Does anyone else find this more than a little ironic?
It is taken from a story in the NY Times about the opposition to the likely (now announced) nomination of Chuck Hagel to be the new Secretary of Defense.
For weeks, some Jewish groups sought to dissuade Mr. Obama from choosing Mr. Hagel, who once referred to advocates of Israel as “the Jewish lobby.” Having failed, opponents over the weekend shifted to trying to block Mr. Hagel’s confirmation.
I want to make sure I understand. Gentiles can't refer to the Israeli lobby as the Jewish lobby, but a group calling itself the American Jewish Committee can lobby for Israel by questioning whether a patriotic American is sufficiently committed to Israel's current policies to serve in the Obama Cabinet.Regional chapters of the American Jewish Committee, which has bipartisan bona fides, began circulating letters to their Democratic senators, urging them to oppose Mr. Hagel.
And who the hell cares what the Israeli lobby thinks about our Secretary of Defense? First we have to put up with Netanyahu meddling on the edge of U.S. domestic politics during the election, and now this?
Let's hope this is a severe case of overreach, but the history of the last umpteen years doesn't give me any confidence about that.
3 comments:
For one thing, it is exceptional for you to say anything remotely supportive of a Republican...but when the LEADER tells you!!!
Your comments stir my antipathy toward any parochial positions that exclude the common good of Americans. That includes biased reporting--I have maintained that NPR is essentially the "hometown" radio of Israel.
President Obama's attempts, and others, to draw attention to other parts of the world, like Southeast Asia cannot withstand the barrage of coverage given the number of reporters stationed in the Mideast. There are big events happening in Asia, Africa, but it is like trying to recognize Tony Gwynn when--oh, you know the drill.
Your comments may be judged anti-Semetic by some, but they sound a lot like the comments people make about other ethnic or racial groups but are hooted down because they do not use the PC words. In my mind, neither your words nor Hagel's were remotely racist or anti-Semetic.
Fully endorse your support of Hagel. BTW, we meddle in others' politics all the time, so Bibi is not out of line, really. And the chances of Hagel making a huge shift in the US attitude toward Israel are slim.
Oh, Bob, Bob, Bob.
How naive of me to drink the kool aid and follow the LEADER. Too bad I can't learn to think for myself like all of those right wing zombies who have taken over the Republican party.
Who is this Hagel guy anyway? Naturally I never heard of him until my LEADER selected him.
I have told you many times that I don't really think of myself as much of a Democrat; it's just the the Republican party has been taken over by people with a weak grasp on reality.
Give me some better Republicans and I will give you some more supportive comments.
The Israeli lobby's role in US politics is like that of no other foreign national, and has been bemoaned by reasonable people of both parties for decades. For a country as dependent on bipartisan support in the US for its very survival, as is Israel, Netanyahu's attempted meddling was not only ill advised. I think it crossed a line.
Glad I could touch a nerve. I know very little about Hagel, but from what I do know, it seems he will make a good cabinet member. I'm still not sold on his boss.
It is interesting that the "Christians" support the Israelis despite so much from their history and their current situation. I think they identify with Moses, Solomon and David more than the reality of today.
If Hagel can concentrate on something other than Israel, we might be getting somewhere...like Cuba. Cuba is another example of strong special interests encouraging bad decisions. But NPR has little interest in the happenings in Nigeria, Cuba or Venezuela, for that matter. They like to look under the streetlamp where "the light's better."
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