Middle East Discussion

"It has leaked that US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff Gen. Martin Dempsey warned the Israelis that if they launched a strike on Iran that spiralled into a war, they would be on their own." - Sean McBride from Bookmarklet

"Paul Pillar and Leslie Gelb – both of them well-respected and largely mainstream commentators on US foreign policy – have recently published essays cautioning us all – and Mr. Obama especially – to step back, breathe deeply, ask tough questions, and get sound answers before launching a military strike against Iran. And as Gelb’s piece (excerpted below) cogently notes, the silly season of presidential campaigning is going to elicit (indeed, already has elicited) a lot of tough-guy, red-blooded American bellicosity from GOP candidates eager to bash Obama and score nationally televised debate points in mega-auditoriums crammed full of lustily cheering Republican worthies:" - Sean McBride from Bookmarklet

George W. Bush's Christian Zionist beliefs played a key role in getting us into the Iraq War -- a multi-trillion dollar disaster. Are we going to have a repeat of this madness? Mitt Romney is chomping at the bit to go to war against Iran -- why? - Sean McBride

What role has Mormon religious doctrine played in forming your views on Mideast politics? - Sean McBride

I agree that the questions are important. However, regardless, Romney's getting the GOP nomination. That is what is coming. The options, come November, are Obama or Romney. I think, much as I hate to say it, even if he did answer those questions, the viewpoint is one that is loved by the Republican establishment. - Prosey BUTTONS!

"Summary: Twitter said today that it will begin censoring tweets, if required by law, on a country-by-country basis. Europeans and Americans, however, will most likely be affected." - Jim from Bookmarklet

eesh - Prosey BUTTONS!

"Since his days in the House, Gingrich has always attached himself to the most extreme neocon elements of American and Israeli politics. Adelson’s $18 million in contributions since 2006 only further fueled Newt’s already chronic case of bombast. And as record-making as Adelson’s super PAC and other gifts to Newt are, they wouldn’t cover the cost of a single airstrike on a single Iranian facility. The price tag on what Gingrich calls “maximum covert operations” and possibly a full-scale war on Iran—both acceptable to Gingrich--would surely compete with the human and fiscal costs of the last conflagration he helped drag us into—the war in Iraq that has gone almost wholly unmentioned this primary season." - Sean McBride from Bookmarklet

A hugely important article by Wayne Barrett. It needs to be read in full and carefully absorbed. - Sean McBride

"The casino company owned by American billionaire Sheldon Adelson, a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has been under federal investigation for the last year for alleged bribery of foreign officials, ABC News is reporting. Adelson, the main donor to U.S. presidential candidate Newt Gingrich and the owner of the Israeli daily Israel Hayom, holds 49% of the Sands casino company, and according to reports, is directly involved in the company’s operations. The casino that the company set up in the Chinese island of Macau turned it into the largest gambling company in the world. Last year, the Department of Justice and the Securities Exchange Commission launched an investigation into Adelson’s alleged bribery of Chinese officials.According to ABC, Sands casinos was allegedly cooperating with Chinese organized crime groups, known as triads, who allegedly organized high stakes gambling and sex junkets. Chinese press reported at the time that more than 100 prostitutes were found... more... - Sean McBride from Bookmarklet

Newt Gingrich is one of Sheldon Adelson's numerous bribees -- to the tune of $10 million (and reportedly $20 million in total down the line). - Sean McBride

"As the European Union prepares to ban Iranian oil and the United States turns the screw on payments, oil executives and policymakers say China and Russia stand to gain the most and Western oil firms and consumers may emerge the biggest losers." - Sean McBride from Bookmarklet

WarLord -- I have a pretty detailed understanding of what is going on with the Iran issue: http://friendfeed.com/search... I actually read most of these items. - Sean McBride

"There is a heated debate going on in the US regarding the application of the term “Israeli Firster,” meaning a person who puts Israel’s interest before those of his own country. Some people argue that the term itself is anti-Semitic; the Israeli right, on the other hand, explicitly expects Jews to be loyal to Israel first and foremost, even if it means confronting their own society. Caroline B. Glick, the Jerusalem Post’s deputy editor, has published what could only be described as a handbook for dual loyalty, appropriately titled “The Zionist imperative.” Money quote is at the end (my emphasis): "We must hope that world Jewry will recognize today that the fate of the Jewish people in Israel and throughout the world is indivisible and rally to Israel’s side whatever the social cost of doing so."" - Sean McBride from Bookmarklet

Any thoughts from Key West? - Sean McBride

"Most troubling are Adelson's views on foreign policy. He's most focused on Israel where his wife was born and where he owns one of the country's three major papers. His views on the Middle East place him far outside a mainstream that is already quite far to the right. He does not believe in a two-state solution telling Jewish Week last year the two-state solution is a steppingstone for the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people. He even attacked AIPAC from the right when it circulated a letter in Congress urging members to fund the Palestinian Authority. New Yorker reports he referred to the wildly praised and respected and peaceful Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyed as 'a terrorist'. One prominent Israeli journalist saying of Adelson "When it comes to his views on the Palestinian Israel conflict he is a right-wing extremist". Perhaps most worryingly Adelson is also a strenuous advocate of war with Iran. You'll notice of course Adelson view on foreign policies aren't very... more... - Sean McBride from Bookmarklet

"Now, whether or not Gingrich comes by his dangerous and morally bankrupt policy views honestly or whether he views them as a strategic means of keeping Adelson's checks coming, the point here is less Gingrich and Adelson than the new frontier they are forging, together. The complete and total breakdown of our campaign finance system, combined with the explosion of inequality means that... more... - Sean McBride

"Whatever Adelson's particular beliefs are ...the bigger issue is the new Post-Citizen's United Superpac Universe that we operate in...this is the frontier.. at a certain point you wonder when we're gonna see a $100 million spent, because it's worth quite a bit to have the President of the United States owe you a favor." - Sean McBride

"The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that global crude prices could rise as much as 30 per cent if Iran halted oil exports as a result of US and European Union sanctions. If Iran halts exports to countries without offsets from other sources, it would likely trigger an “initial” oil price jump of 20 to 30 per cent, or about $20 to $30 per barrel, the IMF said in its first public comment on a possible Iranian oil supply disruption." - Sean McBride from Bookmarklet

A perfect play for someone in the oil industry to make. - Todd Hoff

Think international financial speculators and gangsters -- they've been on top of this game for more than a century. - Sean McBride

"Video of Sheldon Adelson saying he "unfortunately" wore the uniform of the American military not the Israeli army, and that he wants his son to be a sniper for the Israeli army (4:45 on). "All we care about is being good citizens of Israel."" - Sean McBride from Bookmarklet

"In a talk to an Israeli group in July, 2010, Adelson said he wished he had served in the Israeli Army rather than the U.S. military—and that he hoped his young son would come back to Israel and “be a sniper for the IDF,” a reference to the Israel Defense Forces. (YouTube video of speech) “I am not Israeli. The uniform that I wore in the military, unfortunately, was not an Israeli... more... - Sean McBride

Adelson is running ads about abortion in Florida, slamming Romney. He doesn't care about abortion. - Berthe

"The most important blow was delivered yesterday by Mike Isikoff in a great piece of reporting on Sheldon Adelson at NBC, featuring the video above, that squarely addresses the issue of Who benefits from an attack on Iran-- and says that Adelson has Israel in his heart. The thrust of the piece is that Adelson has conflated Israel's interest and the United States, and that's wrong. This graphic from Adelson's Israeli newspaper says it all. The translation in Isikoff's piece says that Gingrich states that Obama is risking a second Holocaust with his Iran policy." - Sean McBride from Bookmarklet

And now we've reached the point where the publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times has called for the assassination of an American president by the Israeli Mossad. A slippery slope to say the least. - Sean McBride

"Adler writes that it is highly likely that the idea “has been discussed in Israel’s most inner circles.” Numerous Jewish leaders quickly condemned Adler, who has now apologized for the column, resigned, and put the newspaper up for sale. An Israeli columnist noted that the hatred being stirred up against Obama is similar to conditions in Israel that led to the murder of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by a Jewish extremist. Many of those criticizing Adler claim that he had defamed Israel by suggesting that it would ever do such a thing. Abe Foxman, head of the Jewish Anti-Defamation League (ADL) proclaimed: “There is absolutely no excuse, no justification, no rationalization for this kind of rhetoric. It doesn’t even belong in fiction.” In reality, however, Adler’s expectation that Israel’s inner circles have explored such a course of action, and would be willing to undertake it, may be entirely accurate. The fact is that Israel has killed and plotted to assassinate people throughout the world; a number have been Americans. One alleged plot was chillingly similar to Adler’s suggestion." - Sean McBride from Bookmarklet

I'm guessing this is the opposite of the spineless Obama meme. No need to shoot him if he's a willing stooge going to war with Iran. This sounds more like my theory, only person stopping the Iran Regime change parade is our president. This keeps up and Israel is going to lose far more than an election. What do you suppose Obama does after re-election when AIPAC means nothing? - WarLord

You'll enjoy this one http://www.youtube.com/watch...& Stuff Obama Supporters Say - Berthe

Thats Ok dude BTW did you notice Katerine Sebellious, Obama appointee did absolutely marvelous work at HHS with employer contraceptive issue. I'm guessing it would have been Ron Paul pro-life disaster Appointees matter somertimes even more than the President - WarLord

"The owner of the Atlanta Jewish Times apologized for an opinion column in which he counted President Obama's assassination as among Israel's options in heading off a nuclear Iran." - Sean McBride from Bookmarklet

What really struck me was how poised she was. Now that we've all seen ourselves on home video (unlike 1963 when so few people video recorded), it stands out. I always look like I'm being held hostage in home videos. - Berthe

"The discourse is opening up on the central political question involving Middle East policy-making: what is the influence of the Israel lobby? Tom Friedman's "bought and paid for" column in the Times was huge. David Bromwich has a great piece about the Republicans up at the New York Review of Books that, echoing Friedman, speaks frankly about the role of conservative Jewish money in the Republican race. Then there's this from Jordan Michael Smith at Salon, interviewing Zbig Brzezinski:" - Sean McBride from Bookmarklet

"He thinks the Obama administration “should have stuck to its guns in promoting a fair settlement” in the Middle East. A longtime foe of Israel’s partisans in the United States, he says the Obama team “fumbled by getting outmaneuvered by the Israelis.” Then he gets blunter: “Domestic politics interceded: The Israelis have a lot of influence with Congress, and in some cases they are able... more... - Sean McBride

"In the Q&A session afterward, Riedel speaks about how the presidential election factors into an Israeli decision to attack Iran. He says that it’s “abundantly clear” that one of Bibi’s primary goals is “regime change on the Potomac.” An Israeli attack would, in the prime minister’s thinking, put Obama “in a tough place” because his range of responses will be limited by political considerations, even more so than were there no election (and even in that event, a president would not be as free to sanction Israel as he might wish). That means that an Obama who is embarrassed is a good thing for Bibi and his political sugar daddy, Sheldon Adelson (whose money is on Newt Gingrich). One of the current president’s few strong suits in his first term has been national security. For an Israeli PM to tarnish that reputation by calling out a U.S. president might make the latter look small. Especially to be bested by a relatively small power like Israel. That is something Bibi would relish." - Sean McBride from Bookmarklet

"In Foreign Policy, Colin Kahl, a former U.S. Defense undersecretary responsible for Mideast affairs argues forcefully against any strike against Iran. He argues that the imminence theory of the pro-war crowd which argues that an Iranian nuclear weapon is on the horizon within the next six months is bogus. He says that Iran may have enough uranium to make a bomb within that time frame... more... - Sean McBride

"Israel’s dream is that the United States will do the bombing for or in conjunction with it — one reason for the Israeli refusal to clarify its intentions. But, short of an outrageous Iranian provocation such as blocking the Strait of Hormuz, that’s not going to happen before November. In an election year, with U.S. intelligence convinced Iran is not yet building a bomb, Obama will not send oil prices soaring and the Muslim world into another bout of anti-American rage. A lot of his presidency has been precisely about extraction from war and easing of Islamic hostility." - Sean McBride from Bookmarklet

The Iraq War did enormous and permanent damage to the reputation of the once illustrious and respected New York Times. A disastrous Iran War which was promoted or enabled by the Times would be the final nail its coffin. The Times is already a laughingstock among serious bloggers. - Sean McBride

"Since then, the standard army of low-level smear merchants has continued attacking these CAP and MM writers as anti-Semites. Last week in Haaretz, Marty Peretz’ long-time assistant, Jamie Kirchick, ironically claimed that it was Block and other neocons who are the victims of “McCarthyism” even as Kirchick, in the same column, advanced the witch hunt to expose hidden anti-Semites in America’s think tanks and media outlets (an even greater irony is found in Kirchick’s self-anointed status as anti-bigotry crusader despite his long-term work for Peretz, probably the single most flagrant bigot and unapologetic spewer of hate speech in mainstream American discourse: but since it’s aimed at Arabs and Muslims, it’s all permissible)." - Sean McBride from Bookmarklet

"Though Block has now been erased from the picture, this is clearly his smear campaign being aggressively carried out. The goal here is the same as it always is for efforts to smear critics of Israel (or those who question the AIPAC line on U.S. policy toward the region) as anti-Semites: namely, to gather scalps, even low-level ones, in order to intimidate others from questioning or... more... - Sean McBride

"When Vincent Evans arrived as a bright-eyed first-year at Florida A&M, the country’s largest historically black university, he knew he wanted to get involved in politics. So when an older student leader approached him one afternoon after a student government meeting to ask if he wanted an all expenses paid trip to D.C., Evans jumped at the opportunity. The trip, it turned out, was sponsored by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, the country’s most powerful pro-Israel lobbying outfit. Israel is under growing attack from Palestinian and international activists who call the country a racist apartheid state. In response, its staunchest U.S. lobby is recruiting black students as moral shields to make the case for Israeli impunity. At historically black colleges and universities (known as HBCU’s) around the country, AIPAC is finding and developing a cadre of black allies to declare there’s no way Israel can be racist." - Sean McBride from Bookmarklet

Richard Silverstein today: "New Pro-Israel Hasbara Meme: Blackwashing" http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_o... "Does the Israel lobby care about African-American students? Does it care about the issues close to their heart? Is it about to reach out to Blacks to create political coalitions to advance causes of mutual interest to... more... - Sean McBride

A Democrat? A liberal? A progressive? Or an ultra-right-wing Likud Zionist who couldn't care less about American interests and values? - Sean McBride

"Washington continues to push a vision of a world from which Iran has been radically disconnected. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland is typical in saying recently, “Iran can remain in international isolation.” As it happens, though, she needs to get her facts straight. “Isolated” Iran has $4 billion in joint projects with Venezuela including, crucially, a bank (as with Ecuador, it has dozens of planned projects from building power plants to, once again, banking). That has led the Israel-first crowd in Washington to vociferously demand that sanctions be slapped on Venezuela. Only problem: how would the U.S. pay for its crucial Venezuelan oil imports then?" - Sean McBride from Bookmarklet

Thanks for the link, Prosey. I would think Turkey would be a pretty important country strategically. Did you ever see this, that as many Turks believe the US or Israel did 9/11 (39%) as believe it was Al Qaeda? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki... and then another 21% "Don't Know." I wonder what effect that has on Turkish politics. The Turkish public believes that US leaders are evil. - Berthe

"China stands to be the biggest beneficiary of U.S. and European plans for sanctions on Iran’s oil sales in an effort to pressure the regime to abandon its nuclear program. As European Union members negotiate an Iranian oil embargo and the U.S. begins work on imposing sanctions to complicate global payments for Iranian oil, Chinese refiners already may be taking advantage of the mounting pressure. China is demanding discounts and better terms on Iranian crude, oil analysts and sanctions advocates said in interviews." - Sean McBride from Bookmarklet

"“Policing the region imposes a cost on us, and benefits the Chinese,” Blair said in an interview. A few Iranian officials recently have threatened to shut the passage if the U.S. and Europe enforce tough oil sanctions." - Sean McBride

"This is fabulous. And a great improvement on Meet the Press or Face the Nation! Below is a summary of Max Blumenthal's sharp analysis on Russian television, springing off his piece for Al Akhbar on Bibi Netanyahu ally Sheldon Adelson's intervention in the Republican campaign (with a big gift to Newt Gingrich). What would it mean for our sharpest political minds to be engaged on the Israel lobby issue? Well here is your answer, thanks to Russian TV. Walt and Mearsheimer had to go to London, Blumenthal to Russia. But as he indicates, the firewalls are breaking down. Next stop, Hardball! Summary: This is the first time an Israeli prime minister has thrown himself into an American presidential race on the side of one party, the Republicans. Using his "cutouts," the neoconservative allies in Washington. The one they're going after now is Ron Paul. But this faction will turn on Obama once the Republican nomination is resolved, and it will turn on the issue of Iran." - Sean McBride from Bookmarklet

"Follow the money? "The media... refuse to say the Israel word" when talking about Sheldon Adelson. Though the puzzle remains, Adelson and Netanyahu will be just as happy with a Mitt Romney presidency as a Newt Gingrich presidency, why the support for Gingrich? Why is it that the media is not talking about Israel? Well Adelson's a funder of the Israel lobby in the U.S. So is Mel... more... - Sean McBride