I wasn’t surprised to see Rothkopf rush to declare the lobby “theory” dead.
He was a staunch opponent, disguised under the same kind of denials, 10 years back when this discussion raged.
So we’re supposed to believe that it was a fiction back then, then we have an interlude of 10 years when he is quiet and now he feels he needs to go out and announce dead(again)?
Sorry, but your anxiousness is showing, David. The lobby isn’t dead. It’s become visible in broad daylight, that’s the only difference. And that is why he and others are uncomfortable, hence the rush to declare it dead. So they can make it invisible again. What is it that the former chief of AIPAC, Mr.Rosen, used to say again? The lobby is like a nightflower. When it is seen in sunlight, it perishes.
Rothkopf is shilling for the lobby(understood here as larger than just AIPAC).
I never bought his liberal Zionist shoot-and-cry claptrap, precisely because he is always covering up for the lobby when it counts. Like a Beinart-type, who profess to care about Palestinians but states he is fine without them having full rights when he is in Jewish spaces and talking to people he knows.
just
August 20, 2015 2:55 pm
Thanks again, Phil.
I was glad to hear that Angus King is for the Iran agreement. I did not see that he mentioned Israel in the Reuters article that I read, so I dug a bit deeper and this is what I found:
“Angus King, George Mitchell say Iran accord is better than alternatives
An overflow crowd turns out in Portland to hear a current senator, a former senator and former Ambassador Nicholas Burns talk about the deal that Republicans are trying to reject.
U.S. Sen. Angus King said Wednesday that his support for a controversial deal designed to limit Iran’s nuclear program and prevent the longtime American antagonist from obtaining a nuclear weapon is the most difficult decision he’s made in nearly a decade of public service.
However, King said, the alternatives – up to and including war – are far worse. While he was critical of President Barack Obama’s assertion that the choice was to either accept the deal or prepare for war, he said conflict was a real possibility.
“If we bomb them … are they going to want to negotiate with us two or three years later?” King said. …
… Mitchell said the president’s critics “tend to compare the deal to a perfect accord” when a perfect deal wasn’t possible.
He also addressed critics who note that Israel, a longtime ally of the U.S., opposes the deal.
“It’s our national self interest that should dictate our decision,” he said. “We should decide – taking all of our commitments to our friends in account – is this the best thing for the United States of America? If that standard is applied, a fairly objective conclusion is inescapable: This agreement is in our national interest.””
How refreshing, eh? Mitchell actually made the single most important point that every single American should hear, but they don’t because AIPAC and Israel and are trying to suck all of the air out of the room. Kudos to King for having this forum! It’s a good article. Nick Burns was the only weak link, imho. Maybe he was there to throw red meat to those growling for it.
Thanks for the link to Chomsky. Of course he’s right about both points that you cite… again. It’s nice to hear truth. The article is a keeper.
just
August 20, 2015 3:15 pm
Chutzpah:
“Israel Demands Publication of All Secret Agreements With Iran
Follows AP report, denied by UN atomic energy agency, that Iranians would control inspections at alleged military nuclear site.”
“This Is the Deal Netanyahu Should Ask the U.S. for
Rather than gamble Israel’s security on the hope that Congress will reject the Iran deal, Israel’s premier should insist on a NATO-style treaty.”
“77 Nuclear Non-proliferation Experts Come Out in Favor of Iran Deal
Nuclear deal ‘will be a net-plus for international nuclear nonproliferation efforts,’ experts say.
Over 70 leading nuclear non-proliferation specialists issued a joint statement on Tuesday explaining why the nuclear deal with Iran “is a strong, long-term, and verifiable agreement that will be a net-plus for international nuclear nonproliferation efforts.”
The July 14 agreement “advances the security interests of the P5+1 nations (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States), the European Union, their allies and partners in the Middle East, and the international community,” the statement reads.
The group includes former U.S. nuclear negotiators, former senior U.S. nonproliferation officials, a former director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a former member of the UN Panel of Experts on Iran, and leading nuclear specialists from the United States and around the globe.
Among those who signed the statement are the former director of the IAEA Hans Blix; former CIA agent Valerie Plame and her husband Joe Wilson, who were prominent opponents of the Iraq War; Thomas Pickering, a retired diplomat and former U.S. ambassador to Israel; senior fellows from the Council on Foreign Relations and the Brookings Institution; and several former United Nations disarmament officials.
After listing the various measures detailed by the deal regarding the monitoring and inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities, the statement says it is “very likely that any future effort by Iran to pursue nuclear weapons, even a clandestine program, would be detected promptly, providing the opportunity to intervene decisively to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.”…”
Obama to address the American Jewish community to address the Iran nuclear deal today:
U.S. President Barack Obama will reportedly address the American Jewish community on the Iran nuclear deal via a live webcast on Friday.
The webcast is scheduled for 2:10 P.M (ET), and will be followed by a question and answer session with the president, according to a press release by the Jewish Federations of North America, which co-hosts the event with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
The webcast can be listened to via computers and cell phones. It is also possible to register to participate in the discussion.
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/news/world/1.672272
I wasn’t surprised to see Rothkopf rush to declare the lobby “theory” dead.
He was a staunch opponent, disguised under the same kind of denials, 10 years back when this discussion raged.
So we’re supposed to believe that it was a fiction back then, then we have an interlude of 10 years when he is quiet and now he feels he needs to go out and announce dead(again)?
Sorry, but your anxiousness is showing, David. The lobby isn’t dead.
It’s become visible in broad daylight, that’s the only difference. And that is why he and others are uncomfortable, hence the rush to declare it dead. So they can make it invisible again. What is it that the former chief of AIPAC, Mr.Rosen, used to say again? The lobby is like a nightflower. When it is seen in sunlight, it perishes.
Rothkopf is shilling for the lobby(understood here as larger than just AIPAC).
I never bought his liberal Zionist shoot-and-cry claptrap, precisely because he is always covering up for the lobby when it counts. Like a Beinart-type, who profess to care about Palestinians but states he is fine without them having full rights when he is in Jewish spaces and talking to people he knows.
Thanks again, Phil.
I was glad to hear that Angus King is for the Iran agreement. I did not see that he mentioned Israel in the Reuters article that I read, so I dug a bit deeper and this is what I found:
“Angus King, George Mitchell say Iran accord is better than alternatives
An overflow crowd turns out in Portland to hear a current senator, a former senator and former Ambassador Nicholas Burns talk about the deal that Republicans are trying to reject.
U.S. Sen. Angus King said Wednesday that his support for a controversial deal designed to limit Iran’s nuclear program and prevent the longtime American antagonist from obtaining a nuclear weapon is the most difficult decision he’s made in nearly a decade of public service.
However, King said, the alternatives – up to and including war – are far worse. While he was critical of President Barack Obama’s assertion that the choice was to either accept the deal or prepare for war, he said conflict was a real possibility.
“If we bomb them … are they going to want to negotiate with us two or three years later?” King said. …
… Mitchell said the president’s critics “tend to compare the deal to a perfect accord” when a perfect deal wasn’t possible.
He also addressed critics who note that Israel, a longtime ally of the U.S., opposes the deal.
“It’s our national self interest that should dictate our decision,” he said. “We should decide – taking all of our commitments to our friends in account – is this the best thing for the United States of America? If that standard is applied, a fairly objective conclusion is inescapable: This agreement is in our national interest.””
http://www.pressherald.com/2015/08/19/king-mitchell-explain-support-for-iran-accord/
How refreshing, eh? Mitchell actually made the single most important point that every single American should hear, but they don’t because AIPAC and Israel and are trying to suck all of the air out of the room. Kudos to King for having this forum! It’s a good article. Nick Burns was the only weak link, imho. Maybe he was there to throw red meat to those growling for it.
Thanks for the link to Chomsky. Of course he’s right about both points that you cite… again. It’s nice to hear truth. The article is a keeper.
Chutzpah:
“Israel Demands Publication of All Secret Agreements With Iran
Follows AP report, denied by UN atomic energy agency, that Iranians would control inspections at alleged military nuclear site.”
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/news/israel-s-eye-on-iran/.premium-1.672230?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
And then this insanity:
“This Is the Deal Netanyahu Should Ask the U.S. for
Rather than gamble Israel’s security on the hope that Congress will reject the Iran deal, Israel’s premier should insist on a NATO-style treaty.”
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.672087
“77 Nuclear Non-proliferation Experts Come Out in Favor of Iran Deal
Nuclear deal ‘will be a net-plus for international nuclear nonproliferation efforts,’ experts say.
Over 70 leading nuclear non-proliferation specialists issued a joint statement on Tuesday explaining why the nuclear deal with Iran “is a strong, long-term, and verifiable agreement that will be a net-plus for international nuclear nonproliferation efforts.”
The July 14 agreement “advances the security interests of the P5+1 nations (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States), the European Union, their allies and partners in the Middle East, and the international community,” the statement reads.
The group includes former U.S. nuclear negotiators, former senior U.S. nonproliferation officials, a former director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a former member of the UN Panel of Experts on Iran, and leading nuclear specialists from the United States and around the globe.
Among those who signed the statement are the former director of the IAEA Hans Blix; former CIA agent Valerie Plame and her husband Joe Wilson, who were prominent opponents of the Iraq War; Thomas Pickering, a retired diplomat and former U.S. ambassador to Israel; senior fellows from the Council on Foreign Relations and the Brookings Institution; and several former United Nations disarmament officials.
After listing the various measures detailed by the deal regarding the monitoring and inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities, the statement says it is “very likely that any future effort by Iran to pursue nuclear weapons, even a clandestine program, would be detected promptly, providing the opportunity to intervene decisively to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.”…”
read more, including full statement : http://www.haaretz.com/news/world/1.672241?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Game over, Netanyahu, AIPAC, etc & Repubs.
I missed it, but Lobelog had an article about this on the 18th:
http://www.lobelog.com/seventy-plus-nuclear-non-proliferation-experts-endorse-deal/
Obama to address the American Jewish community to address the Iran nuclear deal today:
U.S. President Barack Obama will reportedly address the American Jewish community on the Iran nuclear deal via a live webcast on Friday.
The webcast is scheduled for 2:10 P.M (ET), and will be followed by a question and answer session with the president, according to a press release by the Jewish Federations of North America, which co-hosts the event with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
The webcast can be listened to via computers and cell phones. It is also possible to register to participate in the discussion.
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/news/world/1.672272