Muhammad Idrees Ahmad writes:
The Harman case appears to be the lobby's most significant encounter with US law enforcement since its battles with the Department of Justice over Foreign Agent Registration Act registration under the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations. And yet, have you noticed that the Left is once again AWOL on this? There has been nothing beyond a brief mention on Democracy Now. Nothing at all on Counterpunch. ZNet I gave up on a long time ago. The mainstream has fared far better this time. But the only places (excepting Mondo) that have recognized the significance of this issue and have provided sustained coverage are CQ itself, the libertarian Antiwar.com and Col. Pat Lang's blog (David Corn has also done several superb follow up posts). Steve Walt, Glen Greenwald and Juan Cole have also done some excellent posts but have since moved on. People then wonder why the lobby always wins. It appears obvious: there isn't anyone (with the aforementioned exceptions) who is holding its feet to the fire.
Oh, also: Marilyn Neimark and Josh Nathan-Kazis covered it on WBAI show, Beyond the Pale.
Larry Johnson's blog NqQuarter, strongly anti O (but pro HRC) had several posts taking pretty much the same view as Pat Lang.
Seems like the coverage was pretty wide. To the extent it doesn't take off more I suspect it is because Jane is a D more than the fact it involves AIPAC. No political percentage in it.
People moved on because the case didn't merit more attention.
The Kennedy/Israel Lobby FARA showdown was an "Extinction Level Event"—for both sides. There was no upside for either party as the battle escalated, both paid dearly
Ironically, the Harman/Rosen/Weissman scandal has gotten *even more* mainstream coverage than that earlier conflagration ever did (a few NYT/WSJ and special interest press stories).
http://www.irmep.org/ila/azcdoj/p6100060/default.asp
History merely underscores that when a president takes on the lobby, which is now so intertwined with foundations of the Washington power establishment, all they start pulling down is the whole, rotten, artifice.
And what blue chip media establishment really wants to promote that? What upside is there for Obama to proceed? Just rule of law? We're way past that. There's a war on Iran to launch and bailout money to conjure.
Sure, they're losing the confidence of many Americans. But not the ones they pander to.
Before November 2010, everyone in Harman's congressional district should receive an update about why their representative acts the way she does.
From Philip Giraldi's "Some Might Call it Treason" – http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2009/04/26/some-might-call-it-treason
Treason trials have been rare in the United States. Elected officials and government employees with access to classified information are bound by statutes authorizing severe penalties lest they betray that confidence. Congressmen are elected to represent the best interests of the voters in their districts and, in a broader sense, the citizens of the United States, a trust that they frequently betray when they give in to the importunities of lobbyists and vote for pork or laws that help only special interest groups. That is generally referred to as corruption. But what does one call it when a senior elected official tells a citizen of a foreign country that he or she is willing to interfere in a judicial process in exchange for that country’s support to obtain a more senior position in the government? A single word appears to be lacking, though "betrayal" and "treachery" seem to come close. Some have resorted to "obstruction of justice" or "influence peddling," both of which are actually crimes when committed by a government official. If the U.S. Constitution had not limited treasonous activity to wartime, the word "treason" might well be considered.
Until the transcripts of Rep. Jane Harman’s telephone conversations are made public, if they ever are, her transgression can only be assessed secondhand.
—
I think getting to the bottom of the allegations certainly merit more attention, especially if true, don't you?
Here is David Lindrof, to be fair to CounterPunch
http://www.counterpunch.org/lindorff04232009.html
i was wondering who would be the first to say this – you, chris bebel, or jim haygood… you won!
people moved on?
What about all this jew-hating nazism that's supposedly so widespread? Surely all the jew-hating nazis would have something to say about this affront to the Fatherland! And we all know those jew-hating nazis are a vociferous lot.
I must say, I'm very disappointed with all you jew-hating nazis out there.
Thanks Jawad. I must have missed that one.
Does treason not merit attention? what about corruption? do you like it that we headed the direction of Israel where prime ministers are seen accepting envelopes full of cash in broad daylight, a nightclub bouncer of little education or sense is a sitting (and spitting) foreign minister, and a president turns out to be a sleazebag harasser of his own employees? Israel's entire political system is corrupt to the core, not to mention the fact that it is a recognized center of the sex slave trade industry (there was a great story about that in haaretz; misplaced the link, shucks…). And those are the values we are supposed to share?
Well, Israel with the full support of its many agents in the US (including the dual loyalty so-called citizens who have a heart only for jews who share their "values/heritage") may not rest until it turns the US system – and its vaunted constitution – into a mirror image of its own corrupt banana republic ultra-militarized regime. Just who do you think recommended – wholeheartedly – the abominable torture visited upon humans who apparently need not be treated with dignity as they are arabs? Who is against metting justice to the guilty? and who peddled the atrocity known as "Iraq war"? many a direct agentsof Israel – known sometimes as neocon here supported – and indeed actively advocated and promoted every twist of the constitution, slap in the face of human rights and rolling into other countries with the full intent of bombing their citizens to kingdom come. Such illegal wiretap supporting, "war on terror" shills included the traitor Harman – an patriot act advocate who's anything but a patriot seeing how willing she was to sell her office to the highest bidder.
Just what has Blagojevich done that our good Jane hasn't? why is she not immediately thrown out of office? why is she spared impeachment for a clear pay-to-play gambit? who could even shake her hand or ever trust her again?
You should visit israel more often Witty. And the next time try to actually listen to the way people talk there, not just about Arabs but about the "gullible" and "wimpy" Americans. learn some more hebrew, if you must (though I'm not sure you could bear the shock of understanding what passes for everyday discourse ov er there…)
What people in the US (including the many Jewish "friends of israel") still need to learn is that israel may be regarded by many as an ally and a "friend" of the US. This, however, is not reciprocated. Israelis despise people like jane harman, who are considered only good for the occasional shake-down. And they despise you, a diaspora jew who did not fight in any wars personally – which is the only thing they respect. That's the mind set over there. Phil mentions often the disease of exceptionalism (for that's what it is – a virulent meme). In israel they not only don't apologize for tasteless displays of such – they flaunt it. For the average israeli, it's more about how can they squeeze more goodies out of these silly well-meaning Americans than about trying to learn what they can about what's so good in America, and how it could be emulated.
One day, witty, you'll realize that Israel and the US do not share many values any longer. Talk of "shared values" has always been skin-deep – on their side anyways, and infused by much naivite from our end. it troubles me that you find nothing to be outraged by, seeing a long standing lawmaker caught red-handed wheeling and dealing away the country's interests for a few nuggets of gold. The US's fortunes must have truly sunk for its interests,honor and values to be sold for so little, and so casually.
Mark my words – this will come back yet to haunt us all (yes, me too). It's not so much the incidents themselves but our reaction to them that show us for what really are.
and that superputz over at the washington note…he is awol on this one also….besides the one piddley little mention, he pretends this is a minor deal.
but we all know that clemons is a zionist suckup also.
i wonder how americas intelligence agencies feel being the bitch of the israeli zionist.
every single frigin one of them is being rammed by the zionist, enjoy america.
Is that your real name!? How very noble of you.
If I used my real name the jew-hating nazis would drag me off to the crematorium. Can you blame me for hiding?
For the media, spying for Israel has similarities to using torture against Mujahideen; so many are complicit in the crime. American journalism no longer exposes corruption and government malfeasance, but has become their accomplice. Reporting about Harman will raise questions about the AIPAC spy story. Not just why hasn't the prosecution proceeded, but also why the story was hardly covered. One would think headlines screaming spies would sell newspapers.
Treason?
You've got to be joking.
Notice that Harman basically said some very stupid things on the phone, and then she did nothing. It's a perfect ziocaine incident. Had she received a similar type of phone call on any other subject from any other Lobby, she would have read them the riot act, sent them off with a lecture about ethics and her duty to constituents.
But instead, she got a big ziocaine rush, and out came some stupid offers to interfere with and obstruct justice.
Good Lord, look what the stuff does to Berel and Witty.
'Why doesn't Harman story have better legs?'
Because your journalists, like your politicians, are by and large either cowards or opportunists; that is, when they are not 5th column Zionists. Some people, the more succesful of them, manage to tick all 3 boxes.
This is an intriguing wrinkle: NSA was not the entity recording Harman's conversation with the AIPAC enthusiast, per DNI Blair. Any thoughts on who might have been, Philip?
Blair's statement is certainly not an effort to bury the story, and has the effect of keeping it in the news another day.
Nell, it had already been reported that the wiretap was part of a long-running FBI investigation into AIPAC, not an NSA investigation. See Stein's interview with Scott Horton.
Treason has a formal legal definition and thus might not be the right word to apply to Harman. But she is someone who would happily subvert the best interests of the United States to an agent of a foreign power. To me that makes her a traitor. And since Harman obviously cares more about Israel than she does the US I wonder why she doesn't employ her dual citizenship eligibility and move there immediately. Then in the unlikely event she ever is ever indicted here, Israel could refuse extradition.
Larry Johnson – a good example of the probkem of underwhelming intelligence in the Intelligence community.
The not very bright Johnson usually serves to help the side he
presumes to argue against.
His fact free and error prone assertions are sometimes so laughable that one wonders how he became CIA officer to begin
with.
Without the Libby scandal he has nothing to say.
can't speak for others, but i've found it hard to follow and understand the significance of this story.
I find this a little frustrating because I've written two major posts on this including one that speculates on the ID of Harman's Israeli agent (linked to this comment). I've also written a piece for The Guardian's Comment is Free as well.
Justin Raimondo wrote an interesting piece. Mark Levey at Daily Kos also did.
Where the media has really fallen down on this story is that no one appears to have asked Harman who her interlocutor was (not that she would tell–but she should be asked & forced to demur). Nor has the Israeli media queried any of the usual suspects among intelligence operatives who should be asked.
I've asked several reporters to do so (no one in Jane Harman's office took me seriously enough to call back). We'll see what if anything comes of it.
"Of course, Harman’s plea is a cynical one on her part. It makes it appear as if she has nothing to hide. But in reality she knows that the government will never reveal any information it gathers as part of such a high level security operation. She risks nothing by demanding this. The irony would be if the government actually did reveal the transcript as she wishes. I’d be willing to bet that it would end her career in a heartbeat."
But you see Richard, someone already has: Jeff Stein's source. And that is already a breach of a high-level security operation.
Frankly Uri, I also fail to see the significance of this story. Harman didn't demand any quid pro quo and it's not really clear what she offered to do (never mind that there isn't any evidence that she ever did whatever it is she may have offered to do). Further, you'd think that if the Feds had anything on the "suspected" agent, they would have gotten around, during the intervening four years, to actually getting an indictment against that individual.
"One would think headlines screaming spies would sell newspapers."
It would make sense, especially at a time when newspapers are dying.
Reporting on the Harman wiretap is peeling the first layer of a very, very large onion that would ultimately expose the Israel Lobby. Harman is just the tip of a huge iceberg, built up over 30 years, and MSM tv news networks just don't want to get into it because it will be a lot of work explaining decades of unreported history in 2-minute news reports. It's no secret that TV news is lazy, lazy, lazy, particularly if good video can't help tell the story. Reporting on the Israel Lobby is a minefield. Other than Fareed Zakaria on CNN, who else has uttered the words "the Israel Lobby and US Mideast policy" in the same sentence on any of the major tv news network programs? I can't recall if any of the major networks have even reported that two AIPAC employees are on trial for espionage. Chris Matthews can't even correctly explain what AIPAC is. ("It's a PAC") Hardball, my ass. If AIPAC employees were Chinese-, Russian- or French-Americans, you can bet they'd be plenty of reporting by the networks
Why's that? No joke, Witty.
She's one of thousands of Zionist traitors willing to circumvent the laws and morals of their host nation for what they perceive as beneficial to a jewish state in Palestine.
Glad to see that Berel's more antagonistic bloviations have been removed.
I could get used to not seeing his hate-filled screeds *all* the time.