Ezra Klein says it's not dangerous to one's career to criticize Israel, and cites the case of Stephen Walt, who got a big book contract and now a blog at Foreign Policy. Klein is simply wrong. First of all, Walt, who is exceptional in any case, was told by Lawrence Summers, indirectly, that he had kissed away high university or government position by taking the stance he did. Talk to Summers. A shrewd guy. This prohibition has stopped countless people from opening their mouths. As Klein points out, Walt was smeared widely and on the front pages of respectable publications as an antisemite. This is also a prohibition that stops people, and for good reason. Jimmy Carter was called the same word and shunned at the Democratic convention because of his position. Imagine what happens to lesser folk. Lately the San Francisco Chronicle quoted a "Jewish professional" as saying she dared not criticize Israel in Gaza because it might hurt her career. For my own part, I know that I have lost a lot of work because of my position on Israel. My work on this subject is almost never published in the mainstream. I make very little money off this subject. Finally, I dare Klein to point me to any American publication that prints the ideas of an anti-Zionist. I'm damned if I can name one. Anti-Zionism holds the same cultural/social position, virtually, as Communism in the '50s. Maybe we're just as wrong as the Communists, but I wouldn't bet on it; and anyway that's not the point. The point is that you pay a big price. –Phil Weiss
