Posted on 03/25/2008 7:11:52 PM PDT by Alouette
More trouble for presidential hopeful: Inquiry by conservative US media outlets reveals that Obama advisor Merrill 'Tony' McPeak is a longtime anti-Israel critic who slammed American Jews for acting against US interests
Yitzhak Benhorin Published: 03.26.08, 01:24 / Israel News
WASHINGTON - General Merrill "Tony" McPeak, Senator Barack Obama's military advisor and co-chair of his presidential campaign is a longtime anti-Israeli critic who has slammed Israel harshly during his career, according to an inquiry by conservative American media outlets.
McPeak, who served as the chief of staff o the US Air Force before retiring in 1994, made headlines over the past week after accusing former President Bill Clinton of McCarthyism. Yet as it turns out, over the years he has criticized Israel for failing to withdraw to the 1967 borders and charged American Jews were preventing American pressure that would lead to a Mideast peace agreement.
The examination of McPeak's career, undertaken by conservative magazine American Spectator among others, revealed that the general adopted a harsh anti-Israeli line in interviews he submitted to and articles he published. According to the magazine, beyond his affinity for alcohol, which saw him detained for drunk driving a year ago, McPeak also appears to take great pleasure in slamming Israel and pro-Israel Jews.
'Large vote in favor of Israel'
In an interview with The Oregonion about five years ago, McPeak argued that the influence exerted by American Jews is responsible for the lack of progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. According to the general the problem was New York and Miami.
"We have a large vote here in favor of Israel. And no politician wants to run against it," he said.
In the same interview, McPeak spoke of his personal experience with Israel.
"I've spent a lot of time in Israel, worked at one time very closely with the Israeli Air Force as a junior officer," he said, "but that's maybe the more cosmopolitan, liberal version of the Israeli population."
McPeak also charged that Jews and Christian Zionists manipulated American foreign policy in Iraq.
"Let's say that one of your abiding concerns is the security of Israel as opposed to a purely American self-interest, then it would make sense to build a dozen or so bases in Iraq," he said.
'Disturbing canard'
Following the latest revelations, the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) called on Obama to remove McPeak as his military advisor and national campaign co-chairman.
"By choosing to have a military advisor and national campaign co-chairman like General McPeak, serious questions and doubts are once again being raised about Senator Obama's positions and judgment on Middle East issues," said RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks.
"Rather than putting the blame where it belongs - on the Palestinian leadership and their continued reliance on terror, General McPeak finds it more convenient to blame American Jewry and their perceived influence," said Brooks. "This is the same dangerous and disturbing canard being promoted by the likes of Jimmy Carter and authors Mearsheimer and Walt in their book, The Israel Lobby."
"Senator Obama continues to surround himself with advisors holding troubling and disturbing anti-Israel bias," Brooks said. "We call on Senator Obama to immediately remove General McPeak from his campaign leadership role and as a key advisor."
Probably. Is she the one who keeps screaming, ‘i hate Republicans?”
Well, usually she specifies, "I hate Bush! I hate Cheney! I hate Fox News!"
When I try to speak to my Jewish neighbors about this, they just start screaming how the “hate Republicans.” I ask why, and they never can come up with any kind of a logical answer.
But as I’ve pointed out to some of my Jewish friends, the hate-mongers in the black church want them dead.
There is a difference.
That's because they've been brainwashed to believe the GOP = the political right = fascism = Nazis/Hitler. So essentially, Republicans = Nazis. And there's little you can say to change their minds; they have to figure things out on their own. Fortunately the further we get away from the generation that reflexively equated the Right with Nazism the higher the liklihood of that happening.
Before that she used to scream, “I hate Nixon, I hate Reagan.”
But their new bogeymen are Reagan and Bush. Brainwashed indeed. I tell them that if Bush really WRRE a Nazi that they would be DEAD. They are much likely to be killed by one of their own LW nuts, who hate them.
Why?
There is nothing amazing about people voting for candidates with whom they agree on social issues.
I have no idea. When I ask them about it they just freak. The mention the Holocaust, among other things. Who knows?
Your neighbors sound like quite an uptight group. I’ve known too many liberal/Democrat Jews to count (being Jewish myself), and I can’t think of any who “despised” Christians, evangelical or otherwise. ....although a few may have been a bit wary of their unqualified support for Israel. But other than that minor detail, no unease whatsoever.
However, I did see a bit of disdain for the Iranians who came to town in droves right after the Iranian revolution in '79. ...Iranian Jews.
I'll try to understand that thought, but there are many other areas of a political platform that go beyond social issues.
The Catholic Church has a huge organization that supports social issues around the world. It's probably one of he most funded ministries in the USA.
I'd rather donate my money to organizations I believe will truly assist those in need as opposed to giving the Government my tax dollar to spend on social issues which they decide are right.
Times have changed. It was Reagan that first freaked them out, and it’s gotten steadily worse. The left had much more power before him. Now the movie industry is filled with people who hate their own country. If you even mention God or patriotism to them the flip out.
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