The Only Thing about "The Rally to Stop Iran Now" That is Good for America is its Premature Failure

The Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations have been doing their part in escalating a conflict with Iran on fictitious pretenses by organizing an anti-Iran rally to protest the presence of Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, at the United Nations on Monday. And as proud members of the Israel Lobby, they decided to adopt a series of dishonest and sleazy tactics to promote their event.

One such sleazy tactic was to try to manipulate Senator Hillary Clinton by inviting her to the rally without telling her that Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee was also scheduled to be there. Senator Clinton, who was reasonably blindsided by Palin's expected presence, made the right decision not to appear at the event. Embarrassed by the new development, The Conference made the unusual decision to rescind Sarah Palin's invitation, erasing any doubt that the appearances of these two women were never really a coincidence or about protesting Ahmadinejad, but about stagecraft to politicize the event.

But this botched attempt to use Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin wasn't the only sleazy tactic of these organizers. When issuing a statement about the Palin disinvitation, they made a number of erroneous claims about Iran and Ahmadinejad that shows these two women weren't the only ones who were the target of manipulation.

The lies in the statement begin in line three, when the presidents of these Jewish organizations matter-of-factly refer to Iran's civilian nuclear program as a "nuclear weapons program." No international body, UN, EU, IAEA or domestic intelligence agency like the CIA or DIA has referred to Iran's nuclear program as a "nuclear weapons program." Why? Because there has been no evidence whatsoever that shows Iran has any intention of developing nuclear weapons except for neoconservatives' rhetoric.

Later in the same line, the presidents write an outright lie, saying Ahmadinejad has threatened "to wipe the United States and Israel 'off the map'" and that if Iran were to have a nuclear weapon, it would pose a threat to "this country, Israel and the world." First of all, Ahmadinejad has only once made a statement that distantly resembles part of the claim above. The true translation of that statement condemned not the people in Israel or Jews, but the "Zionist regime in Jerusalem." That was translated to "Israel." The original statement did not include "Israel," "wipe off" or "map."

Iran has been producing this kind of empty rhetoric for thirty years because as a matter of policy, Iran believes in a single-state solution where Arabs and Jews can live together in one country as opposed to having a theocratic Jewish state of Israel and millions of displaced Arabs with no place to call home. But the notion that Iran's rhetoric is now suddenly policy declaration is preposterous. A lot of people I talk to love to make the debate about Iran's nuclear program about some fictional anti-Jewish conspiracy. Don't buy it. Jews live like other citizens in Iran, and the Jewish population in Iran is the largest in the Middle East after Israel.

But did you notice what else they did? They added "the United States" to Ahmadinejad's mistranslated statement! Of course this is a classic tactic that the Israel lobby likes to use: to present the interests of Israel and those of the United States as one and the same. And they do this at all cost, even if it means to blatantly lie to you in your face. They must think you're stupid.

And finally in the last paragraph of the statement, they express hope that all nations "act decisively against the Iranian nuclear program by implementing UN and Security Council resolutions and sanctions." Of course they have no such hopes when it comes to tens of unanimous UN Security Council resolutions against Israel that have been vetoed unilaterally by the United States since Israel's creation. Hypocrisy is the word.

The First Amendment rights to free speech and constitutional right to organize are a part of what make the United States an amazing country. But with rights come responsibilities, and The Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations has shown once again that they can take only rights, and recognize no responsibilities.

Comments

[batguano]

Thanks Sam, it is rare that anyone takes on the Israeli/Neocon/AIPAC crowd and speaks out against their lies and deceit. They have IMO done great harm to both America and Israel. The "peace process" has been intentionally sabotaged repeatedly by the Israeli right, and supported by the proIsrael at any cost gang. Provocations far outnumber any attempt at confidence building or good-faith negotiations. You deserve praise, and will get it from some, but I expect that you will be attacked by this bunch of thugs. Kudos.

[StMTraveler]

Palin gets Neocons education: said Patrick Buchanan

The neocons tutored Bush are now educating Palin?

In St. Paul, Palin was told to cancel a meeting with Phyllis Schlafly and pro-life conservatives.
Next Day, Palin met Joe Lieberman and officials of the Israeli lobby AIPAC.

"AIPAC"s mission, like that of Likud, is to goad America into launching air and missile strikes on any and all Iranian nuclear facilities. AIPAC went away happy." Josh Block said: "We were pleased that ... Palin ...commitment to the safety and well-being of Israel."

Heading home to Alaska, Palin was escorted by Randy Scheunemann, McCain"s foreign policy, a hired agent of the Tbilisi regime. Steven Clemens of the New American Foundation says, is being educated into Cheney-ism and Cheney"s view of national security issues."

One ex-White House aide at American Enterprise Institute, asked by Tim Shipman of the Daily Telegraph if AEI sees Palin as a "project", she"s a blank page.

"Palin may disappoint many conservatives in the next seven weeks by having to parrot the McCain-neocon line on NATO expansion, NAFTA and a "path to citizenship" for illegal aliens. But the battle for Sarah"s soul is not over.

For, again, the lady is no neocon. Nor is the husband Todd, First Dude of Alaska and former member of the "Alaska First" Independence Party."

Should she have been selected for the Vice-President position? She is just AIPAC-neocons project!

[EspressoAtNoon]

I'm appalled that Hillary would have attended such a rally irregardless of Palin's presence. Appalled, but not surprised.

[Fabienne]

I, too, ,am appalled. It seems unseemly for any elected official to attend a rally against the leader of another country.

[BiBiJan]

Don't be too hard on them. The whole rally idea, like Bollingering Ahmadinejad last year, is a ploy to get him reelected for another 4 years.

http://www.bibijon.org/iranimage/

[JonnyVerdorben]

Excellent piece Sam.

Due to the (almost) freedom of speech available on the internet, the neocon, israel-first / America-last crowd is having a tough time generating sufficient support for an American attack on Iran. The (nuclear armed) israelis have been whimpering to American govt officials for the last five years, claiming they feel threatened by the (non-nuclear armed) Persians. The israelis are prepared to sacrifice as much American life, limb, blood and money as is necessary to achieve the destruction of Iran as well as achieve the regional, indeed megalomaniacal whims of the israeli government. Israeli complaining used to be good enough to get them whatever they wanted in the old days of Walter Cronkite, Huntley & Brinkley et al but the American public is no longer a captive audience of the Establishment, corporate television so-called "news."

Thanks also to the Huffington Post for providing a venue for publishing alternatives to the Establishment media party line demonisation of Iran and the endless Establishment media cheerleading for israel, regardless of israeli behaviour.

[Hass]

Actually, the Isaelis themselves don't really feel threatened by any Iranian "nukes" either, despite their hyperbolic claims. This is what Ha'aretz reported:

"Livni behind closed doors: Iran nukes pose little threat to Israel
Haaretz 10/25/2007

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said a few months ago in a series of closed discussions that in her opinion that Iranian nuclear weapons do not pose an existential threat to Israel, Haaretz magazine reveals in an article on Livni to be published Friday.

Livni also criticized the exaggerated use that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is making of the issue of the Iranian bomb, claiming that he is attempting to rally the public around him by playing on its most basic fears. Last week, former Mossad chief Ephraim Halevy said similar things about Iran. .."

Read the whole thing at http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/916758.html

[ArcticAquarium]

If the Iranians want to make sure that they still get energy after the oil is gone (and it will be) by getting some nuclear power plants, then they have every right to do so. Heck, my country has 5 of them and planning a 6th even though there's only 5,5 million people here. No one questions our right to keep building them.