Via friday-Lunch-Club
Feltman visiting Samir Geagea'
CIA's Giraldi:"... If the Bipartisan Policy Center is seriously interested in examining threats against the United States rather than starting new wars or persecuting a religious group, I would suggest that they set up a new task force and take a long hard look at the actions of the Israel Lobby. They could start by talking to Ross, Rademaker, Rubin, and the two Makovskys since they are members in good standing of the Lobby and are readily available, probably sitting somewhere down the hall. Explain to them how United States security has been compromised by the tie that binds with Israel and how its institutions have been corrupted. Suggest to them that official Washington insofar as it relates to the Middle East is an AIPAC-run enterprise. Run through the list of the State Department’s Assistant Secretaries of State for the Near East and discover that all of them have been Israel-firsters ever since Martin Indyk, an Australian citizen and AIPAC lobbyist, obtained the post in 1997. Bush appointee and hawk Jeffrey Feltman currently holds the position, virtually guaranteeing that there will be no shifting of allegiance at Foggy Bottom. Describe to them the more than $120 billion that Israel has received directly from the US taxpayer and discuss with them the many spies for Israel that have avoided prosecution because of government fear to cross AIPAC.And then there is AIPAC itself. You might explore with Dennis Ross why he thinks AIPAC should not be registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act even though it describes itself on its website as "America’s Pro-Israel Lobby." And you can chat a bit in a friendly way about how it works through intimidation and a large number of pro-Israel PACs to control Congress. And then there are the Israel-firsters in the media, the gatekeepers of truth and managers of the narrative. Names like Will, Krauthammer, Horowitz, Zuckerman, Ignatius, Thomas, Kristol, Friedman, and Brooks come to mind but there are many, many more. And remind them of the stories that just won’t go away, like Senator Arlen Specter trying to make everyone forget how Israel illegally obtained uranium from a plant in Pennsylvania owned by one Zalman Shapiro and used it to make bombs. Or the nagging accounts of Israeli spying, the most aggressive effort to steal American secrets by any country considered to be friendly.
And never forget that the Lobby is bipartisan. There are the billionaire Crown and Pritzker families of Chicago, exceptionally good friends of Israel and President Obama’s money men, and Aubrey and Joyce Chernick of Los Angeles who have been funding the recent anti-Muslim frenzy. And let’s not leave out Irving Moskowitz the California bingo king and Pastor John Hagee of Christians United for Israel, who both actively support the illegal expansion of Israeli settlements. And speaking of the settlers, the "charitable" funding that enables them to arm themselves and steal Palestinian land is a tax write-off thanks to a congress, treasury, and justice department that prefer to look the other way.
Yes, there is quite a lot to examine and if anyone is seriously interested in genuine threats against the United States AIPAC and the Israel Lobby are good places to start. But to do so would not be welcomed in many influential circles and there would be inevitable retaliation from the chattering class and the media. The well-funded Bipartisan Policy Center would attract the anger of some very powerful and wealthy people and would suddenly find itself less well-endowed as its supporters disappear. Instead of taking on the Lobby let’s follow the Center’s sage advice and amble down a more inviting and less controversial path. Let’s bomb the hell out of Iran shortly before locking up American Muslims in prison camps to keep them out of mischief. Such measures will undoubtedly stop nuclear proliferation and end the international terrorism problem while the friends of Israel will be able to sleep soundly in their beds knowing that they will not be troubled by the Bipartisan Policy Center...."
Posted by G, Z, or B at 2:40 PM
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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