Eli Clifton has a great piece of investigative reporting up at Salon revealing the leading donors to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a neoconservative outfit that pushes a militant posture on Iran. “The group has risen since its 2001 founding to become Washington’s premiere hawkish think tank.”
And it turns out that five pro-Israel donors gave the thinktank over $19 million in one year, 2011.
Clifton’s list is topped by Home Depot founder Bernard Marcus, contributing $10,745,000.
A public critic of the Obama administration, blasting it as “amateurs in the White House” and “amateurs surrounded by amateurs” in a 2011 Wall Street Journal interview, Marcus maxed out his personal contributions to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign. …
FDD’s second largest contributor is hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer, a major fundraiser for Romney’s presidential campaign and a significant campaign contributor in his own right. Singer, who gave $3.6 million to FDD, infused $1 million into Restore Our Future and over $1 million into the American Unity PAC, a Republican Party PAC that supports gay marriage.
Singer is a big supporter of Israel. So is Bernard Marcus. So does the third largest donor:
Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson — FDD’s third largest donor — has been far less guarded about his foreign policy views than Singer or Marcus. Adelson, who contributed $1,510,059, is a close friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a proponent of a hawkish U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.
No wonder that FDD supports attacking Iran:
A top FDD scholar and tireless advocate for bombing Iran, Reuel Marc Gerecht, has mirrored exactly Adelson’s brand of disregard for what Iranians might think of an attack.
According to its site, FDD is all about Israel:
“FDD was founded shortly after 9/11 by a group of visionary philanthropists and policymakers to support the defense of democratic societies under assault by terrorism and militant Islamism.”
It pushes a militant position on Iran because Iran has vowed to “destroy” Israel. Its board of advisers includes Bill Kristol, Bret Stephens, Joe Lieberman and Charles Krauthammer.
FDD’s National Security Trip to Israel is a trip for D.C.-area young professionals “interested in careers in U.S. national security.” So, they go to Israel to learn about U.S. security!
And though these Washington-area young professionals are interested in careers in US security, they have to have had experience in Israel:
FDD’s National Security Trip to Israel is an advanced trip for those who have previous experience in Israel….Previous Israel experience is a requisite for application.
The other two Israel-supporters in Clifton’s findings are the Abramson Foundation and Newton and Rochelle Becker. Rochelle Becker epitomizes the Israel lobby: she gives money to Harry Reid and Barbara Boxer and pro-Israel groups. World Alliance for Israel PAC. The Abramsons also epitomize the lobby. They give a ton to Temple University. Madlyn Abramson gives money to Democratic candidates. Her daughter Judith A. Felgoise gives money to Democratic candidates. And then they support neoconservatives.
No wonder Barbara Boxer is a hawk on Israel. Because that’s where the money is. Chris Christie just visited Sheldon Adelson in Vegas. Rick Perry is going to Israel in the fall. And though Liam Hoare in Haaretz says it’s anti-Semitic to point this out, all but one of the 6 major donors to FDD in 2011 are apparently Jewish. Because Zionism is embedded in Jewish life.
What a bunch of liars. Why is there never any accountability on these people? Their lies lead to wars which end up killing thousands and millions of people, and still no accountability. That the neo-cons have any influence beyond the darkest corners of the net is beyond wonder.
Excerpts from Christiane Ammanpour’s interview of Mohammad Javad Larijani in March of 2012:
Christiane Amanpour : The Prime Minister of Israel believes that Iran has a nuclear weapons intent, and one that will be aimed at Israel. Therefore, this talk and this feeling of crisis and war is all around.
Is Iran preparing for war?
Mohammad Javad Larijani: We are fully prepared to defend ourselves. And everybody knows in the region that Iran is not an aggressor but Iran is a fierce defender. ..Netanyahu should be worried about the policies in the region. They are in real crisis. I think the real, the real bomb is not the atomic bomb of Iran, the real bomb is the great failure of Israel to prove its legitimacy and to define meaningful relation in the region.
Amanpour: Meantime, everybody talks about what President Ahamdinejad said a few years ago, that Israel should be wiped from the face of the map. People believe that that means militarily. Is that what the President meant? Is that Iran’s intent?
Larijani: Definitely not. I think neither the president meant that nor is that the policy of Iran.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkzFBTWsOBM
Foundation for the “defence” of “democracy”. Cover story for subversion of national security of the American people.
I wonder how many of the largest donors to FDD supported Israel’s effort to subvert the outcome of the Palestinian elections in 2006? Because Hamas won.
Keiser Report interview with Greg Palast about Paul Singer’s vulture capitalism, from three days ago or so:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7HvJaC49Xs
More background:
article; Eli Clifton; Exclusive: Documents Shed Light On Those Underwriting The Foundation For Defense Of Democracies; Think Progress; July 19, 2011 http://thinkprogress.org/security/2011/07/19/271431/fdd-donors/
And:
# FDD (Foundation for the Defense of Democracies): associated neocon and pro-Israel policy groups (they are all elements of a single network and lobby organized around the Israeli interest):
1. AEI (American Enterprise Institute)
2. AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee)
3. CSP (Center for Security Policy)
4. David Project
5. ECI (Emergency Committee for Israel)
6. FPI (Foreign Policy Initiative)
7. Hudson Institute
8. Investigative Project
9. Israel Project
10. JINSA (Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs)
11. MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute)
12. Middle East Forum
13. NGO Monitor
14. PNAC (Project for the New American Century)
15. Reut Institute
16. RJC (Republican Jewish Coalition)
17. Shalem Center
18. Stand with Us
19. WINEP (Washington Institute for Near East Policy)
The FDD membership and affiliates list largely consists of the same pro-Israel neoconservatives who engineered the disastrous Iraq War — and yet they are still in business after dumping several trillion dollars down the drain in the “Global War on Terror” on behalf of Greater Israelism. What sane American would pay attention to them in 2013? — even Newt Gingrich is backing off.