This double standard is killing America.

Because Kirk was a senior staffer to House International Relations Committee chairman Ben Gilman (R-NY) when the Republicans took over Congress in 1995 after the Gingrich revolution. Gilman was among the most virulent Zionists in the Congress.

And as for the interests of the people in illinois… Is Philip dictating their interests? Sounds a little fascist to me.

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Mark Kirk is a Republican congressman from the Chicago area — the district he represents voted for Kerry in 2004 and Gore in 2000. A key reason he has been able to win re-election is that he has aggressively wooed Jewish Democrats and has succeeded just enough to win re-election three times.

This election cycle, Mark Kirk has a problem, and that problem is me. I'm running for his seat — and frankly speaking, I'm his worse nightmare.

I'm a Jewish Democrat, supportive of Israel's security needs and absolutely certain of the need for a much more intelligent national security policy than the one we have (the one Mark Kirk keeps rubber-stamping). I'm also a strong progressive on social and economic policies — I was raised by a single mom, so I know what it's like to live paycheck-to-paycheck and what it means to get even a small scholarship to college. A lot of people in the 10th district believe what I believe — plenty, I think, to turn the seat around next year.

What do all Republicans do when they can't beat you on the issues? They try to beat you with your own biography.

They did it to Max Cleland.

They did it to John Kerry.

And they are trying to do it to me.

Here's how it played out: Last weekend, I attended the YearlyKos Convention in Chicago — something I very much enjoyed. I saw many old friends there and I made many new ones. I saw a whole convention filled with people who are passionate about their politics and their country.

Let's face it: Considering the cynicism and disinterest in most corners of American politics, it was refreshing to see a convention hall full of people who all paid their own way to Chicago to meet and talk about the future of this country.

Just as the convention ended, one of Congressman Kirk's most ardent supporters, a guy named Andy Lappin, sent an email to a long list of recipients, calling me anti-Semitic for attending the YearlyKos convention. That's right — he said I wasn't Jewish enough. So what was that bris all about?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-k-footlik/my-republican-opponent-sa_b_59861.html

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What can one conclude about Mark Kirk, from Jay Footlik's account — that he's a seedy, amoral panderer? Sounds close enough for government work. Let's go with it.

They only filmed it, cheered as it happened, and went on Israeli TV and announced they were there to document to it.

Kirk will not get my vote again in 2010.