Monday, May 04, 2009

Soft on Zion

Desperate for an angle of attack on the new administration midst the worse depression since the Great Depression, Repugnants have settled on one of their favorite hobby horses, support for the state of Israel.  In Washington, being a supporter of Israel is similar to being an anti-communist. You can always score points against your opponent by accusing him of being soft on Israel. That is exactly what the Repugnant leader in exile, Newt 'Shut 'em Down' Gingrich, did at the right wing AIPAC conference.  The American Israel Public Affairs Committee has a long history of Zionist positions concerning Middle East policy, and is very influential on Capitol Hill.  When Fortune magazine asked members of Congress and their staffs to list the most powerful lobbies in Washington, AIPAC was only behind AARP and outscored the AFL-CIO and the NRA[1].  A similar conclusion was obtained by the National Journal.  Newt wowed them last night with a call for using military force against Iran.  He got them in the aisles by naming the two-state solution "a fantasy" that was "endangering Israel". His bombast is nothing new--it could have been 'Darth' Cheney standing behind the podium-- but it is red meat for the Zionist-fascist axis that dominates right wing American politics. According to one survey conducted by the Jewish-American peace group J Street, 70% of American Jews support the Obama administration's policy of seeking a state for the Palestinians.

[1]Fortune 12.8.97; National Journal 3.5.05.  AIPAC was ranked fourth by Fortune in 2001. The Chicago Jewish Star rated it second in 2005 behind NRA.