Apparently Without Irony, Washington Post Says Jewish Advocates Demand that Obama Show 'Fealty to Israel'

The story continues: supporters of Israel are rising against Obama, there is a major push this week to destroy his candidacy. Today's Washington Post reports on a debate yesterday arranged by United Jewish Committees in D.C. among Jewish advocates for Hillary, Obama, and McCain. The debate became a rout, the Post columnist averred, in which the advocates for Hillary and McCain "used their time to raise doubts about Obama's fealty to Israel."

Fealty to Israel? They portrayed Obama as a dangerous leftwinger, and when the Illinois senator's surrogate defended Obama's statement that the U.S. does not have to cleave to Likud policies, Ann Lewis, Hillary's advocate, responded: 

"The role of the president of the United States is to support the decisions that are made by the people of Israel. It is not up to us to pick and choose from among the political parties."

Yup, sounds like fealty to me! What is there to say about such a statement? Horrifying. Likud has been against the peace process, against a Palestinian state, for the colonization of the West Bank. Do we have a foreign policy? Do we take sides on such matters? Do we take sides on minority rights in foreign countries? Are we the strongest country in the world, or do we get dragged around by racist biblical colonialists half a world away? What did we just do in Serbia and Kosovo--exercise our power to establish a Muslim state. But in this part of the world we have had no independent power to say what is right and wrong, for 60 years...

The columnist who wrote the piece is Dana Milbank, who in 2006 suggested that Walt and Mearsheimer are Nazis for talking about something called "the Israel lobby." When Milbank cites "fealty to Israel" and describes security guards with Israeli accents, it's hard to tell how ironic he is being. I think he is impish; and is trying himself to marginalize Obama without coming out and saying so.

This is bad news for Obama but maybe good for America. If Obama is going down on this issue, there will at last be, I vouchsafe, a robust debate over our Israel policy.

Comments

[Jim Haygood]

Phil, I don't know whether you're going to comment separately on Obama's speech regarding Reverend Wright. But in any event, it contains a relevant passage -- completely out of character with the rest of the address -- which is pertinent to the "fealty to Israel" issue:

"[Rev. Wright] expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country – a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam."

http://www.drudgereport.com/flashos.htm

In the balance of the speech, Obama displays his remarkable ability to articulate the views of both blacks and whites, highlighting distortions in their outlooks, as well as points of unity. But no such nuance is found in this wholly one-sided caricature of Israel and Islam. Indeed, it's so starkly inconsistent that it sounds like a kidnap victim's note, written at gunpoint. And maybe it was.

The upshot is that for Barack Obama, Muslims are the new Willie Horton. If demonizing them will win an election, and energize a flood of Jewish cash, then by God, let's whack 'em!

This was intended to be a hopeful speech. Toward the end, Obama stated:

"We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle – as we did in the OJ trial – or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. We can do that. But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we’ll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change. That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, “Not this time.”

Sounds brave, doesn't it? Yet when it comes to Israel, Obama has chosen the first option: stick to stereotypes and caricatures, and sweep meaningful discussion under the rug.

So instead of hope, Obama's speech inspires only dread. He's clearly going to drive the middle eastern bus off the cliff, perhaps taking the U.S. over the precipice with it. It didn't have to be this way, Mr. Obama. Didn't Rev. Wright warn you about selling your soul to Mammon?

[Jim Haygood]

Dana Milbank doesn't say where this "public meeting announced by a group of Jewish leaders" took place. But from his description, it sounds as if Jewish actors performed for a Jewish audience, and were recorded by Jewish reporters.

"Security guards with Israeli accents turned away people at the door as the room overflowed." Wow, same deal as the Breaking the Silence exhibit at Harvard Hillel. It really makes me feel good, knowing that foreign soldiers are involved in political events which concern my country's future. Thank goodness there's no Lobby. Nobody here but us Americans!

[Clara]

Debate over our Israel policy? This is about Jewish Americans, Phil. NOT policy. The policy in a consequence of the Jewish establishments stranglehold on America. That's the issue dealing with all the other issues you raise and those you don't like control and supply of our money. What about creaming hardworking low and middle earners tax $ to bail out the bankers who have been defrauding and indebting our people AND our country for decades. If we can take back America, we got to take control of our money, fix the political process THEN we get policy, foreign and domestic in our best interests.

[Doug]

I gave up on Obama and wrote him off as an Israeli stooge when he travelled to Israel and pledged allegiance to the Zionists. However, if he is insufficiently loyal to Israel for American Jews, then maybe I'll vote for him. Israel is the millstone around the necks of Americans, dragging us down into the depths of depravity and poverty. All our problems are related to the unconditional support for Israel forced on our leaders by AIPAC and the Zionist controlled media.

[Clara]

Doug, there are many poor Jewish folk who care about being good neighbours and getting by. We have a big problem but it's here we can't keep blaming Israel. there are poor folks there too. We need to fix the problem here, to do that we all have to work together. There's a problem with the elites, not the folks.

[Kim]

Shouldn't he be swearing fealty to the U.S. first, second, and third AND ONLY fealty to the U.S.?

[Ana]

Hillary's aide finally spilled the beans: "The role of the President of the United States is to support the decisions that are made by the people of Israel." And all this time we thought we lived in a democracy, that elections mattered, that our government was making decisions on our behalf. No, the candidates are just competing to prove who will be the best enforcer of decisions that come from the seat of power, and it's not in D.C.!

[Doug]

Clara,

Get Israel out of my government, off my back, and get their hands out of my wallet, then we can talk about how our problems are self-inflicted.

The disaster in Iraq is entirely due to Israeli moles in our government, such as Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, and Douglas Feith, who planted false evidence and blackmailed our leaders into a war for Israel's benefit. The looming disaster in Iraq is likewise due to Israel-Firsters pushing for us to fight Israel's wars for them.

Jesus said that "no one can serve two masters", therefore, Jesus has declared that anyone who is loyal to Israel is NOT loyal to the United States. There is no middle ground.

[Michael Blaine]

"The role of the president of the United States is to support the decisions that are made by the people of Israel."

Excuse me? The role of the POTUS is to advance the interests of Americans.

The assertion of the Clinton surrogate really, really frosts my ass. It's outrageous.

[Michael Blaine]

"Israel is the millstone around the necks of Americans, dragging us down into the depths of depravity and poverty. All our problems are related to the unconditional support for Israel forced on our leaders by AIPAC and the Zionist controlled media."

OK, Doug. Those statements are lunatic. Unconditional, official support for Israel is problematic, but hardly of the scope you claim. Let's maintain some perspective.

[Doug]

Michael Blaine,

Every year of my life, US foreign policy in the Middle East has been controlled by Israel-Firsters in the US and by Israel itself. For my entire life Hollywood and television have been controlled by Zionists. Every year, our standards of decency and our standing in the world has declined.

Lunatic you say? Prove it by getting Israel and Israel-Firsters out of our government and letting us determine our own policy. Then we can see if Americans looking out for America's interests first, second, third and last can screw it up as bad as the Israel-Firsters have already done in our name and with our money.

[Billy]

Doug, your either jewish or have no idea of what you say. Certain jews are the root to all our troubles. The fed will cause another depression just like they caused the one in 1929. They are the cause of the wars we are in now among many others throughout history. We are hated because we are a occupied country by a bunch of jewish internationalist along with the loyality of the tribe. Our media is in complete control of these same jewish supremicist and until this stranglehold is broken all will only get worse. They are truly the enemy of peace and mankind!

[the Sword of Gideon]

Doug, Billy, what can I say. Ein Reich, Ein Volk, Ein Fuhrer. Brings you back doesn't it

[americangoy]

Hello?

Earth to America?

Top Clinton Aide:
"The role of the president of the United States is to support the decisions that are made by the people of Israel."

Hello?

Anybody here?

Anybody care?

[Mike]

Something that is not mentioned is that the Jewish Bolsheviks absolutely ravaged Russia.

"It is probably unwise to say this loudly in the United States, but the Bolshevik movement is and has been since its beginning, guided and controlled by Russian Jews of the greasiest type..."

-Capt. Montgomery Schuyler, a US military intelligence officer in Russia

U.S. National Archives. Record group 120: Records of the American Expeditionary Forces, June 9, 1919.

When the Bolsheviks finally took power, they killed the Czars entire family, including killing his young daughters who were bayoneted to death.

The Jewish Communist Lazar Kaganovich then starved 5 million Ukranians in 1932-33 by confiscating their grain.

[schallb]

What gets me is those of you that say some here are wrong haven't done their homework. Your sitting in front of the information highway and yet some don't even know how to use it . Start now!

[Joachim Martillo]

In some regards the economic implications associated with a dominant Jewish elite in the USA are scarier than the foreign policy issues.

See http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2008/03/i-am-the-bigges.html#comment-107520326 .

[Love it or Leave it.]

You know what? USA should have a law that stated that public seats could be held only by people with one nationality that is the american one. The people that had two should be forced to choose one. No double-nationalities, no israeli-firsters, no mexican-firsters.

P.S.- Those numerous double nationality israeli-firsters that compose the current administration should all face charges and go for trial....for TREASON.

[Thetruth]

I guess someone forgot to tell them that Israel is the size of New Jersey and a perpetrator of arab holocaust since 1948 as part of an ongoing illegal invasion and theft of land from the palestinians.
Fealty to Israel? Fuck that. Bomb israel into the stone age and return it to the palestinians= peace in the middle east.
Israel is a leech, a dog and lying whore.

[Steve Fye]

Gee,I thought Obama was running for President of the united States of America not President of Isreal.

[Dude from Lebanon]

I'm not American, I'm Lebanese... It’s a pity to see the greatest nation, the United States of America, having such a media-affected political opinion. And that has such a political class that is almost ruled by Israelis. Please Americans wake up… Vote for the president that will do what is best for the USA not for Israel! Anyway Israel is going to be defeated by Hezbollah very soon… trust me… I live here and I know… anyway…good luck… PEACE

[Ron R.]

Not that I'm a fan of Barney Frank's sister, Ann Lewis, but I believe that what she is saying is that the people of Israel elected their government and the POTUS has no business trying to undermine it by playing partisan politics with opposition parties.

Sure.. we can influence discussion in the public domain to alter the opinions of the Israeli people, but our directing backing one particular political party or another would be tantamount to the Israeli government declaring they supported Democrats or Republicans..

And I don't think many Americans would stand for that and not complain..

[13th Amendment]

Joachim Martillo, guess what? The US did have a law the required people to not only be 'Soley american Citizens" but also stated that "No persons with titles of nobility could be in the government."

This was the original 13th amendment that got tossed out with the (Un) Civil War. This was designed to not only keep foreigners out of government, but to keep LAWYERS out as well.

Let's not forget that they all Lawyers have a title of nobility (Esquire) to this day; AND both Hitlery and Obamess are attorneys.

Why did they do this? Because most lawyers will sell out their mothers for a buck. This is not the type of person you want in government, but for some reason its become the ONLY type of people we have in government.

[Alan Cabal]

Ron, the Palestinians elected Hamas. How's that sit with you? America has to stop supporting Israel, period. Now.

[Doug]

Billy,

"The fed will cause another depression just like they caused the one in 1929. They are the cause of the wars we are in now among many others throughout history."

And just who is the Fed and who runs it?

The current members of the Board of Governors are:
Ben Bernanke, Chairman
Donald Kohn, Vice-Chairman
Frederic Mishkin
Kevin Warsh
Randall Kroszner

Those all look like Jewish last names to me. Who were the previous chairmen?

Paul A. Volcker (August 6, 1979 – August 11, 1987)
Alan Greenspan (August 11, 1987 – January 31, 2006)
Ben Bernanke (February 1, 2006 – )

Those all look like Jewish last names to me.

Seems that the Fed, which you say is the cause of our problems, is run by Zionist Jews, Israel-Firsters who have sold out America to promote the interests of their favorite racist state.