Posted on 06/17/2005 5:23:41 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - A handful of people at Democratic National Headquarters distributed material critical of Israel during a public forum questioning the Bush administration's Iraq policy, drawing an angry response and charges of anti-Semitism from party chairman Howard Dean on Friday.
"We disavow the anti-Semitic literature, and the Democratic National Committee stands in absolute disagreement with and condemns the allegations," Dean said in a statement posted on the DNC Web site.
Rep. John Conyers (news, bio, voting record) of Michigan, the senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, organized the forum on Thursday at the Capitol to publicize and discuss the so-called Downing Street memo. That document suggests that the Bush administration believed that war with Iraq was inevitable and that the administration was determined to use intelligence about weapons of mass destruction to justify the ouster of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
The Sunday Times of London has reported that the prewar document, which recounts a meeting of Prime Minister Tony Blair's national security team, was leaked from inside the British government. The White House has rejected the memo's assertions.
Conyers' event occurred in a small Capitol meeting room, and an overflow crowd watched witnesses on television in a conference room at DNC headquarters. According to Dean, some material distributed within the DNC conference room implied that Israel was involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
One witness, former intelligence analyst Ray McGovern, told Conyers and other House Democrats that the war was part of an effort to allow the United States and Israel to "dominate that part of the world," a statement Dean also condemned.
"As for any inferences that the United States went to war so Israel could 'dominate' the Middle East or that Israel was in any way behind the horrific September 11th attacks on America, let me say unequivocally that such statements are nothing but vile, anti-Semitic rhetoric," Dean said.
"The inferences are destructive and counterproductive, and have taken away from the true purpose of the Judiciary Committee members' meeting," he said. "The entire Democratic Party remains committed to fighting against such bigotry."
Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean, February 2005. Democratic party leaders have scored important points in their battle against the Republican White House, but they are not getting a convincing message across to American voters, experts said(AFP/Getty Images/File/Alex Wong)
Wow, what the Hell is going on with the Dems? lol
Democrats: Aid and comfort to the enemy.
Howie is the greatest thing to happen to the GOP since Ronald Reagan was elected President. Go Howard!
Did he condemn Durbin yet for trivializing the murder of 30 million people by assorted Nazis and Commies?
Dean jumping dems for anti semetic material and Ralph Nader using the dreaded "N" word. The world is topsy turvy.
to late DICK.. you opened the flood gates of hate from your cult, ummm I mean party.
I wonder when these liberal Jews will wake up and realize the Left is wedding itself to Mohammedanism.
And those wed to Mohammedanism cannot date Jews, they can only advocate their elimination.
I'll tell you what is going on---POLITICS..
The reason Dean comes out against this pamphlet and anything anti-semitic at the meeting, is because, HE DIDN'T DO IT OR SAY IT....
See, Dean is the DNC Chairman and he says outrageous and insulting things every speech, and he won't apologize, but he doesn' hesitate to come down on some other dem, to USE it to show he is "fair and not anti-semetic"...
PUH-LLEEEEEEZE---Not only is Dean, stupid, but he is transparent!
So now the voice of reason in the democrat party is Howard Dean? I think my head's about to explode.
OHHHHH--I didn't hear about Nader...tell me more...
You have to be pretty wack to make Howard Dean look like "the voice of reason."
The party of Truman is now a bunch of wingnuts.....Harry is spinning in his grave.
You want to read something funny go read the Dana Milibanks article from today..covering this sham hearing...Dana took off the gloves and really skewered them.
Democrat Conyers is for the release of Mumia Abu Jamal.
Jamal is a convicted cop killer on death row in Pennsylvania. Conyer is playing up to his large Muslim population constituency. I would say Conyers is pretty close to a racist. He started the all black congressional caucus. That is racist
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/319830p-273490c.html
Nader story. OOPSIE.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.