‘Any legislation having to do with Middle East has to be vetted and approved by AIPAC’ — Tom DeLay

“When Tom DeLay was House majority leader, I found out that any legislative provision having to do with the Middle East had to be vetted and approved by AIPAC before the bill could move forward.”

So states Mike Lofgren, recently retired after 28 years as Congressional staffer, the last 16 years as senior analyst for House and Senate Budget Committees. The statement is in a footnote on p. 69 of Lofgren’s new book, THE DEEP STATE: THE FALL OF THE CONSTITUTION AND THE RISE OF A SHADOW GOVERNMENT (New York: Viking, 2016).

Tom DeLay was House Majority Leader from 2003-2005. Just prior to that time, AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, pushed the Iraq war.

AIPAC quietly supported the Iraq War and celebrated its own role in lobbying for the war resolution that passed Congress in October 2002.

Maybe, just maybe, ten years after the publication of The Israel Lobby, when the matter is treated so forthrightly by a person of Lofgren’s standing, and is the subject of a scholarly study that reaches similar conclusions by Kirk Beattie, and when Bernie Sanders calls out Hillary Clinton for pandering to Netanyahu at AIPAC– maybe the Israel lobby’s corruption of Congress will be fodder for the mainstream media?

(And doesn’t this kind of corruption, in plain sight, help explain the rise of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, and the distrust of the establishment politicians?)

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Time to give a faint little cheer !

Truth and Justice creeping into the discourse of politicians …just barely about to see the flicker of light leading to hopefully obliterate the lies and obfuscations that keep being generated and could lead us to the abyss !

What did they have on Tom DeLay ?

Kudos to Mr Mike Lofgren… better late than never !

Thank you , Phil

Well, Bernie Sanders bold move to show concern (only humane) for the Palestinians, showed Clinton looking unconcerned and totally without any compassion for them, and so far this has been the subject of some discussion on CNN and MSNBC. In fact many journalists even said it was a very brave thing to do (I guess they know more than others how difficult it is to even mildly criticize the occupier). This will all fizzle out, I am guessing, but for now it is the topic in many conversations and the subject of many articles. It was obvious Clinton did not agree to anything Bernie Sanders said, even that the Palestinians must be given their dignity and treat with respect. She prefers to side with their occupier, who bombs and kills them at the slightest excuse. If we had more honest politicians, they will all agree that our support and aid for the occupier, has only emboldened it, and made it into an uncontrollable monster.

If only more people like Mr. Lofgren would speak out.

Nice catch Phil. I hadn’t heard of this. It’s important.

Maybe, just maybe, ten years after the publication of The Israel Lobby,… the Israel lobby’s corruption of Congress will be fodder for the mainstream media?

Or maybe 30+ years after Congressman Paul Findley’s publication of They Dare to Speak Out? :)

Thanks, Phil.

It’s approximitely like I thought it is, but that quote I didn’t know.

Great, and enligthening, article.

Big Israel: How Israel’s Lobby Moves America by Grant F. Smith http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982775717/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_IBTexb1MH68A2 via @amazon