Doctor Faust in 2008

Anyone who has spent any time around politics knows that there are various paths to power. Most of these paths lie between the high road and the low road. The lowest road is the one that leads to power through destruction of one's opponent. That road is also the path to the garden of cynicism. But if the goal is power, what does a little cynicism matter. The Devil may help you get power. But he'll collect your soul in return.

Over recent weeks, and particularly in recent days, rumors circulate questioning Senator Barack Obama's commitment to a free and democratic Israel. Most recently, the rumor is that Senator Obama's strongest supporters in the Jewish community were defecting to his opponent because he had endorsed former President Carter's decision to meet with representatives of Hamas, generally recognized as a Palestinian group organizing terrorist attacks on Israel. The fact is that Senator Obama immediately and without being challenged to do so stated his disagreement with such meetings. Meeting with heads of state or heads of government is one thing; meeting with groups advocating terror is another.

One does not enter the hornets-nest of the Middle Eastern debate without armor. In my case that armor includes consistent and unwavering support for the U.S.-Israeli partnership and it includes participation in tank maneuvers on the Golan Heights, flights in the back seat of Israeli high performance aircraft, and night naval patrols off the Israeli coast. I have been honored to be the guest of former Israeli prime ministers and have carried out serious discussions regarding mutual security concerns.

Having established that, I can now say that I find it outrageous and the height of political cynicism for any other candidate or campaign, Democratic or Republican, to question Senator Obama's commitment to continuation of the U.S.-Israeli partnership and particularly to do so in a sinister, duplicitous, and scurrilous manner by spreading false rumors. When he campaigns against the politics of the past, and attracts hundreds of thousands of young people and independents as a result, that is the kind of politics he means.

I personally know the leaders of the Jewish American community to be intelligent enough, thoughtful enough, and most of all fair enough to categorically reject the path of cynicism and those cowardly enough to promote it by whisper and innuendo. Perhaps above all others, they know what it is like to be the victims of hateful rumors. In the final analysis, the issue isn't Israel. The issue is honesty, justice, and fairness in American politics.

Comments

[donaldw6]

"Upon careful examination of Barack Obama’s record, we believe he has the policy instincts, judgment, wisdom, and passion that we need in our next President of the United States. We hope that American Jews everywhere will join in our support for Senator Obama."

These are the closing lines of the support statement for Obama at http://jews4obama2008.wordpress.com.

There are a lot of nice comments added by individuals who are far more eloquent than I. We seem to bounce from one straw man to another, when we could easily set aside this manufactured distrust, and begin working together to alleviate suffering on all sides.

Obama is what he says he is. I know that's unusual for American politics, but that's why we like him.

[plutorage]

One of these days a candidate will come along who states that he will meet with nobody, Hamas or anybody else, for the purpose of nibbling at edges and deciding issues at the margins but he will meet with everybody whomsoever as part of holistic plan, a comprehensive peace agreement that binds any and all to an agreement that is binding, enforceable, comprehensive and final.


Until that time, it is totally useless to talk about "meeting" with Hamas or the Devil or Jesus Christ or Adolf Hitler because the meeting has not significance whatsoever.

Period, end of story and why are we even discussing this?

[escobar]

The litmus test should not be what a candidate owes a foreign country but what he ows the American public !
The very idea that a candidate has to bow to the interests of a foreign power to be condsidered worthy says a lot.

[SheTiffanyHussein]

I couldn't agree more. Why is a candidate's commitment to Israel as important as the candidate's commitment to the American people?

Many times the interest of the American people disagree with the interests of Israel. We (American people) should always come first. Always.

[CTmom13]

send an email to Bob Schieffer’s and thank him - FINALLY a real HONEST journalist

email: [e-mail]


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-4elxJouBY&eurl=http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/4/20/14840/3341/838/499528

These distractions need to stop

[letsgetsmart]

Why do discussions concerning Israel and the US always have to turn into religious discussions? I am really getting sick of religion. There are people living in the middle east. Can't we start from that point of view some time and try to act human first? Most of the trouble in the world originates in economics. In the US the republicans constantly attack unions to maintain a cheap labor force. If that doesn't work they move jobs off shore. Israel loves having a class of people that have to work for peanuts. Why do US religions support Israel? It is because a war of religions on that level may upset their whole hold on people in general. Economics and control.If the human race would try to eliminate disease and poverty instead of being proud to drive a limo through homeless crowds we may be heading in the right direction for a change.

[november1981]

This article is incredibly revealing about what supporters of Israel can expect from an Obama administration.

A prominent former Democratic presidential candidate writes a piece in which he warns Obama's opponents-

"Don't you dare question Obama's support of Israel!"

Then a bunch of Obama supporters appear in the comments section trashing Israel and calling for an end to "the Lobby". Obama will dump Israel under the bus quicker than he did his own grandmother- that "typical white person". The mask isn't slipping-it's already off.

[BlueinTheFirstRedState]

**The mask isn't slipping-it's already off.**

Indeed....

**Obama will dump Israel under the bus quicker than he did his own grandmother- that "typical white person".**

But the mask is yours.

[EbenezerSeattle]

Is there some source for your assertion? It sounds as if you are simply bigoted against Palestinians. Perhaps you also think that people who criticize the U.S. government and President Bush are anti-Christian.

[john456]

Why is "support" for Israel conflated with supporting the any action the Lukid Party deems necessary? Only when a true middle class is encouraged to develop in the Palestinian community will there be peace for Israel. The current actions can only fail over time. What outcome are the Lukids projecting from their actions? Israeli Lukid supporters, please tell us how these policies are going to work to settle the conflict.

[Jaalle]

Mr Hart writers " I personally know the leaders of the Jewish American community to be intelligent enough, thoughtful enough, and most of all fair enough"

He could've added "industrious, hardworking and wealthy" but "FAIR" give me a break Gary. Anybody who supports the slow genocide of the Palestinians is anything but fair.

[fedupwithpolitics]

And furthermore, where is the so-called "partnership"? What is the US or the American people getting for their 300 billion taxpayer dollars to Israel? This is no partnership--it's pure parasitism, and Israel is the parasite!

[cognate]

What is "free and democratic" about keeping millions of people locked up inside the largest open air prison in history, surrounded by a twenty-five foot concrete wall?

Ah, yes, the Indian reservations and slavery were also "free and democratic".

[housemix]

"keeping millions of people locked up inside the largest open air prison in history"??

that is a blatant misrepresentation of the facts 'cognate'

Israel does not keep anyone 'locked up' in Gaza. Are Mexicans 'locked up' in Mexico by the security wall erected by the US? It is the right and duty of a sovereign nation to protect its territorial integrity and if that requires the construction of a twenty-five foot concrete wall, then so be it.
You also conveniently forget to mention that Israel continues to supply goods to Gaza, even though this so-called 'open-air prison' is being used to plot and execute terrorist attacks on Israel, the very state that is providing them with aid, while their Arabic neighbours to the West, Egypt, have sealed the border indefinitely eliminating the flow of of people and goods. It is Egypt treating Gaza like a prison and the situation would be infinitely worse in Gaza if not for Israeli aid.

[raker]

Democrats are like little dancing marionettes. A Republic accuses a Democrat of being a secret Muslim, hating the flag, being anti-Israel, or any stupid thing hatched in a think tank or a cable network, and instantly the Dems devote their energy to defending themselves against the preposterous accusation. Score another one for the Repubs. The Democrats' response should instead be to point out the venality of the accusers and the moral degradation of the Republic Party, and leave it at that.

[BlueinTheFirstRedState]

This isn't a response to Republicans, it's a response to Hillary Clinton (a distinction without much of a difference, I grant you). She waves Farrakhan's name around like a bloody shirt, which I'm sure has nothing to do with the subrosa campaign of emails and flyers targeted at older Jewish Democrats, saying that Obama is an anti-Semite.

Nope, nothing at all. No coordination between her campaign and whoever is sending out those messages.

And Karl Rove had nothing to do with the Swiftboaters, either.

[mommamia526]

A Dutch member of parliament made a movie, Fitna, and Muslims tried to censure it. To my relief, the Dutch Supreme Court found that they still support free press and free speech in The Netherlands. I saw a short news segment of a market I used to go to at least twice weekly, as long ago as a child, and the market was now populated with muslims in middle eastern garb. There never was a problem in Europe with others migrating there, but there are too many and they take over. Although they are guests, like in Demark and The Netherlands, they purport to set the standards there, Europeans a.o. for trade purposes enjoyed learning from foreigners and their cultures, and gettng along. Islamic terrorists want to convert and subdue, by the sword, and take over. Any means is acceptable. Sweet talk, combined with murder, and loss of life of *the infidel* is the goal. Gary Hart has not taken a look at what has been said about Obama outside of the U.S. And I do not know what the problem is with investigating what is true, and what is not true. Unless, of course, the Democratic Party wants to be an Ostrich, sticking its head in the sand at perceived threat. If there is smoke there may be fire. I think Obama has nothing to hide, and if so, he should welcome investigation of his record. Security clearance is not an unacceptable necessity to become President.

[nyboomer]

The GOP has been investigating Obama in a more sttringent manner than the FBI would manage. They are afraid that he might become the next president and they might not have any way to control him by flinging mud or by a secret that they know and can use to blackmail him.

Ever since the GOP discovered the inherently generous cash flow stream generated by selling legislation to the highest bidder, they fear being left out of the power structure. They will come up with something to insure they do not slip into total powerlessness. Surely they can find one of his childhood friends who will tell the world that Obama is really Fidel Castro's love child. There is a nefarious lie and liar out there and the GOP will find it and spread it like the manure they are.

[Gemma72]

Xenophobic. Islamophobic. Afraid. Ignorant. Clueless. Thats what you are.

You have an internet connection. Use it.

http://www.ifamericansknew.org

http://www.truetorahjews.com

[rwe]

more and more the aura of Barack is being exposed for its vacuousness...He is of the same ilk of foreign policy as Jimmy (the worst ever) Carter..And fortunately it is coming out in time.Again , since 1948 , Israel has been under constant terrorist attacks . And becasue they have the fortitude to stand up to them the liberal/prograssive mindset that is against all things military, villifies them....Sorry , Barack, Ayers, Farrakhan, Wright ... But of course association with racists, terrorists and anti-semites can never be illustrated

[theMightyT]

your post is kind of vacuous. Do you have a point in this ramble somewhere?

[Anastasia]

See (Garry Hart's blog) above.

[patriotscholar]

Rwe, speaking of persons that are in a vacuum, why don't you do a little reading instead of just throwing out talking points? You seem to dwell in the land of emptiness. Here is some reading for you enjoyment, below.

About Ayers: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/04/18/918391.aspx

About Wright: http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/j/jeremiah-wright.htm

About flag pins: http://www.usflag.org/flagetiquette.html

About Hillary: http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?pid=239574

http://www.liberalvaluesblog.com/?p=2856

[bobo209]

3..

There is no serious or equitable debate regarding Palestine and Israel in the US corporate media, nor in any other US cultural, political and religious circles. If the existing narrative is to be called a debate, then it's one with an imagined, not real, language, almost entirely irrelevant to realities in Palestine and Israel; one that is largely predicated on a narrow minded, apocalyptic religious discourse that for decades has found itself an accepted point of departure for most politicians, even those who falsely pose as liberals.

Between the two discourses, that of misguided religious fantasies and pandering politicians, there maybe exists enough room for alternative narratives. Unfortunately, that space too is overwhelmed by cultural misconceptions, institutional bias and deliberate confusion introduced and instilled by media producers, pundits and other manufacturers of American popular culture.

Until the gatekeepers of US culture are seriously challenged, Palestine will continue to reside in American imagination as a battle between good and evil, a "Holy Land" that must be wrested from the hands of those who might have owned the land, at some point, but now "haven't any business to be there defiling it."

[bobo209]

Welcome to America's parallel reality on Israel and Palestine, bare-faced in its defying the notions of common sense, equality and justice, ever-insistent on peeking at the Arab- Israeli conflict through a looking glass manufactured jointly in the church, in Congress and in the newsroom, where the world is reduced to characters interacting in a Hollywood-like movie set: good guys, well groomed and often white-skinned versus bad guys bearing opposite qualities.

One may become accustomed to watching, reading and listening to the chorus of support that America -- its politicians, most of its mainstream media and a large conglomerate of its churches and clergies -- tirelessly offers Israel. While the advocacy for Israel by various evangelical churches is both bizarre -- since the ultimate objective of this crowd is the annihilation of most Jews and the conversion of some as prerequisites for "the Rapture" -- and widely acknowledged, their influence on the political culture of America is not equally recognised. For example, Pastor Hagee, a televangelist to 99 million viewers, established Christians United for Israel (CUFI) in 2005 following the publication of his book, The Jerusalem Countdown: A Warning to the World.

[mommamia526]

Good points. But then there too is Preident Jimmuh Cahtuh, who with his *advice* to the Palestinians in his recent book upset a great number of jews and Israelis. The advice was for Palestinians (and other terrorists?) to go on with their policies and practices, of talk, talk, talk, combined with murder, murder, murder. In fact, Jimmuh, as we all know, is talkig to Hamas right now. But, wait, maybe there isno difference at all? After all Jimmuh is a Southern Baptst. Well, of course, within thse confines he has also had his issues and upsets, but he is still a member. Then there are sectors of *progressives in he Democratic Party, who see matters entirely from a *Palestinian* viewpoint, and in addition the war in Iraq as well. Rightly, or wrongly, it appears that te U.S. and Israel have a number of common enemies. As long as it only involved Israel, well, what the heck, but now we are in one boat and out at sea. Yes, evangelicals and other christians do want to convert the jews. One wonders why, as Jesus was born a jew, had a bris, was bar mitvah, a rabbi and died a jew. Jesus never became a christian. If he was/is who christians think he was/is, I do not know why they second guess him. But, what do I know?

[knerd]

Mama Mia !!!

mommamia526, I got no further than "Preident Jimmuh Cahtuh" (sic). Honest communication does not need this sort of thing, does it?

[bobo209]

memorable quote in Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer Abroad (1894) still carries a wealth of relevance. He writes, "They own the [holy] land, just the mere land, and that's all they do own; but it was our folks, our Jews and Christians, that made it holy, and so they haven't any business to be there defiling it. It's a shame and we ought not to stand it a minute. We ought to march against them and take it away from them."

Recently an influential pastor, John Hagee of the Dallas's Cornerstone mega-church, followed his endorsement of Republican presidential candidate John McCain with some telling remarks. "What Senator McCain, I feel, needs to do to bring evangelicals into his camp is to make it very clear that he is a strong defender of Israel and that he has a strong 24 years of being pro-life. And I think on those two issues they will get on common ground and have a common understanding."

Such are the views of a man who has ever- growing influence among an ever-swelling culture in the US -- the evangelical Christian bloc. No mention was made of the well being of Palestinians, even Christian Palestinians, many of who are descendants of the early church