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Doubletake: Will some Jews' backing for war
in Iraq have repercussions for all?
by Il Ragno
4 June 2004
[Original: here.]
TAKE ONE:
Will some Jews' backing for war in Iraq have repercussions for all?
WASHINGTON, June 10 (JTA) - With each new report of troubles in Iraq, some Jews are getting nervous.
Even though many Jews opposed the U.S. war in Iraq - and the organized Jewish community did not vocalize the strong support some had anticipated in the lead-up to the war - a few leading voices in Washington have portrayed the Jewish community as overwhelmingly in favor of toppling Saddam Hussein.
The fact that some of the strongest supporters for the war, both in and out of the Bush White House, are Jewish has led some to equate the political philosophy of neo-conservatism with support for Israel.
Now that the war has been beset by a series of scandals and setbacks, some Jewish leaders have expressed concern that Jews may be scapegoated this election year. Anti-war candidates and advocates already are suggesting that Jewish and pro-Israel voices led the country into war.
"Certainly, there is a significant portion of the American people who will buy into this," said Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. "It's a warning to us and it's certainly not something we can dismiss."
The problematic characterizations of Jews have come from high places.
Last month, Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings (D-S.C.) wrote in a newspaper column in his home state that he believed the Bush administration went to war to secure Israel and win Jewish votes. He followed the column with a speech on the Senate floor, chastising the American Israel Public Affairs Committee for its influence over Middle East policy.
A week later, retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni, a former presidential envoy in the Middle East, suggested in an interview with CBS News that hawks in the Bush administration backed the Iraq war in part to strengthen Israel, and named some prominent Jews in the administration as the plan's key architects.
Even before the war began, Rep. James Moran (D-Va.) suggested that Jewish leaders were banging the war drums. Moran was stripped of his leadership post in the Democratic caucus because of the comments.
This week, however, Moran handily triumphed over a challenger in a primary election, leading some Jewish officials to express concern that significant segments of the public don't consider his charges outlandish.
He won the Democratic nomination for his district with 59 percent of the vote, defeating Andy Rosenberg, a Jewish lawyer.
"It does underscore the need not to be complacent about statements made by public figures that suggest scapegoats," said Jess Hordes, Washington director for the Anti-Defamation League.
Moran's victory had more to do with his 14-year incumbency than with Israel, political analysts said. Additionally, the tendency to blame the war principally on supporters of Israel is confined mostly to the political fringe, Moran and Hollings notwithstanding.
Nonetheless, Jewish groups seek a quick retort when such comments enter the public record.
"We rely on the common sense and wisdom of the average American and other public officials to stand up and say, 'This is nonsense, this is absurd,' " Hordes said.
Over the past year, Jewish views on the war have mirrored those of the general public.
Some Jews backed the war in Iraq, believing a change in regime in Baghdad would make Israel safer. Bush touted the goals of the war to AIPAC last month, winning rousing applause.
But many other Jews hesitated. Some feared Israel would be used as a scapegoat, while others believed the evidence against Saddam did not warrant military action.
Still others felt the war should not be carried out without a larger international coalition.
The Israeli government, which favored regime change, stayed quiet, not wanting to spark allegations that the war was being fought for Israel's benefit.
No matter their view of the invasion, American Jewish officials want to debunk the idea that Jews fostered the war or that, if they supported it, benefit to Israel was a primary factor.
"I don't think we've reached the critical mass of people believing these absurd statements," Hordes said. "But statements like these need to be challenged, or they have the chance to seep into mainstream thinking."
Many of the neo-conservatives who staunchly supported the war are Jewish, making it easier for detractors to claim they were motivated by their support for Israel.
In their public statements, both Hollings and Zinni named prominent neo-conservatives who are Jewish. Among those most often noted are Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy secretary of defense; Richard Perle, the former chairman of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board; and Douglas Feith, undersecretary of defense for policy.
The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, a hawkish Jewish organization with close ties to U.S. military officials and a supporter of the war, is taking the initiative in explaining neo-conservatism - and separating it from any Jewish identification.
Tom Neumann, JINSA's executive director, points out that many of the neo-conservatives who pushed the Iraq war, including Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, are not Jewish.
"Neo-conservatism is a philosophy, not a theology," Neumann said. "It doesn't have to do with any religion."
JINSA will hold a symposium this fall on the definition of a neo-conservative. Neumann describes it as someone who is formerly liberal and maintains liberal views on some issues, but has developed a stronger bent toward conservatism over time.
That could explain why many of the leading neo-conservatives are Jewish, Neumann says.
"Jews generally start off liberal, and through a process of maturation move to a more conservative position," Neumann said. "You can't be a neo-conservative if you were born a conservative."
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TAKE TWO:
[translation of above article from jewspeak into English ragnese]
WASHINGTON, June 10 (JTA) - With each new report of troubles in Iraq, some Jews are getting nervous and reaching for their Popeil Marrano-In-A-Can emergency-crucifixes.
Even though many Jews opposed the U.S. war in Iraq as of two weeks ago last Thursday - and the organized Jewish community did not vocalize the strong support some had anticipated in the lead-up to the war by, say, enlisting their sons in the US Armed Forces to fight it - a few leading voices in Washington have portrayed the Jewish community as overwhelmingly in favor of toppling Saddam Hussein. Which isn't true: I mean, my Gawd, we liked his mustache - even better than Hitler's!
The bizarre total coincidence that some of the strongest supporters for the war, both in and out of the Bush White House, are Jewish has led some Holocaust deniers and child-molesters to equate the political philosophy of neo-conservatism with support for Israel.
Now that a strong wind has blown some of our chesspieces off the board, some Jewish leaders have expressed concern that the surviving relatives of the goyishe cannon-fodder may be manually overriding their Schindler's List default settings and scapegoating Jews for their children's deaths. Anti-Semite candidates and advocates already are suggesting that Jewish and pro-Israel voices led the country into war, as if such a thing were remotely possible. C'mon: us? We're merely violin-playing, deeply-religious shopkeepers who stuff envelopes for The United Way every other weekend!
"Certainly, there is a significant portion of the goyim who will awaken to this," said Malcolm Hoenlein via Yiddish flash-cards to the assembled Conference of Presidents of Associations of Federations of Major American Jewish Organizations gathered around the card-table in his rec-room. "It's a warning to us to buy up every English translation of the Talmud that might be out there on booksellers' shelves. Absent another false-flag job, it's not something we can dismiss."
The problematic characterizations of Jews have come from high places.
Last month, Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings (D-S.C.), well-known as the most powerful man in the Western hemisphere, wrote in a newspaper column in his home state that he believed the Bush administration went to war to secure Israel and win Jewish votes. He followed the column with a speech on the Senate floor, chastising the American Israel Public Affairs Committee for its influence over Middle East policy.
A week later, retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni, a former presidential envoy in the Middle East, suggested in an interview with CBS News that hawks in the Bush administration backed the Iraq war in part to strengthen Israel, and named some prominent Jews in the administration as the plan's key architects before any Photo-Shopped 8x10s of him shaking hands with Timothy McVeigh could be distributed to the media.
Even before the war began, Rep. James Moran (D-Va.) suggested that Jewish leaders were banging the war drums. Of course, since that was completely untrue, Moran was stripped of his leadership post in the Democratic caucus because of the comments.
This week, however, Moran handily triumphed over a challenger in a primary election, leading some Jewish officials to express concern that loose wiring in the joystick-controllers led to the slow response time from our Fox News Channel attack dogs.
He won the Democratic nomination for his district with 59 percent of the vote, defeating Andy Rosenberg, a Jewish lawyer. It hardly need be said that the defeat of any Jewish candidate clearly indicates a disturbing rise in anti-Semitism, although this would have been more evident had there been more Jewish headstones in the county for the Rosenberg campaign team to deface and kick over.
"It does underscore the need not to be complacent about statements made by public figures that suggest scapegoats," said Jess Hordes, Washington director for the Anti-Defamation League, adding, "Mel Gibson's father: it's HIS fault."
Moran's victory had more to do with his 14-year incumbency than with Israel, political analysts on the payroll said. Additionally, the tendency to blame the war principally on supporters of Israel is confined mostly to Stalinist traitors who want bad things to happen to Our Boys, and the French.
Nonetheless, Jewish groups seek a quick retort when such comments enter the public record, preferably delivered by government troops armed with flamethrowers.
"We rely on the common sense and wisdom of the average JOE MILLIONAIRE viewer, and our public-service marionettes to stand up and say, 'I am today proposing legislation that will seek jail time for anyone who publicly utters such hateful, hateworthy and hateable Hate", Hordes said.
Over the past year, Jewish views on the war have mirrored those of the general public. Even though one year and one day ago they all howled for Arab blood and demanded Syria, Egypt, Iran and Riyadh all be next.
Some Jews backed the war in Iraq, believing a change in regime in Baghdad would make Israel safer. Bush touted the goals of the war to AIPAC last month, winning rousing applause in the form of campaign contributions that would make George Soros blush.
But many other Jews - at least fifty and possibly as many as sixty - hesitated. Some feared Israel would be used as a scapegoat, and meekly threatened to fire off their nuclear arsenal at European capitals in a fit of Anne Frank-like sobbing. Others believed the evidence against Saddam did not warrant military action, but merely targeted assassinations of his cabinet and family members.
Still others felt the war should not be carried out without a larger international coalition, wondering with irritation what their ownership of world media was buying them if not a world enslaved.
The Israeli government, which favored regime change, stayed quiet, not wanting to spark allegations that the war was being fought for Israel's benefit until Bush's dog-and-pony 9/11 commission had buried the AMDOCS and art-student connections and provided them the all-important 'shave and a haircut' knock indicating the coast is clear.
No matter their view of the invasion, American Jewish officials want to debunk the idea that Jews fostered the war or that, if they supported it, benefit to Israel was a primary factor. Nor was the Shin Bet's involvement with coalition forces anything more than stopping by to read the complementary newspapers in the lobby.
"I don't think we've reached the critical mass of people believing these absurd statements," Hordes said. "But statements like these need to be challenged, or I'm going to have to change my last name. Again."
Many of the neo-conservatives who staunchly supported the war are Jewish, making it easier for detractors to claim they were motivated by their support for Israel. But that's untrue -although it is currently listed on the Team Shmuel Threat Board as a canard and not a blood libel. Still, it's early yet.
In their public statements, both Hollings and Zinni named prominent neo-conservatives who are Jewish. Among those most often noted are Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy secretary of defense; Richard Perle, the former chairman of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board; and Douglas Feith, undersecretary of defense for policy.
The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, a hawkish Jewish organization with close ties to U.S. military officials and a supporter of the war, is taking the initiative in explaining neo-conservatism - and separating it from any Jewish identification - by renaming themselves Just Insist only Nazis Stockpile Anthrax.
Tom Neumann, JINSA's executive director, points out that many of the neo-conservatives who pushed the Iraq war, including Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, are not Jewish. Dick, Don - that whistling sound you hear is your last AIPAC check bouncing.
"Neo-conservatism is a philosophy, not a theology. It doesn't have to do with any religion," Neumann patiently explained between bites of a Wendy's bacon cheeseburger.
JINSA will hold a symposium this fall on the definition of a neo-conservative. Neumann describes it as someone who strongly favors racial mongrelization, open borders, open-ended foreign entanglements and draconian gun control laws for you, but has developed an antipathy for those policies applying to Israel or her supporters abroad.
That could explain why many of the leading neo-conservatives are Jewish, Neumann says.
"Jews generally start off liquor-store owners and pornographers, and through a process of nepotism and subterfuge move to gated communities," Neumann said. "But we still enjoy the sight of your daughter giving a nigger a lap dance. Hey, you can't be a neo-conservative if you're in any way an ACTUAL conservative."
IL RAGNO
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