A reader asked Andrew Sullivan why he decided to weigh into the Israel firster debate.
He says that some American supporters of Israel are so passionate and defensive that it’s a “problem” of conflating interests.
“There comes a point at which that passion leads to a view where there can never be any distinction between American interests and Israeli interests.” When in fact there are thousands of miles between the U.S. and Israel. Israel is a liability, an albatross, Sullivan says.
“Israeli government is clearly orchestrating and is in close contact with a whole bunch of people, range of people inside the U.S. to make their case…” Sullivan wants to cut out the Israel firster language but he addresses the crucial question here: When Sheldon Adelson says that it was unfortunate that he wore an American uniform and not an Israeli uniform, then we are seeing an attachment to Israel on the part of an American political player that is obscuring American interests. (Hard to see why, given his understanding, Israel firster is not legitimate political rhetoric.)
Israel an albatross — terrific phrase — and all so unnecessary — just withdraw from west bank (entirely) (settlers and army). Let Obama know how you feel, at
TELL OBAMA
or
TELL CONGRESS
(http://www.congress.org/signon/congressorg/mail/?type=CO&state=NY&azip=11201&bzip=2105&mailid=custom&MC_targets=) YOU MUST CORRECT STATE, ZIP, and BZIP to get your OWN Congressperson and senators.
Ah, that old negative “passionate attachment” to a foreign country that George Washington warned us about in his Farewell Message. How’s this for some passionate attachment displayed by a “pro-Israel advocate” (that’s OK, but not “Israel Firster”):
“Pro-Israel advocate” knocks Alison Weir’s camera across room at CNI press conference as (long hidden) aid to Israel issue heats up in taxpayer-strapped USA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jJ0Ni7p2vAQ
Alison comments:
http://alisonweir.org/journal/2011/5/23/israel-is-not-alone-member-knocks-phone-out-of-my-hand-press.html
Good for Sullivan.
Former head of the CIA’s Bin Laden unit Micheal Scheuer, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, Kathleen and Bill Christison, Dr. Zbig and others have been saying for years that this claim that Israel and the US’s national security needs are one and the same are a myth and very dangerous.
Ouch… Sullivan addresses Iran’s alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons as a fact . Too bad he does that
Sullivan “and indeed Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons”
”There comes a point at which that passion leads to a view where there can never be any distinction between American interests and Israeli interests.”
I think Sullivan is ‘keeping it civil’ in explaining instead of condemning those who have this Israel attachment. He says things like passion ‘leads to a view’ of no distinction in US and Israeli interest, as a way of sort of soft pedaling people’s responsibility for seperating their passions from reality and intelligent thought. It is true their passion leads them to this view, but it is also true if they have a I.Q. above that of a cabbage they know better on some level.
Instead of saying Aldeson doesn’t give a rip about US interest he says his actions ‘obscure’ US interest. I think Sullivan does what W&M did to some extent in The Israel Lobby, for different reasons, he defuses the bomb before he throws it so some people won’t run away from it and also because he doesn’t want to do too much damage to Israel.
But if he can’t get over the Israel-firster hump he isn’t all the way there yet. Maybe he fears Israel firster will be applied to those whose emotions have turned them into cabbages instead of just the Aldeson types or maybe he fears the description Israel first will add more fuel to the calls for America first and eventually put Israel out in the cold.
But at least he says something, so he gets credit.
Israel Firster is not an insult. Neither is America Firster, or Cuba Firster. Etcetera.
I will not be stopped, intimidated, or tried, by language police who seek to impute a meaning to it that does not exist.
Sullivan is being too cute by half in waving that he would never use the phrase, echoing something Greenwald wrote (which Sullivan grabs onto like a kid behind the back of a bus in a blizzard). Sullivan only had the courage to come out from behind the PEP Israel curtains since Greenwald drew them and let in the light over two years ago. Sullivan is a valuable voice, nonetheless.
But, why wouldn’t Sullivan use that phrase? It’s robust and descriptive, and typical American vernacular. It describes a truth.