It's funny that Obama had to travel all the way to Cairo for MSNBC to start talking about what's going on in Washington, DC. Keith Olbermann had Lawrence Wilkerson, State Department chief of staff under Colin Powell, on his show tonight to discuss the US/Israeli relationship.
Because this is MSNBC, and they still seem to think the Bush administration is here to kick around, the interview was mainly focused on the last administration. But, in just over six minutes, Wilkerson called the US "Israel's lawyer," criticized Bush's secret deals with Sharon, acknowledged that the US and Israel have "diametrically opposed objectives," and even intimated that Obama might have to threaten US aid to Israel to get the Netanyahu government to move. Towards the end he gives JStreet a nice shout out and says he is "very happy" that someone is opposing AIPAC. On the flip side, he calls Mahmoud Abbas "a joke", so I guess he was evenhanded.
Watch it below. I hope this is the beginning of a new leaf being turned over at the network.
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(Thanks to Susie Kneedler for sharing this.)
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Abbas is a joke. I'm delighted someone on MSNBC actually said so. The Palestinians had an election in 2006; why don't we start talking to the party that actually won?
I second that, Abbas is a joke and an empty suit. He has NO AUTHORITY with the people of Palestine. He was rejected by the voters.
I third that. Abbas is Israel's arm in the occupied territories. He is as corrupt as Arab regimes around him, and they are jokes as well.
Yes… why is no one discussing the fact that Abbas' legal presidential term ended several months ago? If anything, his refusal to face an election only gives more legitimacy to Hamas. And more fundamentally, Abbas is the worst mind among his generation of Fatah activists (the best minds, like Khalil al-Wazir were sadly assassinated by Mossad), and has been pathetic in handling the negotiations — let's not forget his central role in the Oslo accords. Angry Arab also reports that Abbas denied the extent of the holocaust in his PhD dissertation — interesting that the Israelis aren't bothered by this when it's someone who fits their interests. It's time for the PA to resign and reconstitute itself, and Abbas, Qureya, and the rest of that gang should be given a patch of roughscrub farmland near Jericho to til for themselves.
Aid is insignificant. Subsidies are far more important. Please look at the total value
I corresponded about this topic with Phil about a month ago. At the time I thought the subsidy level ran at about $60 billion/year, but after looking at more data, I think it is closer to $100 billion/year, which is approximately 1/2 of Israel's GDP. Transnational Zionist political economic oligarchs skim a good chuck of that subsidy into their pockets in addition to what they suck more directly out of the US economy. These oligarchs like Saban, Bronfman, Adelson, the Krafts, Peretz, etc. are Netanyahu's real employers. If Obama wants to change Israeli behavior. He need only add the IDF to the list of terrorist organizations on the basis of the Gaza rampage — there is more than enough documentation to do so. Then the US government could start arresting the oligarchs for aiding and abetting Zionist terrorism. Seizing all their assets and the assets of the Israel Lobby would defang the American Jewish community. What is sauce for the goose is gravy for the gander. There has been a fairly obvious conspiracy in the US government to attack Muslim charities and think tanks as well as to use entrapment within vulnerable Muslim communities — apparently a major project of the AJCommittee — to create suspicions of all Muslims. The principles in this conspiracy include Matthew Levitt, Rachel Ehrenfeld, Stuart Levey, and Dennis Ross, who have generally worked on the inside of the government while the usual propagandists like Pipes and Horowitz create the necessary buzz. Because of the efforts of these Israel advocates, many good and decent Arab and Muslim Americans have been railroaded into federal prison as the transnational Zionist political economic elite has casually trashed the US and world political and economic system. To save the US and the world this elite must be arrested, charged, convicted and imprisoned for their crimes against the USA and against humanity. Obviously the Zionist subversives and moles within the US government like Rahm Emanuel and practically the entire Obama economic team would have to be purged and arrested, but it does not take much to realize that they are doing a fairly bad job for the American public while they provide their friends in the finance industry with a soft landing. Arresting them for seditious conspiracy, conspiracy against rights, aiding and abetting Zionist terrorism would in this case be a good deal more efficient than firing them and would prevent them from regrouping in the private sector where they could do more damage.
it's really bizarre how the issue is avoided by everyone except Pat Buchanan. He was also the only one to my recollection who came out fully against the iraq war before it started. Something about the issue of Israel really terrifies the media beyond all logic. and there is such a hunger for it, don't they want ratings? everytime one of these shows has ron paul on people tune in. so…they never have him on!!
What about clamping down on the sending of tax deductible money to the settlements?
Having Pat Buchanan supposedly on our side makes me really uncomfortable. He's a total racist… it's not the Palestinians he's thinking about.
Well, this is the paradox that Phil himself is caught up in, too: the most obvious stick to beat Israel with is the 'Old Right' US Christian imperialist one, but at the same time this backfires, because it is anti-Muslim in its essence, and only pro-Muslim in appearance. The reason for this is that it is really not zionism as such that it opposes, but merely excessive zionist influence on US imperial policy. And Phil knows this, but thinks that it can be finessed in a 'progressive' way. Maybe it can, who knows?
sand- I don't understand why you lefties hate buchanan so much. It's like you don't want to let go of that 90's political correctness. he's not "Racist" and even if he was who cares? It's not exactly a big burning issue in an era when we are in two wars and our economy is teetering. I think you guys are just jealous because he was so far ahead of you on being anti war and anti israel. most of your guys are still in the tank for AIPAC and voted for the iraq war. I guess I'd be pretty insecure about that too come to think of it
I agree. I used to consider myself a 'Buchananite', but I also came to realize that he is a total racist. I disagree with the majority of his positions, and have come distrust his sincerity on most of the rest. He is mostly right on Israel, though, which is what fooled me at the start. The anti-war conservative movement he is associated with, although completely ignored by the Republican Party, is important, especially in the long term. It would be incredibly unhealthy for America if the Republicans just dissolve into a perpetual loser party composed of lunatics and con men. Power always corrupts, and the Democrats already have too many ethical problems. Unfettered by realistic competition they will eventually go out of control. I say this as not as a dig at them personally or necessarily at their policies. It would happen to any party. I hope anti-war conservatives and libertarians can play a role in the revival of a responsible Republican Party that actually walks it talk, and doesn't talk crazy. To this end I'm completely ok with his 'being on our side'. Just because there is some measure of agreement doesn't mean that one has to sacrifice values underlying areas of disagreement.
I could care less what his opinons on social issues are. people are free to think and be whatever they choose. It's not important. what's important is our foreign policy and it's cost to us in blood and treasure. someone being "racist" , which he isn't by the way, doesn't cost me anything. it's just people so afraid of being left out of the party they need to constantly let everyone know they are a liberal, as if that's their whole identity
Once the IDF is designated a terrorist organization, the State of Israel becomes a terrorist state, and all giving to settlements becomes aiding and abetting terrorism. All the personnel associated with settlement charities as well as Moskowitz then become liable to arrest under the anti-terrorism laws while all their assets become liable to seizure. All progressives committed to aiding Palestinians must demand the terrorist designation for the IDF.
Ron Paul also came out in 2002, in the House, listing a ton of reasons why we should not go attack Iraq–you can see this on YouTube. At the time the MSM didn't think it worthy of notice for the masses.
Please show us how PB is a "total racist." Thanks.
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