March 13, 2009

Quote of the Day

David Rothkopf of Foreign Policy, of the role of the "Israel Lobby" in the quashed Charles Freeman nomination:

No, there is only one reason to argue that the Israel lobby is somehow special or of special significance. It is to suggest that American policy in the Middle East is being driven by the interests of an especially unsavory group of ultra-powerful people who are masters at manipulating Washington. And we know who they are right? Well, actually, we do...it's the oil companies. But therein lies my point. The "Israel Lobby" is a distraction, a distortion and a vessel in which to carry and by which to explain and even excuse the hatreds and prejudices of a small group. It distorts reality, implies coordination where there is none, implies consensus across a group of people with widely divergent views, misinterprets the actions of a few as a plan of the many, overstates the influence of those it argues are involved, indicts the motives associated with a whole class of ideas enabling them to be dismissed before they are fairly considered, and seeks to argue that normal behavior in a democracy is somehow sinister for one group when it is healthy for others. Further, it tars opponents as members of a lowly lobby while reserving the intellectual and moral high ground for the views of Walt & Co. -- "you lobby, we are patriots."
That's pretty much my stance on this- yes there is an Israel Lobby, yes, it's powerful, but no, they're not wrong, and no, they have nothing to be ashamed of.

Posted by Stephen Silver at March 13, 2009 04:10 PM
Comments

Very nice and very true and very euphemistic. Let's cut to the chase. Those that scream about "The Israel Lobby" really mean they hate Jews and don't want them to enjoy full rights as American citizens. Liberals defend and protect these Jew haters and run from the room like pussies when called on this.

Posted by: Cappy at March 13, 2009 10:18 PM
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