BretLudwig
November 19th 08, 12:26 AM
(( The new marketing spin: JuJAQ. Bret))
AIPAC's Man in the Obama Camp
Philip Giraldi
>>"Barack Obama's first appointment, that of Chicago Congressman Rahm
Emanuel as his chief of staff, is quite frankly unsettling and suggests
that voters who had hoped for real change in Washington will be
disappointed. There should also be some concern on the part of Americans
who believe that a close and continuing relationship with a foreign
government might disqualify one for high office in the United States.
Emanuel, far from serving as a neutral gateway to the president, has some
very strong views on foreign policy, particularly regarding the Middle
East, views that are closer to those of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney
than they are to the millions of voters who thought that Obama would put
an end to "wars of choice." And Obama appears to share at least some of
those views, though he might be driven primarily by unwillingness to
antagonize Israel's numerous cheerleaders in the Democratic Party. During
the presidential campaign Obama refused to meet with American Muslims, and
on a fact-finding trip to the Middle East last summer he spent several days
in Israel but only 45 minutes with Palestinian leaders.
More recently, Obama did not respond to a congratulatory letter from
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the only world leader to be snubbed
in that fashion. In his first press conference on Nov. 7, Obama, who has
promised to do "everything in his power" to denuclearize Iran, reiterated
that Iran's development of a nuclear weapon would be unacceptable, a
position adhering closely to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee
(AIPAC) line. There are also reports that Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi
Livni has already called Vice President-elect Joe Biden to tell him that
even talking to Iran would be a sign of weakness, a signal that Israel
might be willing to unleash its all-powerful lobby against the Obama
administration if it is perceived as going too far.
The extremely partisan and foul-mouthed Emanuel, who has the reputation of
a junkyard dog, is a retread from the Clinton White House, where he served
in two senior advisory positions after demonstrating his expertise in
fundraising during the 1992 presidential campaign. Though born in Chicago,
he was an Israeli citizen through his father until he, according to his own
account, renounced his dual citizenship when he turned 18. When the United
States went to war with Iraq in 1991 the 31-year-old Emanuel rushed off to
join the colors, though the colors in this case were the blue and white
flag of Israel. He claims that he was a civilian volunteer in the Israeli
army who was assigned the task of "rust-proofing brakes" on military
vehicles, an assertion that has been questioned because his father's
background suggests that he would likely have been offered something much
more important.
Emanuel's father, an Israeli physician, was a member of the terrorist
group Irgun in the 1940s. Irgun was responsible for blowing up the King
David Hotel and ethnically cleansing much of Palestine through selective
massacres of Arab civilians. In an interview in the Jerusalem Post, Dr.
Benjamin Emanuel said he was convinced that his son's appointment as White
House chief of staff would be good for Israel. "Obviously he will influence
the president to be pro-Israel," he was quoted as saying. "Why wouldn't he
be? What is he, an Arab? He's not going to clean the floors of the White
House." Commenting on his father's statement, Rahm Emanuel noted that
Obama does not need his influence to "orientate his policy toward
Israel."
Other Israelis and prominent American supporters of Israel also see
Emanuel as their man in the White House. The respected Israeli newspaper
Ha'aretz hailed his appointment, describing him unambiguously as an
Israeli. William Daroff of the United Jewish Communities also praised
Emanuel, describing him as "a good friend of Israel, coming from good
Irgun stock." Ira Forman, head of the National Jewish Democratic Council,
welcomed the appointment, saying, "It's just another indication that
despite the attempts to imply that Obama would somehow appoint the wrong
person or listen to the wrong people when it comes to the U.S.-Israel
relationship … that was never true," an indication that some will
actually expect Emanuel to act on behalf of Israel when the chips are
down.
Emanuel left the Clinton administration in 1998 and went to work for Bruce
Wasserstein, a major Democratic donor and head of the Chicago investment
bank Wasserstein Perella. He made $18 million in a little over two years.
He was deliberately placed in a position where he could exploit his White
House connections, which he did, to obtain a nest egg to finance his
political career. In 2000 he was named by Clinton to the board of Freddie
Mac, where he earned an additional $260,000 but was later criticized for
not taking his oversight responsibility seriously. In 2002, he was elected
to Congress, where he was noted for his ability to attract large political
contributions. Emanuel soon moved into a leadership position, eventually
becoming chairman of the Democratic Caucus in January 2007, the
fourth-ranking Democrat in Congress.
In Congress, Emanuel has been a consistent and vocal pro-Israel hardliner,
particularly close to right-wing politicians such as Ariel Sharon and Bibi
Netanyahu, sometimes even more so than President Bush. In June 2003 he
signed a congressional letter criticizing Bush for being weak in his
support of Israel. The letter, signed by 34 Democrats, stated, "We were
deeply dismayed to hear your criticism of Israel for fighting acts of
terror." The letter supported Israel's policy of assassinating Palestinian
political leaders because it "was clearly justified as an application of
Israel's right to self-defense."
Not surprisingly, Emanuel has always been in favor of the Iraq war, and he
supports an aggressive policy toward Iran. In his 2006 book with the
pretentious title The Plan: Big Ideas for America he advocates increasing
the size of the U.S. Army by 100,000 soldiers and creating a domestic
spying organization like Britain's MI5. More recently, he has supported
mandatory paramilitary national service for all Americans between the ages
of 18 and 25.
Emanuel has always expressed intense hostility toward antiwar Democrats.
When, in November 2005, Congressman Jack Murtha made his proposal for
withdrawal from Iraq, Emanuel quickly declared that "Jack Murtha went out
and spoke for Jack Murtha." In late 2005 and early 2006, Emanuel played a
key role as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
(DCCC) in lining up candidates to run against the Republicans for
congressional seats in November 2006. Out of 22 candidates vetted and
supported financially by Emanuel, 20 were pro-war, despite the fact that
the Democratic Party base was not. Antiwar candidates were routinely
denied funding and support from his DCCC. Only eight of Emanuel's
candidates won, a percentage considerably lower than the success rate for
other Democrats, possibly because voters had a hard time embracing their
pro-war positions.
In a June 2006 congressional debate on Iraq policy, Emanuel made his own
views clear, declaring, "The debate today is about whether the American
people want to stay the course with an administration and a Congress that
has walked away from its obligations or pursue a real strategy for success
in the war on terror. … Democrats are determined to take the fight to the
enemy." In his speech, Emanuel fully embraced the questionable "War on
Terror" concept and aligned himself far to the right of the Democratic
Party base, which, at the time, was 60 percent in favor of immediate
withdrawal from Iraq.
In July 2006, Emanuel was one of several congressmen who called for the
cancellation of an impending speech before Congress by visiting Iraqi
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki because Maliki had called Israel's bombing
of Lebanon "aggression." Emanuel was joined by his close friend and DSCC
counterpart Sen. Charles Schumer, who asked; "Which side is he on when it
comes to the war on terror?" Emanuel described the Lebanese and
Palestinian governments as "totalitarian entities with militias and
terrorists acting as democracies" in a subsequent speech on July 19
regarding a House resolution supporting Israel's bombing, which produced
thousands of civilian casualties.
On March 12, 2007, the Democratic Party leadership announced that it would
separate the issue of Iran from consideration of funding measures for the
troop surge in neighboring Iraq. Opponents of a possible military action
against Iran had sought specific language in the appropriation that would
deny funding for any military operations outside Iraq without prior
congressional approval. The proposal had seemed reasonable enough, given
the Bush administration's track record on the use of force, but apparently
it was not acceptable to Emanuel. AIPAC mobilized immediately and began an
intensive lobbying campaign against the proposal, instructing its
supporters to call and write Congress, adding that it is best to telephone
just after lunch, when there are more staffers available to answer the
phone. Emanuel organized resistance to the measure from inside the House
of Representatives and promised AIPAC early in the process that the
offensive language would be dropped. The Democratic Party subsequently
held a number of closed-door meetings on the issue and decided that the
prohibition would not be included in the funding measure because of
"possible impact on Israel."
During the summer of 2008, Emanuel was a key player in the marginalization
and humiliation of former president Jimmy Carter, whose book Palestine:
Peace Not Apartheid had outraged Israel's supporters. Carter was not
allowed to speak at the Democratic National Convention, an unprecedented
snub toward a former president and a further indication, if one was
needed, that in American politics it is possible to do or say nearly
anything as long as one does not criticize Israel.
And now Emanuel is the president's chief of staff, one of the most
powerful positions in the White House. Perhaps there is a limit to the
mischief that he will be able to do; at this point one can only adopt a
wait-and-see policy. One thing is certain, however. If the subject is
Israel, Emanuel knows very clearly where his loyalty lies."<<
http://www.antiwar.com/orig/giraldi.php?articleid=13773
--
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AIPAC's Man in the Obama Camp
Philip Giraldi
>>"Barack Obama's first appointment, that of Chicago Congressman Rahm
Emanuel as his chief of staff, is quite frankly unsettling and suggests
that voters who had hoped for real change in Washington will be
disappointed. There should also be some concern on the part of Americans
who believe that a close and continuing relationship with a foreign
government might disqualify one for high office in the United States.
Emanuel, far from serving as a neutral gateway to the president, has some
very strong views on foreign policy, particularly regarding the Middle
East, views that are closer to those of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney
than they are to the millions of voters who thought that Obama would put
an end to "wars of choice." And Obama appears to share at least some of
those views, though he might be driven primarily by unwillingness to
antagonize Israel's numerous cheerleaders in the Democratic Party. During
the presidential campaign Obama refused to meet with American Muslims, and
on a fact-finding trip to the Middle East last summer he spent several days
in Israel but only 45 minutes with Palestinian leaders.
More recently, Obama did not respond to a congratulatory letter from
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the only world leader to be snubbed
in that fashion. In his first press conference on Nov. 7, Obama, who has
promised to do "everything in his power" to denuclearize Iran, reiterated
that Iran's development of a nuclear weapon would be unacceptable, a
position adhering closely to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee
(AIPAC) line. There are also reports that Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi
Livni has already called Vice President-elect Joe Biden to tell him that
even talking to Iran would be a sign of weakness, a signal that Israel
might be willing to unleash its all-powerful lobby against the Obama
administration if it is perceived as going too far.
The extremely partisan and foul-mouthed Emanuel, who has the reputation of
a junkyard dog, is a retread from the Clinton White House, where he served
in two senior advisory positions after demonstrating his expertise in
fundraising during the 1992 presidential campaign. Though born in Chicago,
he was an Israeli citizen through his father until he, according to his own
account, renounced his dual citizenship when he turned 18. When the United
States went to war with Iraq in 1991 the 31-year-old Emanuel rushed off to
join the colors, though the colors in this case were the blue and white
flag of Israel. He claims that he was a civilian volunteer in the Israeli
army who was assigned the task of "rust-proofing brakes" on military
vehicles, an assertion that has been questioned because his father's
background suggests that he would likely have been offered something much
more important.
Emanuel's father, an Israeli physician, was a member of the terrorist
group Irgun in the 1940s. Irgun was responsible for blowing up the King
David Hotel and ethnically cleansing much of Palestine through selective
massacres of Arab civilians. In an interview in the Jerusalem Post, Dr.
Benjamin Emanuel said he was convinced that his son's appointment as White
House chief of staff would be good for Israel. "Obviously he will influence
the president to be pro-Israel," he was quoted as saying. "Why wouldn't he
be? What is he, an Arab? He's not going to clean the floors of the White
House." Commenting on his father's statement, Rahm Emanuel noted that
Obama does not need his influence to "orientate his policy toward
Israel."
Other Israelis and prominent American supporters of Israel also see
Emanuel as their man in the White House. The respected Israeli newspaper
Ha'aretz hailed his appointment, describing him unambiguously as an
Israeli. William Daroff of the United Jewish Communities also praised
Emanuel, describing him as "a good friend of Israel, coming from good
Irgun stock." Ira Forman, head of the National Jewish Democratic Council,
welcomed the appointment, saying, "It's just another indication that
despite the attempts to imply that Obama would somehow appoint the wrong
person or listen to the wrong people when it comes to the U.S.-Israel
relationship … that was never true," an indication that some will
actually expect Emanuel to act on behalf of Israel when the chips are
down.
Emanuel left the Clinton administration in 1998 and went to work for Bruce
Wasserstein, a major Democratic donor and head of the Chicago investment
bank Wasserstein Perella. He made $18 million in a little over two years.
He was deliberately placed in a position where he could exploit his White
House connections, which he did, to obtain a nest egg to finance his
political career. In 2000 he was named by Clinton to the board of Freddie
Mac, where he earned an additional $260,000 but was later criticized for
not taking his oversight responsibility seriously. In 2002, he was elected
to Congress, where he was noted for his ability to attract large political
contributions. Emanuel soon moved into a leadership position, eventually
becoming chairman of the Democratic Caucus in January 2007, the
fourth-ranking Democrat in Congress.
In Congress, Emanuel has been a consistent and vocal pro-Israel hardliner,
particularly close to right-wing politicians such as Ariel Sharon and Bibi
Netanyahu, sometimes even more so than President Bush. In June 2003 he
signed a congressional letter criticizing Bush for being weak in his
support of Israel. The letter, signed by 34 Democrats, stated, "We were
deeply dismayed to hear your criticism of Israel for fighting acts of
terror." The letter supported Israel's policy of assassinating Palestinian
political leaders because it "was clearly justified as an application of
Israel's right to self-defense."
Not surprisingly, Emanuel has always been in favor of the Iraq war, and he
supports an aggressive policy toward Iran. In his 2006 book with the
pretentious title The Plan: Big Ideas for America he advocates increasing
the size of the U.S. Army by 100,000 soldiers and creating a domestic
spying organization like Britain's MI5. More recently, he has supported
mandatory paramilitary national service for all Americans between the ages
of 18 and 25.
Emanuel has always expressed intense hostility toward antiwar Democrats.
When, in November 2005, Congressman Jack Murtha made his proposal for
withdrawal from Iraq, Emanuel quickly declared that "Jack Murtha went out
and spoke for Jack Murtha." In late 2005 and early 2006, Emanuel played a
key role as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
(DCCC) in lining up candidates to run against the Republicans for
congressional seats in November 2006. Out of 22 candidates vetted and
supported financially by Emanuel, 20 were pro-war, despite the fact that
the Democratic Party base was not. Antiwar candidates were routinely
denied funding and support from his DCCC. Only eight of Emanuel's
candidates won, a percentage considerably lower than the success rate for
other Democrats, possibly because voters had a hard time embracing their
pro-war positions.
In a June 2006 congressional debate on Iraq policy, Emanuel made his own
views clear, declaring, "The debate today is about whether the American
people want to stay the course with an administration and a Congress that
has walked away from its obligations or pursue a real strategy for success
in the war on terror. … Democrats are determined to take the fight to the
enemy." In his speech, Emanuel fully embraced the questionable "War on
Terror" concept and aligned himself far to the right of the Democratic
Party base, which, at the time, was 60 percent in favor of immediate
withdrawal from Iraq.
In July 2006, Emanuel was one of several congressmen who called for the
cancellation of an impending speech before Congress by visiting Iraqi
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki because Maliki had called Israel's bombing
of Lebanon "aggression." Emanuel was joined by his close friend and DSCC
counterpart Sen. Charles Schumer, who asked; "Which side is he on when it
comes to the war on terror?" Emanuel described the Lebanese and
Palestinian governments as "totalitarian entities with militias and
terrorists acting as democracies" in a subsequent speech on July 19
regarding a House resolution supporting Israel's bombing, which produced
thousands of civilian casualties.
On March 12, 2007, the Democratic Party leadership announced that it would
separate the issue of Iran from consideration of funding measures for the
troop surge in neighboring Iraq. Opponents of a possible military action
against Iran had sought specific language in the appropriation that would
deny funding for any military operations outside Iraq without prior
congressional approval. The proposal had seemed reasonable enough, given
the Bush administration's track record on the use of force, but apparently
it was not acceptable to Emanuel. AIPAC mobilized immediately and began an
intensive lobbying campaign against the proposal, instructing its
supporters to call and write Congress, adding that it is best to telephone
just after lunch, when there are more staffers available to answer the
phone. Emanuel organized resistance to the measure from inside the House
of Representatives and promised AIPAC early in the process that the
offensive language would be dropped. The Democratic Party subsequently
held a number of closed-door meetings on the issue and decided that the
prohibition would not be included in the funding measure because of
"possible impact on Israel."
During the summer of 2008, Emanuel was a key player in the marginalization
and humiliation of former president Jimmy Carter, whose book Palestine:
Peace Not Apartheid had outraged Israel's supporters. Carter was not
allowed to speak at the Democratic National Convention, an unprecedented
snub toward a former president and a further indication, if one was
needed, that in American politics it is possible to do or say nearly
anything as long as one does not criticize Israel.
And now Emanuel is the president's chief of staff, one of the most
powerful positions in the White House. Perhaps there is a limit to the
mischief that he will be able to do; at this point one can only adopt a
wait-and-see policy. One thing is certain, however. If the subject is
Israel, Emanuel knows very clearly where his loyalty lies."<<
http://www.antiwar.com/orig/giraldi.php?articleid=13773
--
Message posted using http://www.talkaboutaudio.com/group/rec.audio.opinion/
More information at http://www.talkaboutaudio.com/faq.html