Buchannan: Will America Follow Europe Into Dissolution?

I am appalled by Buchanan’s quirky “defense” of gas chamber turbines and doddering concentration camp guards. But most of his columns are mainstream, whether liberal (pro-union) or conservative (Catholic). Once the champion of the New Hampshire primary, he is rather harmless and ignored these days.

I do not obsess over the obsessions of Buchanan. Obsession with antisemitism has been more harmful than antisemitism itself.

In the United States, the political debate is often poisoned by unproven (and unprovable) accusations of “anti-semitism.” If one dares say that Israel should not get so much foreign aid or argues that “neo-cons” want to invade or attack the Middle East, the cry of antisemitism goes up. B’nai B’rith shuts the debate down. It’s like Jesse Jackson playing the race card.

I say this as a non-Jew conservative who is quite sympathetic to the cause of the “neo-cons,” Israel, Netanyahu, and the invasion of Iraq. I’m also scared to death that Iran will get the bomb. And I greatly admire the social conservatism of Orthodox Jews — pro-life, large families, etc.

Pat Buchanan's antisemitism is hardly unproven. This defender of Nazi camp guards; this basher of the Jewish state who claimed that Jews were under no threat from the Mavi Mari (sp)(as if the knives and iron bars used against the Israeli Jews were no threat) or any other enemy of Israel that wishes to destroy it; this apologist for Islam (America's enemy since the dawn of the Republic) who only now speculates that Islam might be a threat to the U.S. and not just the Zionist entity, as Pat and his Arab buddies call Israel. You focus so much on the Jews in the Middle East -- you and Pat. Did you ever figure upon the threat posed by the Muslim Arabs? Pat is only beginning to question whether Islam has a hand in it. To that antisemitic ignoramus I can say welcome to the club.

Also, Israel is worth far more than the U.S. aid near Islamic Armerica gives to it. One last thing, you're comparing me to Jesse Jackson? While most Jews are Liberal, I worked in Jews against Jackson opposing the black antisemite. Don't compare me with a person I personally worked against with some physical risk (we were opposing some of Louis Farrakhan's people who were guarding him).

Kudos for opposing Jackson and Farrakhan. Good for you.

I agree with little of what Pat says about Jews. But I am not going to send him beyond the pale. It depends on one’s definition of antisemitism. If Pat declared himself a Nazi and called for a Hitler restoration, he is antisemitic. If Pat were to write a column on bad traits (e.g. evil or greedy) of all Jews, then he’s antisemitic.

But Pat is neither of these. He merely takes sides in political arguments where reasonable men can disagree.

Want to hear a funny story? I met Pat Buchanan and his lovely wife Shelly once. It was in 1982, I believe, we got into an argument about Menachem Begin. Pat Buchanan was going to debate Barney Frank (this was in Communist Massachusetts, afterall). Before the debate, I reached oever and wished Pat luck. He wasn’t so bad then. I would not wish Buchanan luck now.

I’ve read that he’s a nice guys to all sides. He survived at Crossfire for a long time, and was at lefty MSNBC for many years before getting fired.

Once he gets off the neo-con hobby horse, he’s great on pro-life and pro-traditional marriage. He’d make a great rabbi Orthodox Jew :-)

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