Joe Klein: Neocons Trying To Have Me Fired From Time

I have now been called antisemitic and intellectually unstable and a whole bunch of other silly things by the folks over at the Commentary blog. They want Time Magazine to fire or silence me. This is happening because I said something that is palpably true, but unspoken in polite society: There is a small group of Jewish neoconservatives who unsuccessfully tried to get Benjamin Netanyahu to attack Saddam Hussein in the 1990s, and then successfully helped provide the intellectual rationale for George Bush to do it in 2003. Their motivations involve a confused conflation of what they think are Israel's best interests with those of the United States. They are now leading the charge for war with Iran.

Happily, these people represent a very small sliver of the Jewish population in this country. Unhappily, their views have had an impact in the highest reaches of the Bush Administration--and seem to have an influence on John McCain's campaign as well. Happily, the Bush Administration seems more interested in talking to the Iranians than in launching on them--and, according to my Israeli friends, the Israelis are not going to do anything foolish, either. I remain proud of my Jewish heritage, a strong supporter of Israel and a realist about the slim chance of finding some common ground with the Iranians. But I am not willing to grant these ideologues the anonymity they seek.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[arvay]

Nailing AIPAC is one of the most important tasks at hand.

The longer this unrepresentative group is allowed to manipulate US Mideast policy, the greater the danger to our country and, in fact, the Israeli people.

AIPAC's support for repressive and cruel Israeli policies has assured that Israel is the most dangerous place on earth for Jewish people, including Tehran. If neo-Nazis actually had brains, they'd send AIPAC money.

That's quite a legacy.

AIPAC also creates anti-Jewish feelings in the US. It creates the mistaken impression that it's supported by most of the US Jewish population. If Israel strikes Iran, the worldwide reaction, including in the US, will include anti-Semitism as a result of the deep economic impact -- especially if oil's price goes stratospheric. I hope Joe is right that Israel won't do this, but we'd all be safer if AIPAC wasn't calling the policy shots here.

AIPAC is a lobby, like the NRA or PETA. People need to feel free to criticize its ideas and influence openly, without fear of recrimination, job losses or other kinds of retaliation.

Joe Klein is a very brave man, and we, the majority, should line up behind him, defend him, and create a chorus of pushback to AIPAC's corrupting influence.

[Desiderata]

They just destroy non-Jews who disagree with their policies by crying out "anti-semite". What name will they come up with for you, Joe?

You can love your family and still turn in the brother or sister that engages in criminal acts. They will not love you for that, but, eventually, away from society, they will have the time to consider the error of their ways.

And if Time caves to these extremists by firing you, they will actually have freed you to better things. And many of us will likely boycott Time on the rack, Time on TV and Time on the internet for serving the demands of the few over the many.

[JonSmiley]

An extremely courageous man. Bravo Mr. Klein, bravo!!

[cunuck]

A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm, commonly referred to as the "Clean Break" report, was prepared in 1996 by a study group led by Richard Perle (with contributors Douglas Feith, Robert Loewenberg, David Wurmser, and Meyrav Wurmser) for Benjamin Netanyahu.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Clean_Break:_A_New_Strategy_for_Securing_the_Realm

The neocons in Washington had gained key positions throughout the Administration and Defense Department as policy advisers when Bush was elected. In conjunction with oil man Bush and the Cheney war hawks (Halliburton) war against Iraq was a forgone conclusion. Big oil and the industrial/military complex were only too eager to go along - huge profits to be made in war. The only thing missing was the pretext for invasion. 9/11 gave them this. It was, as the PNAC people stated, a Pearl Harbor event that would motivate the populace for war.

I see that the PNAC site has been shut down. Here's an interesting article posted by Israel News:
http://www.israelenews.com/view.asp?ID=2160
New American Century lasts eight years: Neocon Web Site PNAC Shut Down

[memphispaul]

I thought Joe Klein was THE SOLE arbiter of patriotism from Time Warner during this past spring.
Has that changed now the he has gone off the MSM reservation to question John McCain's statements?
Joe should know better than to cry foul now. Take your lumps and move along to handing out copy on the streets of New York City at the exits for the subway....

[max]

the third rail of American politics is Israel.....if i protest to the fact that generations of Palestinians haven't had the right to vote in their forefathers land i am labeled an antisemite for pointing out a fact......peace between the two parties is what is in the United States best interest; the US in my country and I will always support it within it's constitution...

[Canukistani]

Mr. Klein,

I usually find your comments and opinions to be either poorly thought out or quite self-serving or both, This appears to be no exception. While I agree completely that these people are dangerous and they are far too close to power, I suspect that you wouldn't be finding their attitudes nearly so objectionable if they weren't targeting you personally.

[Liberal2]

A "thumbs up"!

[chronic]

Amen!

[renatam]

While I respect Joe Klein's conversion and remembering his occupation is that of Constitutionally-protected JOURNALIST -- integral to a functional Democracy. It is sad the conversion only takes place when these NY-MEDIA thugs ambush HIS JOB. It's personal, now. We get it. It has been very personal to the mothers/fathers and family members whose dead and sick children return from Iraq w/out nary a photograph from the same Journalists to memorialize their sacrifice for a war we NEVER should have been been drug into -- and for which these Neo-Cons' children somehow never fight themselves, too busy doing profitable DEALS and saber rattling for yet a THIRD WAR FRONT for Americans to continue to mortgage our children's futures to pay for. Some of our military reserves who should be protecting the home turf -- are on fourth/fifth tours of duty and have LOST their jobs back home. That was/is very personal -- for them and their broken families -- who have been leveraged w/out accountability.

The embeded NY-MEDIA seems to be rousing. The NYTimes.com is calling McCain on his toxic and lie-filled statements/commercials about Obama -- who was AGAINST this Neo-Con war -- and ran on that premise when very few working Journalists questioned it -- or, its aftermath, for years.

Now, it is personal -- for us ALL -- and we will not permit a few zeolots/deal-makers to hijack our future for their narrow interests by race-baiting and more LIES.

Welcome aboard, Joe.

[Liberal2]

Another "thumbs up"!

[chronic]

Bravo!

[AlieNation]

There is most certainly a small group of powerful Jews who are strong proponents of the neocon agenda.

The largest financier behind this group is billionaire Sheldon Adelson, America's third wealthiest individual. He is the owner of the Venetian Hotel/resort/gambling casino and includes numerous Las Vegas, Macao and other properties among his holdings. Adelson is also a major financial supporter of Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, Israel's right wing, ultra conservative (minority) faction.

In addition, other prominent Jews who are advancing the neocon 'world order' agenda include publisher William Kristol, Senator Joseph Lieberman, and former Defense Department wonks for the Bush presidency, Doug Feith and Paul Wolfowitz.

As a group, these ultra conservatives represent less than 10 percent of American Jews. But their influence on current foreign policy in both the U.S. and Israel goes way beyond their numbers.

One of the major battle lines in the U.S. presidential campaign is between these political ultra conservatives who support McCain and the majority of more liberal American Jews who are leaning towards Obama.

American Jews must push back these neocon thugs who intend to lead us down a very dark path.

[Foohog]

I'm trying to imagine the following-- Iran has a nuke or two, launches on Israel and manages to get it over Syria without it accidently wasting Damascus. It lands in Israel. This is the scenario our fearless leaders say we should now grovel before.

For this to happen means that the Iranian government is populated by insane people. Vladimir Soprano-Putin knows such an act would mean total retaliation from Israel and possibly NATO. He surely doeasn't want that on his southern border and he surely has made those feelings known to the Iranians.

Am I to believe that the Iranian government is completely awash with suicidal maniacs?

Aside from that little puzzle it seems to me that as evil and horrible as the Iranian government is, they have a long way to go to match the record of the government getting ready to host the Olympics, a government spending a helluva lot more that the Iranians on its military, money it gets from American shoppers.

Last I looked, Israel's survival as an independent country and home for one of the world's major religions was looking a whole bunch better than Tibet's, so please remind me why I as an American should be so afraid of these Persian punks that I would allow other punks (the ones from planet neocon) to send my nieces and nephews off to fight yet another war in the sand?

[RJII]

america's interest first and foremost. good luck joe.

[kathykathy]

As a Catholic, I find Mr. Klein's stand both courageous and brilliant!!!

[Ramirez]

First they came for Joe and I did nothing...

[Cookie]

Wow. Talk about redeeming yourself. You and Sy Hersch should go on a speaking engagement tour "Never Again."

[Bettysdad]

It's not the neocons that are your problem, Joe.

It's the progressives that have watched you carry neocon water forever.

[naschkatze]

I think if someone was on the wrong side but sees the light, we should accept it. Once in a while a poster here indicates that he still doesn't trust Arianna because she was once upon a time on the other side. Why spend time denigrating Klein or anyone else if they've sided with the progressives when we need to do it elsewhere?