobby itself which is just ridiculous on it's face. here's a post I did at commentary just now beinging with a quote from the column I commented on
" " If they insist on blaming some amorphous “lobby,” they should start by reexamining their own"
non jewish or zionist "trolls" at this forum are scratching their heads at the combination victory celebration and denial of influence by …the lobby-type-thing. how can chuck schumer, commentary and co hi five each other and commend each other on a job while done while also denying they have anything to do with it? here is how it works:
AIPAC and co don't deny there is a lobby. they deny there is a "lobby". that is, a NEGATIVE "nefarious " lobby.
so what, you say. of course it's not negative to them they believe in it, but it's still a lobby.
yuo are right, but they don't see it that way. you;ll notice whenever they deny they exist they say something like "some evil cabal ' or something like that.
it's the same with the dual loyalties issue. hard core zionists DO have dual loyalties. they jsut don't have "dual loyalties" . they don't have the evil kind, but the good kind.
if you are saying to yourself, this is just a fancy way of lying…you're right!!"
"Gazabama"
Your point is well taken lester, although I think Freeman at NIC was in a position to affect policy more than you seem to believe.
Nice cartoon, hasbarablaster. It's gotten painful watching Obby pretend he doesn't know what's going on.
it's symbolic. reading this
"One of the first congressmen to raise questions about Freeman, Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), said yesterday that he spoke of his concerns last week to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and later sent him materials about the former ambassador's statements and associations. Israel, a member of the House Appropriations Committee's Select Intelligence Oversight Panel, said in a telephone interview that "as I was leaving the White House this afternoon, they told me of Blair's statement" of Freeman's withdrawal. "I think Blair's defense of Freeman was indefensible, and people in the White House realized that."
"israel" attacking a "free man"
"israel" attacking a "free man"
That's great!
dan- history repeats itself.
again to reiterate: so it wasn’t “the lobby”, it was… the lobby. it wasn’t the evil neferious cabal, it was the nice concerned supporters of israel
Nice to see Phil's fools willing to attempt to tear the country apart over the concern's of some neo-liberals, neo-nazis, supporter's of Islamic fascism, and the like jst because israel will not sit by while hamas makes genocidally minded attempts on the lives of isral's citizens.
spelling, old boy — pay especial attention to spelling when agitated.
by the way, my mother used to call those intrusive apostrophes "greengrocers' apostrophes" because she tended to see them on greengrocers' chalk boards, saying things like "pear's 1s 3d a dozen" or whatever.
Dr. Walt: But history will not be kind to the likes of Charles Schumer, Jonathan Chait, Steve Rosen et al, whose hidebound views are unintentionally undermining both U.S. and Israeli security.
Does anyone seriously believe that Schumer et al's undermining of U.S. security is unintentional? I can believe it is well self-rationalized and self-justified, e.g., "We are only doing a little damage to America, but it's ok to deceive the American people into thinking that we are not doing any because [insert worn excuse here]." The day is coming where there will be widespread suspicion of the loyalties of Jewish politicians in relation to Israel in exactly the same way there used to be of Catholic politicians in relation to the Vatican. How, and why, has it come to this in America?
It occurs to me how scared and trapped I would feel if I were Jewish and watching such brazen treason carried out in my name, knowing that inevitably it would come to light and that I might be associated with it. It is important that we stick to our principles and only blame the guilty, Zionist extremists, and re-affirm our stalwart reverence for rule-of-law.
I agree with Joe's take. Absolutely! In fact, I kept wondering last night whether Obama has not walked into a trap. We'll see. For now, regarding the President the word may not be 'assassination', but 'castration' for sure!
"Walt says Obama is a 'wimp''
"Dershowitz, who publicly challenged Walt and Mearsheimer to a debate last week, said that Mearsheimer had been scheduled to debate him on the BBC at 10:30 p.m Eastern time Thursday. But Dershowitz said that he received a call at 10:35 p.m. saying that Mearsheimer had cancelled the debate."
Of course Meisheimer cancelled. He's a wimp.
link to thecrimson.com
"It occurs to me how scared and trapped I would feel if I were Jewish and watching such brazen treason carried out in my name, knowing that inevitably it would come to light and that I might be associated with it. It is important that we stick to our principles and only blame the guilty, Zionist extremists, and re-affirm our stalwart reverence for rule-of-law."
Maybe I'm wrong, but from my experience, most Jews support Israel, and the pro-Israel politics of the neocons. Just the other day, the major Jewish group, and only synagogue that I can think of in my part of the state, held a conference to support Israel in her "time of need." I don't think that Zionists are anywhere close to being in the minority among Jews. If most Jews are anti-Israel, they sure don't make it known.
@ Chris Berel,
While you speak so eloquently about "Islamic Fascism," I see you make no qualms about Israel’s Lieberman who' fascism was put on display for the world to see where he's advocated expelling out Arabs and ethnically cleansing them?
Or is Jewish Fascism ok? I have not heard a brouhaha from Jewish groups and the lobby about that, but you and your ilk went after an American Patriot at the expense of another country.
Many American Muslim that I know care more about the US than any country they may have come from and left behind. I don't know of anyone wanting a double citizenship, unlike the American Jewry where most have it. Make up your mind, you either love America more and care about its interests or Israel is your top priority overriding America's concerns.
I have never seen Israel Firsters stand up for America and speak so eloquently about it and with so much passion as for Israel. Don’t' bite the hand the feeds you.
Maybe American should have a loyalty test similar to what Israel's Lieberman proposes for Israeli Arabs. But I would make everyone take it. Anyone who cares more about a foreign country and holds dual citizenship should be asked to pack and move.
But then I come back to reality and realize there would be no difference between the disgusting animal that AIPAC has become and me.
Or is Jewish Fascism ok
Yes Saleema, Jewish fascism is alright with many Zionists, though they'd prefer you don't be so straightforward about it.