It's the latest midterm election game. The right is betting that American voters want to play. So, the "Emergency Committee for Israel" is taking it out for a spin. Joe Sestak is the first target, because he dared to speak the truth, even though there is no evidence whatsoever that he's anything but a staunch supporter of Israel. But in the "who is more pro Israel?" game, neoconservative right wingers like Bill Kristol will decide the standard.
Leading conservatives will launch a new pro-Israel group this week with a scathing attack on Rep. Joe Sestak, the Democratic Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, the first shot in what they say will be a confrontational campaign against the Obama administration's Mideast policy and the Democrats who support it. - New conservative group will oppose Obama Mideast policy
I've been warning this was coming for months, though the right is just getting started, because the ultimate target will be Pres. Obama once 2012 skirmishes begin. Listen to right-wing radio, which will tee off on this one with gusto.
The name says it all: "Emergency Committee for Israel," implying that Israel is in dire danger from Democrats, focusing on Rep. Joe Sestak who is running for Senate, and who had the audacity to stand up and speak his mind on the Israel Gaza flotilla disaster.
From Politico's Ben Smith:
The Emergency Committee for Israel's leadership unites two major strands of support for the Jewish state: The hawkish, neoconservative wing of the Republican Party, many of whom are Jewish; and conservative Evangelical Christians who have become increasingly outspoken in their support for Israel. The new group's board includes Weekly Standard Editor William Kristol and Gary Bauer, the former Republican presidential candidate who leads the group American Values, as well as Rachel Abrams, a conservative writer and activist. Former McCain aide Michael Goldfarb is an adviser to the group."We're the pro-Israel wing of the pro-Israel community," said Kristol.
The new committee declined to disclose its funding - as a 501(c)4 advocacy organization, it isn't required to - but said it had raised enough to air its first ad, starting this week, on Fox and CNN and during a Philadelphia Phillies game. The ad attacks Sestak for signing a letter criticizing Israel's blockade of Gaza while not signing a defense of Israel circulated by the group AIPAC, and for appearing at a fundraiser for the Council on American Islamic Relations, which it describes as an "anti-Israel organization the FBI called a 'front-group for Hamas'."
It's the first salvo in what will be a wide, angry and vitriolic argument over Pres. Obama's Middle East policy.
The first time I wrote a long essay entitled, "Who is More Pro Israel?" it was simply about politicians trying to one up each other in front of AIPAC. The premise was about the jockeying to prove who was a better friend to Israel, even as both parties have shown unyielding fealty to our Middle East friend.
Fealty and friendship, however, doesn't mean the U.S. should ignore what the Netanyahu government has done on settlements, and certainly not on the Gaza flotilla disaster.
But now Bill Kristol has finally come out and confirmed what I've been writing for months. We're now in a march into the fight over who belongs in the "pro-Israel wing of the pro-Israel community."
Where this leaves U.S. diplomacy, the two-state push, not to mention Democrats going forward is likely nowhere but in lockstep with the right. Because it's a cinch no politician wants to be on the target list from Kristol's group.
I'm hoping someone has the guts to take them on, because what Kristol's group is doing is swiftboating Sestak on Israel. I've done a lot of work on swiftboating, along with friends James Boyce and Dave Johnson, so I know it when I see it. But I'm not holding my breath.
Taylor Marsh is a political analyst and writer out of Washington, D.C.
Follow Taylor Marsh on Twitter: www.twitter.com/taylormarsh
Unless Israel is hellbent on their "Samson option" (i.e. taking everyone else with them when they go down), nothing short of equality and mutual respect will suffice. Too long have they committed barbarous acts justified by claiming how savage the other side is. Pro-Israel means an end to the exceptionalism they reserve for themselves. Pro-Israel means taking them off the US teat and having them stand on their own two feet. Pro-Israel means ending their disproportionate influence in US politics as it breeds resentment and distrust here at home.
Rinse and repeat daily.
The extreme US right-wing & their religious psychosis, along with the Israeli right & their brand of “religious” intolerance & racism, believe some very disturbing & dangerous things that should be challenged by our elected reps, not given support & comfort for their extremism, pseudo religious gibberish, & depraved war-mongering. The truth is that the power of the pro-Israel lobby has near unfettered & unprecedented access to Congress, to provide election funding bribes, or threats to work against candidates by withhold funding for ANY who dare speak out for American interests & the truth. This reality holds sway over our domestic politics & foreign policy decisions as they relate to Israel. The recent pathetic display by Prez Obama “kissing Netanyahu’s ring” while kowtowing to every Israeli demand, was painful to see, but expected; such is the real power to corrupt & turn our national goals into Israeli goals
These “Christian Zionists” believe the birth of a perfect red heifer will signal the end times. Certain ultra-orthodox Jews also believe the perfect red heifer will herald the arrival of the Jewish messiah and a confrontation with Muslims over the Temple Mount, where the Jewish Temple will be rebuilt. Christian Zionists believe this will be the site of the Second Coming of Jesus.
Before that can happen, the Antichrist will appear, Good and Evil will wage a cataclysmic struggle, and Jesus will defeat the false messiah. Jews and other non-Christians who accepted the Antichrist will perish in a gigantic holocaust. Those who accept Jesus as their savior will survive. True Christians will be “raptured” directly into Heaven. At the end of Christ's 1,000-year reign, Satan will rally the forces of evil for a final confrontation at the Battle of Armageddon. Satanic warriors will be led by a prince named Gog from a land called Magog. God will destroy them, the dead will rise for their day of judgment, a New Jerusalem will descend from the sky, and God will dwell among his people forever.
For Christian Zionists, Israel is nothing more than a means to an end. And the Republicans are mining this brand of mental illness for political benefit.
But there is little doubt in my view that Pres. Obama’s foreign policy is a string of embarassing failures.
- Obama criticized Bush for taking a tough stance on Iran; he suggested that better results could be achieved by a policy of “extended hand”. Hence, he attempted to bribe the Iranian regime by suggesting assistance for complying with the nuclear non-proliferation requirements, rather than sanctions for not complying. The Iranians responded by spitting into his “extended hand”, forcing Obama to fall back on imposing sanctions. The result: lack of credibility.
- Obama encouraged Turkey and Brazil to “soften” the Iranians. The result was that the Iranians “softened” the Turks & Brazilians and achieved a political victory. More lack of credibility.
- Obama trumpeted to the world the dismantling of the Guantanamo prison, before understanding that it’s actually not that simple… More lack of credibility.
- Obama announced a deadline for withdrawal from Afghanistan. Taliban promptly decided to wait us out, making any military/political achievement impossible. The indirect result was that Obama had to fire his much-praised commander (his own appointee). Even more lack of credibility...
I could continue...
I'm afraid the President's lack of foreign policy experience is very obvious. It affects our prestige and leverage, encourages our enemies and hurts our friends (and I do not mean only Israel). This is about being a good President, not about "not being Bush". Sorry.
Just out of curiosity (I am FASCINATED by these X-file conspiracy theories -- it's my main source of entertainment now that "Friends" is over): how exactly "are the neoconservative elements [...] still influencing gov't policy"? A "gov't" appointed by a democrat president? And where are those "neoconservative elements" coming from? The Moon? Or could it be said -- pay attention here -- that they were democratically elected and hence represent the will of (at least a portion of) the Americam People?
These posters are known Israeli-firsters/Neocon-equivalents - like Hillary Clinton or Joe Lieberman - they are 'progressive' on everything except their hard right foreign policy where they are just as war-hungry as John McCain or Sarah Palin
And what do we get? We are hated in the Middle East for our blind support of Israel and its policies toward Gaza and the Palestinians. If Israel decides to attack Iran, what will our government do? That is the gorilla in the room - and it isn't going away.
who, other than the US is Israel's ally? thank god it has that at least, since the majority of europe sneers with a veiled anti-semitism and the rest of the world only goes down from there. sure as far as the US goes, its partly a strategic advantage and partly local lobbying but were it not for outside support, israel would be wiped out and its citizens killed.
Gasp, what a shock......NOT!
meanwhile, israel fights day in day out to save itself from a constant barrage of terrorism and rocket attacks from its poor humble abused palistinian neighbors who value their religious supremacy more than the lives of the children they send to die in suicide raids. i'm not saying israel has not done it share of the bad as well but for gods sake, everytime israel has made concessions, palistinians in power have thrown them back in their faces. they don't care about their own people but rather keeping their own authority.
when will the palistinians stop fighting and actually try to make a state out of what they have?
They continue to be the worst enemy Israel has on the planet,
The hard reality that no one seems to want to face is while there is pretty broad "feel good" support of Israel in the US, that support is very shallow and if Israel causes problems for Americans, that support will evaporate in an instant.
Bill Kristol and his friends may discover that if they push too much, Americans will start asking a lot of questions that Kristol will not want asked and support for Israel could erode.
And if Bill Kristol succeeds in getting a war started with Iran, I can guarantee the super negative consequences to Americans will turn Americans hard against Israel quickly.
It is the classic case of "be real careful what you wish for." Hubris has a way of igniting a fire storm that consumes the prideful people.
Israel is pushing its luck and will get burned by the blowback.
Nor should they, nor are they expected to. But I find it ironic hat so many claim (I don't think most really are) to be prepared to die for palestinians. The same palestinians who would punish these liberal idealists (I'm a liber, so don't attacking for using the term) for their views on women's rights, children's rights, gay rights, religious rights, free speech rights, etc. The same palestinians who cheered 9-11. Talk about cheering on your enemy, because that's what many, if not most palestinians, arabs and muslims are. They are the enemy to the liberal western values, that we hold so dear, and given the opportunity, they would suppress those rights and deny them, even to those liberals who say they would die for them.
Kristol LOOOVES him some war. He promotes war constantly.
People are challenging him on his Viet Nam non-service. After one challenge, he threw a tantrum.
innit?
Arabs may all look the same to YOU. But, Palestinians are no more Jordanian than Americans are Canadian.
At least on one important issue we have a bipartisan position. This is very encouraging. Long live US/Israel friendship.
If I held ANY belief in the honesty of our elections. I'd say that's why Obama won by a landslide.
But, he is a little sensitive re: racism.
My guess is that he and Bibi are playing nice to the cameras. But, in the back room, the claws come out.