ZOA To Pres. Obama: Don’t Nominate Iran- & Terrorist-Apologist & Israel-Basher Chuck Hagel as Defense Sec.
December 17, NEW YORK –The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has urged President Barack Obama not to nominate Iran- and terrorist-apologist and Israel-basher Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense. Chuck Hagel’s record is one of being a frightening and dangerous apologist for terrorist groups like Hamas and Hizballah, as well as for the terrorist regime of Iran, while being arguably one of the most vicious and hostile critics of Israel. The ZOA believes that appointing Chuck Hagel as Defense Secretary would also serve to confirm the fears that many have that President Obama is no friend of Israel and is not serious about stopping Iran’s nuclear program.
Reports indicate that the former Nebraska senator and current co-chairman of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, is a front-runner for nomination. A recent report states that President Obama is “expected to announce his nominees for secretaries of state and defense in the next two weeks, with former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel on the short list of potential choices to head the Pentagon, senior administration officials said on Tuesday” (‘Obama to fill key posts in weeks, Hagel on Pentagon short list,’ Reuters, December 4, 2012).
Chuck Hagel’s record:
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* In 2009, Hagel signed a letter urging President Obama to begin direct negotiations with Hamas, a U.S. designated terrorist group committed in its Charter to the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews, a position President Obama has not taken up.
* In 2008, Hagel was “solely responsible” for blocking an Iran sanctions bill (Seth Colter Walls, ‘Dems Blame Senate GOP For Blocking Iran Sanctions Bill,’ Huffington Post, March 10, 2008).
* In a 2006 interview with former Middle East negotiator Aaron David Miller, Hagel said that “the Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people” on Capitol Hill (‘Hagel named to intelligence board ,’ Jewish Telegraphic Agency, October 29, 2009).
* In August 2006, Hagel was one of only 12 Senators who refused to formally call upon the European Union to declare Hizballah a terrorist organization (‘NJDC Criticizes Senators for Refusing to Call on EU to add Hezbollah to List of Terrorist Organizations,’ National Jewish Democratic Council press release, August 7, 2006).
* In July 2006, at the outbreak of the Lebanon war, Hagel argued against giving Israel the time to break Hizballah, urging instead an immediate ceasefire (‘Key Republican breaks with Bush on Mideast,’ CNN.com, July 31, 2006).
* December 2005: Hagel was one of only 27 senators who refused to sign a letter to President Bush urging him to pressure the Palestinian Authority (PA) to ban terrorist groups from participating in Palestinian legislative elections.
* June 2004, Hagel refused to sign a letter urging President Bush to highlight Iran’s nuclear program at the G-8 summit and was one of only two senators in to vote against renewal of the Libya-Iran sanctions act.
* November 2001: Hagel was one of only 11 senators who refused to sign a letter urging President Bush not to meet with the late Yasser Arafat until his forces ended the violence against Israel.
* In July 2001, Hagel was one of only two senators to vote against extending the original Iranian sanctions bill.
* October 2000: Hagel was one of only four senators who refused to sign a Senate letter in support of Israel.
Eli Lake, senior national-security correspondent for Newsweek and the Daily Beast, has written,
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“In the past, Hagel has even garnered opposition from pro-Israel Democrats who have defended Obama’s Israel record. Ira Forman, who was in charge of the Obama reelection campaign’s outreach to Jewish voters, said in 2009 – after Hagel was named co-chairman of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board – that he would have opposed Hagel’s nomination for a more substantive position. The former senator was not only a frequent no vote on sanctions against Iran, but The Washington Free Beacon reported on Thursday that he also serves on the board of directors of Deutsche Bank-which is reportedly being probed by U.S. authorities for possible violations of the very kinds of sanctions Hagel opposed when he was in Congress.”
Other figures in the pro-Israel community have expressed concern about the possibility of Hagel being nominated. An unnamed senior pro-Israel advocate said, “The pro-Israel community will view the nomination of Senator Chuck Hagel in an extremely negative light. His record is unique in its animus towards Israel.”
Josh Block, a former spokesman for AIPAC and the CEO and president of the Israel Project has said, “While in the Senate, Hagel voted against designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, refused to call on the E.U. to designate Hezbollah a terrorist group, and consistently voted against sanctions on Iran for their illicit pursuit of nuclear weapons capability. It is a matter of fact that his record on these issues puts him well outside the mainstream Democratic and Republican consensus” (Eli Lake, ‘The Hagel Haters,’ Daily Beast, December 13, 2012).
David Harris, president and CEO of the National Jewish Democratic Council – a body that normally enthuses about President Obama’s Mideast policies and record – said in 2010, when there was speculation that President Obama might nominate Hagel at that juncture for Secretary of Defense when Robert Gates was stepping down, “Clearly, Hagel has a mixed record on Israel, but that record frankly puts him at variance with the president’s own policies vis-a-vis Israel.”
Former New York City Democratic mayor and Obama supporter Ed Koch said Hagel, “would be a terrible appointment … and so do apparently most of the Jewish leaders who have expressed themselves … Such an appointment would give great comfort to the Arab world that would think that President Obama is seeking to put space between Israel and his administration … I hope he doesn’t go forward with that appointment” (Dan Halper, ‘Koch: Hagel “Would Be a Terrible Appointment,'” Weekly Standard, December 16, 2012).
Morris Amitay, a former executive director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and treasurer of the Washington PAC, also said at that time, “I would regard him as the bottom of the class as far as Israel goes … Hagel would be in a position to reinforce the worst aspects of the administration’s current Middle East policies, which would be very dangerous for Israel.”
A further longtime Jewish political operative, who declined to speak on the record so as not to be seen prematurely criticizing the Obama administration in 2010, said, “Given [Hagel’s] long, questionable record and the clear problems his nomination would cause — not to mention the volumes of criticism by other Democrats for his rank hostility to Israel – it is hard to believe that the White House would want to make such a risky choice at precisely the time we are asking the Israeli to ‘trust us’ on Iran and the Arab-Israeli conflict … I wonder how [Hagels] career-long effort to derail sanctions to stop Iran’s nuclear problem will comfort the Israelis or our Arab and European allies at this critical juncture?”
A Democratic operative who campaigned for Obama in the Jewish community also said in 2010, “If he was in fact appointed, I would find his appointment difficult to reconcile with my views of the administration” (Adam Kredo, ‘”Bottom of class” Hagel’s bid draws frosty reception,’ Washington Jewish Week, September 1, 2010).
A Republican senate aid said, “Send us Hagel and we will make sure every American knows he is an anti-Semite … Hagel has made clear he believes in the existence of a nefarious Jewish lobby that secretly controls U.S. foreign policy. This is the worst kind of anti-Semitism there is” (Danel Halper, ‘Senate Aide: ‘Send Us Hagel and We Will Make Sure Every American Knows He Is an Anti-Semite ,’ Weekly Standard, December 13, 2012).
Hagel’s anti-Israel record is such that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the leading Islamist lobby and apologist group in the U.S., said on August 28, 2006, “Potential presidential candidates for 2008, like Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Joe Biden and Newt Gingrich, were falling all over themselves to express their support for Israel. The only exception to that rule was Senator Chuck Hagel” (Shmuel Rosner, ‘The new “Obama advisor” problem: Senator Chuck Hagel, Haaretz, July 14, 2008).
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “We are horrified and shocked about the prospect of Chuck Hagel serving as Secretary of Defense. As a senator, Hagel accrued one of the worst anti-Israel records of any member of Congress, as well as being a frightening apologist for the Iranian terrorist regime and the Hamas and Hizballah terrorist groups.
“Prominent supporters of Israel, both Democrat and Republican, have voiced deep concern and fear about the prospect of Hagel’s nomination – and with good reason: not only has he shown a consistent strain of outright hostility to Israel, but he opposes sanctions, let alone military action, to prevent Iran going nuclear and becoming a major strategic, if not existential threat, to both the U.S. and Israel.
“Appointing Chuck Hagel as Defense Secretary would also serve to confirm the fears that many have that President Obama is no friend of Israel and is not serious about stopping Iran’s nuclear program.
“Not only is Israel’s existence threatened by an nuclear Iran – so is the U.S. Were Iran to go nuclear, it would engage in nuclear blackmail and terrorism even more extensive than at present behind a nuclear umbrella. Even if Iran never fires nuclear missiles at the U.S., who really believes Iran wouldn’t give such weapons to terrorists? And who believes that, once having such weapons, terrorists wouldn’t use them on the U.S.? And even if neither used them, what unending series of concessions and retreats would America have to undertake to ensure that this continues?
“We strongly urge President Obama not to nominate Chuck Hagel for the post of Defense Secretary. This appointment would be bad and dangerous for America and bad and dangerous for America’s closest and most loyal ally, Israel.
“We urge people to call upon their U.S. Senators (Capitol Hill switchboard: 202-224-3121) to urge President Obama not to nominate Chuck Hagel.”
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The would-be secretary of defense has some curious views.
By BRET STEPHENS. WSJ
Prejudice—like cooking, wine-tasting and other consummations—has an olfactory element. When Chuck Hagel, the former GOP senator from Nebraska who is now a front-runner to be the next secretary of Defense, carries on about how “the Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here,” the odor is especially ripe.
Ripe because a “Jewish lobby,” as far as I’m aware, doesn’t exist. No lesser authorities on the subject than John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, authors of “The Israel Lobby,” have insisted the term Jewish lobby is “inaccurate and misleading, both because the [Israel] lobby includes non-Jews like Christian Zionists and because many Jewish Americans do not support the hard-line policies favored by its most powerful elements.”
Ripe because, whatever other political pressures Mr. Hagel might have had to endure during his years representing the Cornhusker state, winning over the state’s Jewish voters—there are an estimated 6,100 Jewish Nebraskans in a state of 1.8 million people—was probably not a major political concern for Mr. Hagel compared to, say, the ethanol lobby.
A United States senator, not an Israeli one. In case there was any doubt.
Ripe because the word “intimidates” ascribes to the so-called Jewish lobby powers that are at once vast, invisible and malevolent; and because it suggests that legislators who adopt positions friendly to that lobby are doing so not from political conviction but out of personal fear. Just what does that Jewish Lobby have on them?
Ripe, finally, because Mr. Hagel’s Jewish lobby remark was well in keeping with the broader pattern of his thinking. “I’m a United States Senator, not an Israeli Senator,” Mr. Hagel told retired U.S. diplomat Aaron David Miller in 2006. “I’m a United States Senator. I support Israel. But my first interest is I take an oath of office to the Constitution of the United States. Not to a president. Not a party. Not to Israel. If I go run for Senate in Israel, I’ll do that.”
Read these staccato utterances again to better appreciate their insipid and insinuating qualities, all combining to cast the usual slur on Jewish-Americans: Dual loyalty. Nobody questions Mr. Hagel’s loyalty. He is only making those assertions to question the loyalty of others.
Still, Mr. Hagel managed to say “I support Israel.” This is the sort of thing one often hears from people who treat Israel as the Mideast equivalent of a neighborhood drunk who, for his own good, needs to be put in the clink to sober him up.
In 2002, a year in which 457 Israelis were killed in terrorist attacks (a figure proportionately equivalent to more than 20,000 fatalities in the U.S., or seven 9/11s), Mr. Hagel weighed in with the advice that “Israel must take steps to show its commitment to peace.” This was two years after Yasser Arafat had been offered a state by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak at Camp David.
In 2006, Mr. Hagel described Israel’s war against Hezbollah as “the systematic destruction of an American friend, the country and people of Lebanon.” He later refused to sign a letter calling on the European Union to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. In 2007, he voted against designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terrorist organization, and also urged President Bush to open “direct, unconditional” talks with Iran to create “a historic new dynamic in U.S.-Iran relations.” In 2009, Mr. Hagel urged the Obama administration to open direct talks with Hamas.
In fairness to Mr. Hagel, all these positions emerge from his belief in the power of diplomatic engagement and talking with adversaries. The record of that kind of engagement—in 2008, Mr. Hagel and John Kerry co-authored an op-ed in this newspaper titled “It’s Time to Talk to Syria”—hasn’t been stellar, but at least it was borne of earnest motives.
Yet it’s worth noting that while Mr. Hagel is eager to engage the world’s rogues without preconditions, his attitude toward Israel tends, at best, to the paternalistic.
“The United States and Israel must understand that it is not in their long-term interests to allow themselves to become isolated in the Middle East and the world,” he said in a 2006 Senate speech. It’s a political Deep Thought worthy of Saturday Night Live’s Jack Handey. Does Mr. Hagel reckon any other nation to be quite so blind to its own supposed self-interest as Israel?
Now President Obama may nominate Mr. Hagel to take Leon Panetta’s place at the Pentagon. As a purely score-settling matter, I almost hope he does. It would confirm a point I made in a column earlier this year, which is that Mr. Obama is not a friend of Israel. Perhaps the 63% of Jewish-Americans who cast their votes for Mr. Obama last month might belatedly take notice.
Alternatively, maybe some of these voters could speak up now, before a nomination is announced, about the insult that a Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel would be. Jewish Democrats like to fancy their voice carries weight in their party. The prospect of this nomination is their chance to prove it.
Write to bstephens@wsj.com
@ yamit82:
Cheap shot from a cheap soul.
I was no coward. I did what I believed in (still do).
“Traitor”? — to whom, exactly?
We turned the country around on that vicious war, and saved the country’s honor. And that’s no self-serving quip either; that’s a FACT.
It’s YOU who were the coward. You knew the war was evil — you knew it just as well as I did
— yet you lent it your substance in SPITE of what you knew; that’s the surest evidence of cowardice there is.
To characterize Hagel as a “decorated war veteran” — merely because he got a couple of Purple Hearts — is stretching the image, and you know it. It’s only your animus toward me that lets you ignore the obvious fact.
Hogwash. Many were cowards precisely BECAUSE they went. I knew lots of ’em.
Heroism rests on a 3-legged stool:
A. Danger (or the perception of it);
B. The VOLUNTARY willingness to risk suffering or loss to the SOURCE of the danger; and for
C. The sake of a (perceived) greater good.
If any one of those legs is missing, then whatever else is going on, there’s no ‘heroism’ in play, and the stool falls over.
Nobody who went to Nam — and from there into battle, purely because he was forced to by the draft or OCS — can reasonably be characterized as a ‘hero’ (except in the very limited sense of sacrificial behavior on behalf of his platoon buddies). What’s more, anybody who enlisted voluntarily — but did so out of fear of what people would think of him if he DIDN’T — was no ‘hero’ either.
That’s the unvarnished truth, though few have the cojones to state it bluntly.
@ yamit82:
If that’s the case, somebody has yet to break the news to those who arranged for John Kerry [new Secty of State] to be awarded the Purple Heart:
— for getting a handful of rice embedded in his hindquarters while on board his swiftboat — when a bag of it was lit up & exploded by a grenade he threw (reputedly intended for the enemy).
Rice as a Weapon of Ass Destruction?
Apparently it worked quite effectively in getting him an early discharge.
@ yamit82:
Hey, I hope those rabbis are right, that building in E1 really is the final blow to a “peace agreement” with the PA. I’m pretty tired of this. Aren’t you?
Now, it is interesting to note that nothing the PA does is ever considered a “final blow”…like going to the UN not once but twice in direct violation of Oslo. [Of course, Israel just has to be painted with the ‘final blow’ charge so that any war/Intifada that breaks out is to be squarely blamed on Israel.]
But, that aside, were I the Israeli PM, if this building in E1 really is to be called “the final blow”, my response would be:
“Oh really? Well then, as long as this is the “final” blow, we might as well do it right. Instead of 3000 units, let’s make it 300,000 units…and if anyone complains, well up that to 600,000. Do I hear a million? How about two million? Heck, since we’ve already delivered the “final blow”, we might as well annex all of J&S. Why not? If the “final blow” to the “peace process” has already been delivered, what difference does it make if we annex J&S?”
@ ROSENBERG:
December 18, 2012 | 8:24 am
400+ Rabbis, Cantors Oppose Israel’s E1 Building Plans
Posted by Rabbi John Rosove
The following press release was distributed today by J Street, Rabbis for Human Rights North America and Americans for Peace Now who organized this letter signing campaign:
More than four hundred US rabbis, cantors, rabbinical students and cantorial students signed an open letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu expressing grave concern about Israel’s plans to advance the construction of settlements in the controversial E1 area of the West Bank and authorizing thousands of new housing units in East Jerusalem.
In an open letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the rabbis, cantors, and students warn that the move undermines the territorial contiguity of the future Palestinian state and the prospects for reaching a two-state solution, while damaging US-Israel relations.
“We fear that building settlements in E1 would be the final blow to a peaceful solution,” the letter warns.
The letter also expresses concern that “the current situation in the occupied territories violates Palestinian human rights and undercuts the very values on which Israel was founded – democracy, liberty, justice, and peace.”
The full text and list of signers to date can be found here – http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5149/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=12297&source=jstreet.
The letter responds to Israeli government decisions announced the day after the United Nations General Assembly voted to upgrade the status of Palestine to that of non-voting state.
Construction in E1 would violate repeated commitments that Israeli governments have made to the United States since 1994 not to build there.
Thus far, the letter has been signed by more than 400 rabbis from 38 states and the District of Columbia. The majority of the signers are congregational leaders.
Americans for Peace Now, J Street and Rabbis for Human Rights-North America coordinated the appeal.
I would Bar not only anyone associated with J Street from Israel but especially anyone calling themselves a rabbi advocating any policy or supporting any politician and or organization advocating against the basic interests of the Jewish State and by that I don’t mean America or Germany. They are all Persona non grata as far as I’m concerned and they certainly don’t have the certificate of Kashrut as rabbis. Must have gotten their rabbi degrees from a university. I’ll be most don’t speak Hebrew either.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Poll: Palestinians See UN Vote, Gaza War as Victories
The poll said 88% believe that the results of the confrontation in Gaza prove that armed struggle is the best means of achieving Palestinian independence, 73% believe the Palestinian cause has been advanced by the recent events and 87% are optimistic that the conflict will lead to reconciliation and unity.
@ ROSENBERG:
Rabbis for Romney? Why not Dentists or Accountants for Romney or any candidate?
Rabbis IMO should not involve themselves in politics. Those who do not agree with your political choices will not just reject your political orientation but Rabbi’s in general and Jews in particular.
If you must be into the advocating business as a rabbi, try something novel, Jewish, even biblical like promoting Aliyah, opposition to Gay/same sex marriage, oppose intermarriage and promote Hebrew Day Schools for Jewish Kids.
Just a thought.
@ dweller:
The congressional approval process is strictly a senatorial event, Andrew. (The House isn’t in on it.)
To receive a purple Heart a soldier must first be in the military and secondly be involved in life-threatening conditions and situations.
Now cowards and traitors who when called opt out and even break laws to stay out, should know when to keep quiet about those who do put their lives on the line and even paying the ultimate price.
Recognition of those with wounds or worse is the least a thankful country ought to do.
Every American who was drafted and those today who volunteered are heroes.
It’s them who through bravery and personal self-sacrifice allow Cowards Like you to sleep safely in your bed (In or out of prison).
Hegel took it twice and you zero.
dweller you are arrogant, ignorant and have have no shame.
@ dionissis mitropoulos:
Just so you’ll know:
As presently constituted, the system on this site allows a ten-day posting period before it closes down.
LOLROF.
Can’t say I’m surprised at their conduct, though I am sorry to hear of it.
AS PRESIDENT OF RABBIS FOR ROMNEY , I WORKED DAY AND NIGHT TO CONVINCE Jews not to vote for Obama. This is what you get. Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg
@ dweller:
Dweller, i didn’t have the chance to thank you for the links, plus i could not reply because the comments closed. Thanks. They have concluded that i am getting paid by the Israeli Lobby and have deleted every comment of mine remotely inconvenient to their propaganda (especially one that was providing proof for Ahmadinejad’s apocalyptic delusions, i have found it through Martin Kramer’s Facebook page). They let the bulk of them, though.
@ Sam Goldblatt:
The phrase “decorated war veteran” conjures up a certain image.
So far as I’m aware, Chuck Hagel was awarded a few Purple Hearts; that’s it.
Unlike other medals, a Purple Heart is conferred on somebody not for what he did on the battlefield
— but, rather, for what happened TO him on the battlefield: he got wounded.
I’m not discounting his or anybody else’s military service, but it’s important to put matters into perspective.
@ Andrew:
The congressional approval process is strictly a senatorial event, Andrew. (The House isn’t in on it.)
Hagel is a US Senator.
There is a great deal of collegiality in the Senate.
Senators tend to suppport eachother over presidential appointments (irrespective of party affiliation).
That’s why, for example, John McCain is supporting John Kerry’s appointment as Secty of State.
@ Dupa de la Verga:
I’ve seen something more idiotic.
People hurling insults without any substantive argument behind them. Like you.
So, do you have a coherent argument to make? Or are you just a shallow, snobbish twit?
Vinnie, I don’t think I’ve read anything more idiotic in my life. But you do live in Ohio!
@ yamit82:
The numbers separating Obama and Romney in the election were not that large; two and a half million votes could easily be the result of fraud.
This was a two-pronged attack. At the “front end”, we had the usual Chicago sleaze-style tactics: “dead people” voting, illegals, early voters voting twice, etc.
Then, at the “back end”, there are the electronic voting machines. These have only been in general use here since 2004. I never did like them; too easy to corrupt electronic traffic containing votes. Even a relatively amateur IT guy could probably intercept the data streams with the votes. The Romney votes probably had a certain digital code associated with them, and thus, could be targeted by some malware program sent to the server handling the vote tallies, so as to “eliminate” a large number of Romney votes.
Let’s look at how things compared between 2008 and 2012 in terms of the respective advantages/disadvantages of McCain vs. Obama on the one hand, and Romney vs. Obama on the other, shall we?
In 2008, McCain had:
– the albatross of Bush around his neck, who, by the end of his second term, was the least popular president since Nixon.
– a lot less money than Obama, who outspent McCain at least two-to-one.
– the image of being a “warmonger” to a war weary public.
– the disadvantage of having a demonstrably poor understanding of economic issues in the midst of an economic crisis.
– the problem of running against a charismatic, “hope and change” candidate with little in the way of a record on which he could be judged, who on top of that, was going to be “the first black president”.
– no organization comparable to the Tea Party behind him.
Now, consider Romney’s situation:
– Obama’s horrendous record to run against, on just about every issue, foreign and domestic.
– comparable financial resources to Obama.
– went out of his way to make sure he was NOT perceived as a “warmonger”.
– superb understanding of economic issues at a time of prolonged economic distress, the worst since the Great Depression.
– “hope and change”, “the first black president” are no longer factors..this has all worn off.
– the Tea Party massively mobilized behind Romney; they may not have really liked him that much, but believe me, I saw this first-hand, they were absolutely behind Romney once he became the GOP nominee, as their primary concern was to get rid of Obama. (I would add here that even if some Evangelicals were uneasy about Romney being a Mormon, as you assert, Evangelicals I was in personal contact with were ABSOLUTELY committed to voting for Romney, so intent were they on getting rid of Obama, who they overwhelmingly perceived as far worse than Romney.)
Now, with all of the above to take into account, don’t you find it at least a little strange that Romney allegedly got only 57+ million votes? About two and a half million LESS than McCain got four years ago??
Yamit, the election we just had here was rigged big-time. I am talking about a crime of historic proportions here. This is not a fringe point of view; there is a VERY widespread sense of this here, even as the media here ignores this (just as they ignore many other horrendous things going on right now, if such things make Obama look bad).
Laura Said:
Point taken Laura. You are correct. And Bibi and Israel should have banged a drum about the issue of Carville helping Barak against Bibi.
Mr. Kushner, are you related to any of the Kushner family in Toronto? I worked for a couple at their Kosher meat store. Both survived Auschwitz. It was on Bathurst, near Wilson, I think. It was quite a while ago.
During Kristallnach they murdered Jews and destroyed synagogues. They’re doing this again in France and elsewhere. Even in Canada and USA they’re defacing Jewish cemetaries and other obvious Jewish properties. They rail against the Jews and everyone soaks it up and revels in it, enjoying the fact that Jews are “finally being targeted.” Everyone is vilifying Israel and her Jews. Look at the scum in the youtube video: they’re flying Hamas flags on the streets of Canada! Before Hitler came to power there were Swastikas being flown at German American gatherings in USA and Canada. Joseph Kennedy thought the world of Hitler, even contributed to his political campaign. And no-one was offended, even while they were shipping dissenting Jews to Dachau. Now pro-Hamas Muslims and their “friends” are vilifying everthing Israeli and Jewish, and the world cheers them on. They harrass Jewish kids in universities, threaten them with physical violence and no-one does anything about it. It’s normal now that Jews are harrassed in Western democracies. It was normal for German citizens to smash and burn synagogues and murder Jews before even 1933. There are many similarities between then and now. Even Daniel Jonah Goldhagen was ok with brushing all German Christians as precipitating the Holocaust, but he refuses to paint with the same brush Islam and Muslims. He was one of the first to use the phrase “political Islam.” What a joke.
Sorry I’m blathering. And thanks for the kind words, Phoenix.
@ Vinnie:
I don’t discount some vote rigging but the numbers too large to cover the disparity between Obama and Romney.
I had always taken the position the republicans played to lose. just like they did with McCain and even Bush. Bushes first election victory was a fluke and aided by the illogical election system in America.
Obama was not blamed by most Americans for the economic crisis, Bush was. Obama was well liked by an overwhelming American majority. Romney not. Romney being a Mormon in all probability caused too many of your friendly fundamentalist Christians to pass on this election. Obama’s targeted campaign to the young and their concerns and ignorance and managed to get a majority of women to vote for him
That’s where he lost the election. Mormonism and Women. Add lack of Charisma, being too wealthy and his refusal to go after Obama’s weaknesses added to his loss.
@ Laura:
Bibi’s “support” of Romney consisted of two relatively minor things.
One, footage of him criticizing Obama’s policies relating to a PA/Israel “peace” agreement was used in a GOP ad in Florida. I don’t even know whether Bibi officially approved of this, or gave any sort of blessing to this.
Also, Bibi hosted Romney for dinner when Romney went to Israel. There may have been some fundraising at said dinner. That might have been another dinner while Romney was in Israel. Not sure.
These are pretty small potatoes, compared with past U.S interference in Israeli elections.
And, in any event, to the extent that Bibi supported Romney, this must be seen within the context of him having nothing to lose. Obama’s hatred of Bibi in particular and Israel in general was well-established long before the election season. Saying that Obama is now “out to get Israel” over Bibi’s alleged “support” of Romney reminds me of how, whenever the Israelis have done something decisive to defend themselves against the Palestinians (e.g., Operation Defensive Shield), the Palestinians say “Now, we’re REALLY going to hate you!!!”….as if they weren’t already maxed out on hating Israel.
In real terms, it made no difference. Bibi cannot be blamed for supporting Romney to whatever extent he did, and then some. He knew that no matter what he did or didn’t do in that regard, an Obama second term was going to be very, very bad. That was clear. Obama richly provoked Bibi in that regard.
@ Michael Devolin:
Dear Michael,
Could please elaborate on this . I’d appreciate your take. You’re practically the civilian equivalent of ‘boots on the ground’.
Watched your YouTube video…
To say that I respect you more and more, would certainly be an understatement.
@ yamit82:
I write my member of congress about rigged elections.
About anyone “coming after me”…that’s why I have firearms and plenty of ammo.
And while coming to Israel is problematic for me personally on a number of levels…it ain’t out of considertion, either, especially given Obama’s stolen “victory” and beyone Obama, my conviction that it was stolen and that more than that, nothing is going to be done about it.
I agree that Jews are becoming politically irrelevant. But the $$$ is still pretty important, and we have a lot of friends we could make common cause with and have impact far beyond our numbers (e.g., CUFI). But we don’t because collectively, Jews in this country are STUPID!!!!
@ yamit82:
Well, you were right that Obama “won”, but the election was rigged big time.
Specifically, where I was wrong was in expecting that having GOP governors in key swing states like Florida and Ohio would sufficiently suppress out-of-control election rigging. Boy, was I ever wrong about that! They were asleep at the swith. It was pathetic.
Anyway, what follows below is a slightly edited version of a letter I wrote to my GOP state senator, my member of the House of Reps, and Speake Boehner. For all the good it will do…but hey, it cost me nothing except a bit of my time. It will explain to you all why I think the election was rigged, however.
“In the wake of what could well have been the most consequential election in U.S. history – certainly in our lifetimes – I am gravely concerned that we have just witnessed the greatest example of election fraud in our history.
Our Founding Fathers designed an ingenious system. I consider the four-year presidential term to be just the right amount of time to determine if a given newly-elected president is “up to the job”. In addition to the checks and balances of our courts and the legislative branch, this is also a critical “check” on an inept or even destructive president.
Yet, in this case, the “check” clearly failed. Despite a singularly dismal record on nearly every major issue, foreign and domestic, this president was re-elected anyway. Was this simply because the GOP is allegedly ‘out of touch’ on social issues, as some claim? How could this be when exit polls showed that jobs/economy was the #1 issue, and moreover, reliable polling showed that voters trusted Romney more than Obama on these issues in any event? Was this merely on the strength of the Hispanic vote over immigration? Hispanics generally favor the Democratic party; could Obama have really won on the strength of that one constituency?
I submit to you that something of a much darker nature has happened.
Consider, given Obama’s record, the incredible sense of urgency about replacing Obama that I encountered among every Republican or Republican-leaning independent I met or with whom I communicated; surely this was your experience as well. Yet, Obama “won” with less votes than McCain got in ’08, and Romney got just over two million fewer votes than that, with an overall turnout less than even the ’04 election.
That we saw such turnout results in an election in which the presidential debates – particularly the first one – garnered an unprecedented viewing audience, is simply incredible to me.
In such an environment, that we couldn’t even turn out as many votes for Romney as we did for McCain four years ago is nothing short of surreal…and completely lacking in credibility as an honest proposition, given the above.
Look at what happened right here in NW Ohio.
You saw the huge number of yard signs everywhere for Romney, vastly outnumbering those for Obama. And then there were the “Protect Religious Freedom” yard signs; since when in living memory, if ever, did anyone consider that necessary?
Surely, you know of the vast disparity in enthusiasm for Romney at his rallies, versus Obama at his. I’ve heard countless anecdotal reports of this. You must have heard about the local union types who, the week before the election, were caught stealing Romney yard signs; that is the sign of a desperate campaign if ever there could be. Our ground game here in NW Ohio was far beyond what was done in ’08; the Tea Party that greatly augmented the GOP efforts in this regard both here and nationally – and which produced decisive results only two years ago – didn’t even exist when McCain ran in ’08. Yet Obama “won” in Wood County…how could this be?
The evidence of election rigging goes on even from there. How about Federal efforts to halt purging of voter rolls in Florida, interference with enforcement of our own voter ID laws right here in Ohio, pressure on Pennsylvania to postpone enforcement of their own newly-enacted voter ID law until next year?
With the lone exception of Virginia, is it not suspicious that Obama did not win a single state with voter photo ID laws on the books? That he won every major swing state otherwise, despite the volatility of the polling in these states leading up to the election?
I could go on with even more examples, but I’m sure you see my point by now, and you may have seen these and more examples yourself from other sources.
I am writing to tell you that, as a voter, as a citizen, as someone with no special inside knowledge, it is clear and obvious to me – and many others I know – that this election was stolen.
Where presidential elections are concerned, have we now sunk to the level of Venezuela?
I do not have the resources, the power, or the influence, beyond my vote – Does this matter anymore? – and my small circle of like-minded family and friends, to address this crime. For that is what it was: a crime against this nation and her people.
I have to count on people such as yourself, my elected representatives at the national level, to investigate and pursue this matter for a just resolution. This has got to be investigated, and exposed. Hearings have got to be held. Responsible parties must be brought to justice.
This historic travesty cannot be allowed to stand.
Thank you for your efforts.”
“Most of the very wealth American (Jews) are of the totally assimilated kind and most could care less about Jews in general and Israel in particular.”
Good point, Yamit. Ditto Canadian Jews. I know I’m not Jewish, but I’ve been “involved” long enough to see how this is so, as you describe it. Many Jews badmouth JDL Canada when everything is going good, but as soon as an asshole shows up on the radar, JDL Canada is the first group they contact because they know we get things done. And yes, it’s far beyond letters now. We’re about at the Kristallnach stage right now, although no-one wants to believe this. Obama doesn’t give two shits about the Jews of Israel.
@ Vinnie:
Obama;s major leverage is BB and Barak.
Have you recovered yet from your loss in Nov?
Where is your mea culpa to Yamit for being right and you wrong? 😀
@ Leon Kushner:
We are beyond letters. This comes down to bal of Power and in tuth it always has been. The Jews of America have lost their political influence which for the most part in the last 50 years has been money. Jewish money was always more important than the Jewish vote. Every year the % of jews to the general population is decreasing. When it was 3% and concentrated in large populous states they had some potential voing leverage. Today the Jews are less concentrated and the ratio of Jews to the general population is now less than 2% and dropping like a stone. By the next presidential elections the Jews will have decreased proportionally and Muslims could even be equal to Jews.
Most of the very wealth American (Jews) are of the totally assimilated kind and most could care less about Jews in general and Israel in particular.
Bottom line is that Jews are on the cusp of becoming politically irrelevant in America. That makes you all more vulnerable than us in Israel. Who is gonna protect your asses when they come after you?
You could always write your congressman. 😉
@ Laura:
https://www.israpundit.org/archives/51702/comment-page-1#comment-244147 Hymie is Jewish?
It’s great that some Jewish organizations like ZOA are urging the President not to pick Hagel as Sec of Defense (or Kerry for Sec of State) but I’d be in shock if their letter works.
In all likely-hood, these 2 pro-terrorists will be nominated. And why not? The Americans, including the majority of Jewish Americans, voted for him. It would take a many letters from most Americans to stop him. But since most citizens have their heads buried in the sand, we’re screwed.
@ terence:
From my recollection Shultz was not hostile to Israel.
@ Andrew:
Why was it ok when Clinton interfered in Israel’s election against Bibi? He sent Carville, I think it was, to advise the campaign of Bibi’s opponent.
@ Sam Goldblatt:
Obama was overtly hostile to Israel long before Bibi came out in support of Romney. Bibi’s backing of Romney was simply in response to that. You are afflicted with the ghetto Jew mentality.
Vinnie Said:
You are totally correct in your assessment. But do you think Iran can inflict a defeat on Israel (which will not receive any help from the US or anyone else)? Iran might be able to get one nuke threw Israel anti-ballistic missile network. However, Iran would , in my opinion, be signing its’ own death certificate. The retaliation from Israel would erase Iran as a functioning nation. Of course, it is better for Israel , not to have to react to the insane leaders of Iran and suffer tremendous civilians casualties. I use Anthony Cordesman’s paper of several years ago on a hypothetical nuclear exchange between Iran and Israel as my major reference. Israel needs US assistance for a preemptive strike, but without US assistance will still erase the nation of Iran.
Chuck Hagel was a Republican senator and is highly regarded by the Republican elite. Notwithstanding his record on Israel, his chances for confirmation is excellent.There were many other candidates for cabinet that were confirmed despite a much more antagonistic attitude towards Israel. Remember James baker, remember George Shultz, remember Casper Weinberger, remember Kissinger.
@ Joe Hamilton:
You entirely understand what the majority of American Jews do not. Instead, they merrily endorse the Islamo-Nazi policies of Hussein, our so-called prez.
All things considered, former US Senator Charles Hegel must be considered an American version of Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
Does my comparison sound unfair to Barak?
Or or is it unfair to Hegel?
Arnold Harris
Miunt Horeb WI
As to Hagel, he’ll get confirmed. And if he isn’t, Obama will come up with someone equally vile.
He no longer has to run for re-election. He’ll do what he wants. What he wants to do is try to screw Israel as much as he can.
@ Joe Hamilton:
Largely agree with what you say, but with one major exception.
You say Israel doesn’t “need the U.S.”. Maybe in the greater scheme of things that is true, but on one specific issue, for now, Israel DOES need the U.S., and that is the issue of Iran.
I’m sure Israel would have already hit Iran by now if the U.S. would not have threatened to blow Israel’s cover and screw up the critical element of tactical surprise. And, given the resulting conflagration, the U.S. would play a central role in running interference for Israel on the UNSC, and for logistical support in the ensuing conflagration….things she sure is not going to get for now from Obama.
Long term, maybe Israel could cultivate other allies to offset an unsupportive U.S., but that will take time, and where Iran is concerned, there is not much of that, it seems.
That is Obama’s major element of leverage over Israel. Tell us in a convincing way how Israel gets out from under that, and the rest of what you say would make perfect sense.
“Israel, despite what this moronic rat does, becomes stronger every day.”
Yep. When my atheist friends ask me why I believe in G-d. I say Israel.
“Israel, despite what this moronic rat does, becomes stronger every day.”
So be it, Joe!
@ Sam Goldblatt:
Bibi is not some Ghetto Jew living in a European country who must be terrified of non Jews and kiss their behinds at every opportunity. He is the democratically elected leader of the Jewish National Homeland. He also doesn’t have kiss the behind of the vile creature Obama who is clearly an enemy of Israel. What will Obama do to Israel?. He already is doing everything he can get away with to harm Israel. But just as Hitler and countless other Jew hating rulers in the past, Obama will be history in 4 years while Israel, despite what this moronic rat does, becomes stronger every day.
Regardless of anything Bibi did during the election campaign, Obama was definitely going to appoint this Neo-Nazi creature as Secretary of Defense. To the vile snake Obama, the number one requirement for any appointee in any position dealing with foreign affairs is anti-Semitism and rabid hatred of Israel (same thing). Susan Rice, Hitlery, Panetta, and Hagel all clearly meet this requirement .Israel doesn’t need the US which is clearly deteriorating. Any the country which reelects a totally unqualified white hating, Muslim loving Jew hating creature like Obama is rapidly heading toward 3rd world status. The US will eventually become similar to its’ largest state California. Hagel is far from a “war hero”. Almost every US high ranking officer since Korea has been a total incompetent (with the exception, of course of Lt.Col Howard). The anti-Semite Hagel will be in charge of the US military which despite having by far the highest budget of any military in the world, is about to suffer 2 more defeats inflicted by 3rd world irregular armies. That will make them 4 for 4 in losing to militaries which did not have a fraction of the advanced weapons the US military possessed. The US Army is so pathetic, their only victory since WWII is defeating the pathetic Iraqi army. The reality was the Iraqi Army including the infinitely overrated “Republican Guard” was not one tenth as tough an opponent as the Egyptian military in 1973. The US Army has made up a “battle” “73 Eastling”. There are TV shows in the US which portray the “battle” as another battle of Kursk (the biggest tank battle of WWII). A US Army General Officer actually described it as another “Battle of Kursk”. The reality was not one US A1A Abrams tank (which is inferior to the Merkava 4) suffered so much as a dent in its’ armor. The Republican Guard was equipped with tanks so obsolete; they were discarded by the Polish Communist Army as only good to be sold as scrap metal. I clearly believe US soldiers who actually do the fighting i.e. the troops up to the rank of Sgt.(E5) are extremely brave, extremely capable and the equal of soldiers from any other army (with the possible exception of the IDF) .The paraphrase the express used to describe the British army of WWI they are Lions led by donkeys. With Obama doing his best to destroy the US military that soon become a paper tiger led by a real Donkey: Chuck Hagel. Israel continues to have support from the majority of American citizens and the majority of Republicans (Hagel is a rare exception) as well as the majority of vast majority of Democrat Jewish Congress persons. So Hagel can go F— himself.
“…he is a decorated Vietnam War veteran”
Are you saying war veterans cannot be anti-Zionists or anti-Semites? The American Legion voted against America giving refuge to Jews during the Holocaust.
Did Bibi really campaign for Romney? Its politics 101, not to interfere in another country’s internal politics. If he did, then he is indeed a fool.
Hagel will be Obama’s DefSec nominee and he will be confirmed. Hagel is not only a Republican – he is a decorated Vietnam War veteran. Not one of his critics has a leg to stand on. And, I think Netanyahu is much to blame for this development. Had he not foolishly campaigned for Romney – it’s entirely possible Obama would not have felt the need for payback. Call it petty pique whatever but Bibi was warned not to embarass Obama but he overplayed his hand as he’s wont to do. The man’s a fool and Israel will pay the price.
Pat Buchannan. As my Dad would say, “I’d like to kick him so hard between the legs that it’d knock the change out of his pockets.”
That old raging anti-semite Pat Buchanan once quipped that Congress was “Israeli occupied territory”. My how things have changed.
@ Andrew:
@ Michael Devolin:
He is a Republican
All the donkeys will vote in lockstep and most of the elephants will support a fellow elephant.
For Obama the perfect choice politically.
@ Michael Devolin:
There is a big difference between the Americans who vote and Congress.
“How could someone with that track record ever get through the congressional approval process?’
Obama was elected for a second term, wasn’t he? And look at the track record he has.
Well, to understand that you’ll have to make a quantumleap in your thinking.
As you know ,you don’t become President of the US if you don’t have some very influential and very rich supporters.
After that ,these supporters own you.
For many years,since 1913,the people owning the President of the US,also own Israel.
For reasons that will become clear very soon,the people that created Israel ,are gonna throw Israel under the bus.
Israel is gonna be pushed into a war ,she doesn’t want,probably from Syria and Lebanon.
The US and Europe will support Israel with words,words and more words,but not with deeds.
Israel has served it’s purpose for their creators and financers,a Middle East on fire is in their interest now.
Mr. Hagel is just one more move in that direction.
How could someone with that track record ever get through the congressional approval process?