The Forward's Nathan Guttman has a fine piece of reporting up about how the Israeli right is hoping that the Congress will change hands next week. The best part of the piece is where the Congressional Democrats protest, Hey we love Israel just as much, even more! Read this with your eyes open. I know, that's hard. The juice comes at the end.
And tell me, will Gary Ackerman have to eat his words, or lose his job, ala Rick Sanchez and Helen Thomas? Will Howard Berman, Henry Waxman, Sander Levin, or Barney Frank speak a word of criticism? Will the Obama administration?
And you ask why the Obama administration folded on settlements? Our politics are broken.
A Congressional Democratic staff member pointed also to the impact a switch to a Republican majority could have on coordination between the White House and Congress. Recently, the administration has worked closely on Iran sanctions legislation with Howard Berman, the Democratic chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. At the request of the White House, Berman delayed a vote on sanctions legislation, despite Republican pressure, until the administration completed international consultations that led to a United Nations resolution on this issue. It is not clear if Florida Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who is expected to chair the committee if her party wins the majority, would act in the same way.
Citing the sanctions bill as an example, New York Democrat Gary Ackerman, argued that Israel’s best bet for addressing any concerns about Obama’s policy would be for Democrats to retain power. “I’m not saying that if the Republicans take the House it would be doomsday for Israel, but if they want positive influence on the White House, that’s us,” said Ackerman, who chairs the subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Ackerman and other Jewish Democrats point to the forceful criticisms they conveyed to the White House when they thought that Obama was leaning too hard on Israel.
“If you need the president, you need us as chairs of the committees,” Ackerman said as he listed what he called the “first-class team” of Jewish pro-Israel Democrats who chair key House committees: Berman at Foreign Affairs, Barney Frank at Financial Services, Henry Waxman at the Energy and Commerce committee, Sander Levin at Ways and Means, and Ackerman himself in his role as head of the Middle East subcommittee. “We are all pro-Israel and we all have major, major, major influence in the executive branch.”
Maybe it would be better for America if the Democrats get spanked 4 Nov and reduce the “major, major, major influence [that Jewish pro-Israel Democrats have] in the executive branch.”
If the most immediate manifestation of the tension between Pres. Obama and the Israel Lobby ceases to be based on the threat of withdrawal of Democratic Party campaign financing, instead becoming based on a reality of loss of Dem power, then perhaps the struggle can be more usefully recast from intra-party to one of national interest and Pres. Obama could better fight for what’s right and what’s best for America.
I love a fair fight.
Finally the zionist agents are outing themselves for all to see.
Hey ZioFive, how about putting America’s interests first? After all, you were elected to represent the interests of your voters, less than 2% in most districts are jewish and less than 15% are fundamentalist zionist christians.
If the Zio-Five aren’t willing to pursue America’s interests first, then I suggest they book a flight to Tel Aviv, renounce their citizenship at customs (as well as their positions in the Congress) and never come back.
No other country on the planet can get away with such a flagrant abuse of power and breach of International Law. Israel is the worst violator of U.N. Resolutions on the planet and of Geneva Convention offenses.
Here is an excerpt from “Frontiers and Ghettos…” James Ron:
“One clear difference between Israel and Serbia is the way in which Western powers and international organizations have responded to each country’s territorial and military ambitions. Serbian interventions in Bosnia and elsewhere were harshly condemned by Western powers, who convinced the UN Security Council and NATO to deploy sanctions and, eventually, military force to punish Serbian transgressions. Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and Lebanon, on the other hand, has attracted more muted forms of international criticism. Largely due to America’s special relationship with Israel, Western powers and the UN Security Council have regarded Israel’s actions with greater understanding than Serbia’s, with important and unanticipated consequences.” […]
“International forces played a key role in Palestine’s ghettoization. When Serbia objected to Bosnian independence, Western powers threatened it
with attack and sanctions, but Israel’s disrespect for Palestinian sovereignty was treated with feeble criticism and tacit compliance.”
link to publishing.cdlib.org
The perpetual persecution of Palestinians can be attributed to a concerted effort of manipulations such as invocation of Jewish protected status (the anti-Semitic card, the “eternal victim” card i.e. playing on the guilt string of Western nations), massive Israeli hasbara propaganda, out-reach to fundamentalist evangelical Christians to assist in holding American public opinion hostage to Israel’s will, the enabling mainstream media (which Rick Sanchez was in FACT, right about), and manipulation of U.S. power by Israel’s proxy lobbies, together with the fact that most Jews in Congress hold seats on the Democratic side and strangle every attempt by a Republican or Democratic administration to put pressure on Israel.
This complicit “washing of hands” is not only an outrage to the rule of law and a poke in the eye of American democracy, but above all it is runaway power gone mad with depraved and immoral behavior, tolerated and condoned with total disregard for the daily suffering of HUMAN BEINGS, who have been dehumanized through the decades!
Now forgive me, I think I’m going to be sick at the thought that this puny country can hold the entire world under its thumb to commit its crimes against humanity LEGITIMATELY and with total impunity!
Why don’t they just come out and say, “Zionist Jews control the government.”
FEAR, because the Anti-Semitic card will rear its ugly head. It’s the ace that Zionist hasbarists have up their sleeve. Just ask the casualties: Chas Freeman, Helen Thomas, Rick Sanchez and every politician whose career was ended because he/she wasn’t pro-Israel enough.
Because then they will be accused of “peddling the anit-Semitic trope* of a secret conspiracy of Jews controlling society”, along with a reference to the Protocols of Zion, and bang goes their credit at the liquor store.
And of course, there is no secret conspiracy. As Philip says, it is right out there in the open.
(*”Tropes” are very “in”** at the moment, along with the San Remo agreement.)
(**Do people still say things are “in”, or am I showing my age again?)
Doesn’t the US (via CIA cut-outs) “buy” political results in countries all over the world, used to be the Americans, nowadays in Iraq and Afghanistan? Who are we to complain if Israel does it to us, especially (as may well be the case) the money is “American” money.
[Whatever that may mean. Is a gift from a major US-chartered (say, Delaware) corporation "American" if the corporation's sales are international and the shareholders are 75% outside the USA?]
If the Israeli firsters in congress (both Republicans and Democrats) have their way Israel will attack Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program sites with the U.S. blessing.
Former IAEA weapons inspectors Scott Ritter ‘s book”Target Iran” A must read.
Ros Lehtinen is evil in my book
“Will Howard Berman, Henry Waxman, Sander Levin, or Barney Frank speak a word of criticism? ” No!
Read the article
Just have never seen a big difference in Republican Israeli firsters and Dem Israeli firsters?
Remember how hard James Baker/ Bush 41 were trying to be on the Israeli government. Linking Israel’s welfare check to the continued expansion of illegal settlements
No matter what happens in the upcoming election, the Lobby is still going to be in the driver’s seat. Obama is still going to be prevented from pressuring Israel by members of his own party because of the 2012 election. We need some real outside-the-box thinking about how best to cope with the Lobby and its control of our government.
The only people who might change the system, Congress, are profiting
from the status quo. Campaign finance reform, limiting donations or allowing “none of the above” on the ballot (thus forcing a reevaluation of the issues), proportional representation, and instant runoff voting would go a long way towards making the voting process more equitable.
Since no politician is going to vote against their reelection prospects
by embracing the above changes, the only non-violent way match the
influence of the corporations is a tax revolt. Congress is unresponsive to it’s lower and middle class constituents, but we, not corporations,
enable them to continue to function.
RE: “Our politics are broken.” – Weiss
SEE: Florida Woman Buying Elections in the Northeast ~ by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), 10/29/10 (excerpt) WASHINGTON – October 29 – New York and New Hampshire residents probably think they’ve never heard of Parker Collier, but in reality, they see her almost every time they turn on the TV. An investigation by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has revealed that Ms. Collier (who lives in Naples, Florida) is the primary donor to a group called “Revere America,” which is spending almost $2.3 million on ads in the two states. The group’s chairman is former New York Governor George Pataki, whose former political strategist Art Finkelstein has been deeply involved in the campaigns of candidates supported by the Colliers, including that of former Republican Senate candidate Bill Binnie during the primary this year… ENTIRE CREW PRESS RELEASE – link to commondreams.org
WIKIPEDIA, Arthur J. Finkelstein – link to en.wikipedia.org
It was Ackerman who was trying to cozy up to BJP of India.In the process he got carried away with his own Pavlovian conditioning .This is what he said ” Isarel is surrounded by 120 million muslims.India is inhabitated by 120 million muslim”. This was reported in www.atimes.com
This hate speech with sinister menaings could have cost anyother lawmaker his or her job if the target were of anyother religious or ethnic group.
Have these stalwart Jewish right wingers read Nouriel Roubini’s warning about what to expect? Forget the stereotypes about Jews and money. For these characters, there is no connection between their brains and their pocketbooks.
link to commondreams.org
All 5 of them to Guantanamo, until they are thorougly investigated for treason.
America needs politicians who put America (and a fair middle east policy) first.
Why don’t they run for office in Israel?
And after these clowns are put out of their important jobs, bring in some American Jews with an actual moral compass. I nominate Philip Weiss, Norman Finkelstein and Max Blumenthal. Add Glenn Greenwald and Steve Walt to complete this long-needed takeover of Congress :-)