Hagel must address 'Jewish lobby' comment

The Hill ^ | 01/07/13 | Lanny J. Davis

[SJackson]

I believe a president — Republican or Democrat — almost always deserves to have the Cabinet that he wishes, with the bar very, very high to oppose his choice. Thus, there should be heavy presumption that President Obama’s reported nominee for secretary of Defense, former Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel, should be confirmed by the Senate.

Whether senators agree or disagree with Hagel’s past positions — on the Iraq war (against), declaring the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a “terrorist organization” (against), engaging with Iran in negotiations more aggressively (for), engaging with Hamas in seeking a peace agreement in the Middle East (for) — these positions are known to the president, and he still has decided to nominate Hagel for the post.

In any event, President Obama’s policies will be carried out by the new Secretary Hagel, not former Sen. Hagel.

But: Hagel owes it to all Americans, not just to American Jews, to do more than apologize for use of the expression “Jewish lobby” in communicating his concern about its power.

He must understand, first, that there is a difference between Jews who support Israel and the “Israel lobby.”

To suggest that there is a “Jewish lobby” is not only inaccurate, it is highly offensive to the American Jewish community.

First, as to the inaccuracy of the expression, here are a few indisputable facts:

Fact: There are many, many non-Jews who support Israel.

Fact: Most Americans, Jews and non-Jews (polls consistently show over 70 percent nationwide) support Israel because they see it as being in the U.S.’s national-security interests to do so — and because Israel is a democracy like ours, committed to the legal protection of civil rights, gay rights and human rights, including the rights of the more than 1 million Palestinian Israeli citizens.

Fact: Some of the strongest supporters of Israel are among evangelical and conservative Christians.

Fact: There are many Jewish Americans, including this writer, who are sometimes critical of the Israeli government’s policies and who strongly support a two-state solution, consistent with Israeli security interests.

As to why so many American Jews are highly offended by Hagel’s use of the expression “Jewish lobby,” if he doesn’t understand its historical association with virulent anti-Semitism and the scurrilous libel of “dual loyalty” used by anti-Semites against Jews, then I would ask him the following question:

Have you ever used the expression the “Catholic lobby” when describing pro-life lobbyists? If you did, would you understand why Catholics would be offended by that expression — because many Catholics are pro-choice and would be offended for you to invoke an expression describing their religion rather than their views on the abortion issue? Do you recall how offended John F. Kennedy was at the notion that he would have dual loyalty as president — to America and to the pope — a charge JFK vigorously denied and considered to be emblematic of anti-Catholic bigotry?

So if Hagel is confirmed as Defense secretary — and as of now, I believe he should be — I hope he does more than make an apology on the use of the “Jewish lobby” expression (as he already has regarding his anti-gays-in-the-military comments in past years). He needs to show that he understands, first, why he is factually wrong to describe a “Jewish lobby”; second, he needs to show greater sensitivity to the American Jewish community because he understands that expression evokes anti-Semitism through the ages.

On policy, he should explain why he opposed describing the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization even though it is a matter of record that they have financed terrorist operations against civilians in Israel; and why he favors Israel’s negotiating with Hamas, despite Hamas’s refusal to renounce terrorism and the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state.

I believe Hagel is a decent man, with an outstanding record of integrity as U.S. senator and military service as a patriot. He should address his use of the “Jewish lobby” expression directly and candidly — not only to reassure American Jews but also to clear up doubts that could hinder his effectiveness as secretary of Defense.

Read more: http://thehill.com/opinion/columnists/lanny-davis/275895-hagel-must-address-jewish-lobby-comment#ixzz2HL1uLfMp

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

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1-Lanny, you might get an "I mispoke, sorry if I offended anyone". If my dog spoke english, she'd apolgize if she took food of the table (she doesn't). All the better to do it again.

2-His comments regarding the USO in Tel Aviv and the opinions of the very few Jewish constituents he was burdened with in Nebraska are far more instructive, and you won't hear a word about those. Heck, you'll hardly read about them. But I suspect you know about them.

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

..................

1-Lanny, you might get an "I mispoke, sorry if I offended anyone". If my dog spoke english, she'd apolgize if she took food of the table (she doesn't). All the better to do it again.

2-His comments regarding the USO in Tel Aviv and the opinions of the very few Jewish constituents he was burdened with in Nebraska are far more instructive, and you won't hear a word about those. Heck, you'll hardly read about them. But I suspect you know about them.

[apoliticalone]

Did I miss the memo? This is for confirmation of USA Sec Def not Israel’s SecDef? I don’t meddle in Israeli internal affairs and I wish they would not meddle in ours either.

But what do I know? I’m just a USA taxpayer who pays his bills and donates his taxes to whatever lobbyists our “USA” pols deem as being a requirement to be a legitimate American.

[beandog]

Quit kissing Hagel’s behind. Chucky boy cares about one thing, and that’s Chucky. He’s as untrustworthy as Obama.

I don’t care how many wars he served in. John Kerry “served” too and he’s a miserable, lying POS. Serving in the military does not give you a lifetime pass.

[BobL]

I hope the Republicans ask him the TOUGH QUESTIONS.

Like: “Do you believe that Jews were also killed in Hitler’s Holocaust”

Most likely he’ll say something like “Probably, based on what people have told me - but I’ll check on it”.

[rabidralph]

Maybe Obama ought to explain to the American people why his views dovetail with Hagel’s?

[Eleutheria5]

“Sorry if I offended you” is the slimiest non-apology that there is.

[apoliticalone]

As a vet and taxpayer I have the right to kiss only the USA’s backside, unlike too many who claim to “serve us” in Congress and serve America but instead serve sugar daddies and others.

Chicken hawk neocons, lobbyists for global corporations and those that put other nations first are not serving Americans.

Sorry if that offends some, as I take pride only in America and I expect the same from politicians on our dole.

[Optimist]

a president — Republican or Democrat — almost always deserves to have the Cabinet that he wishes

(1) Unfortunately, Lanny, Democratics don't play that way, and Republicans' only get their selections after a B-L-O-O-D-Y battle (can you say Bork? - yeah I know that was for SCOTUS, but still)
(2) He probably will get approved after the dog and faux-ny show of hearings
(3) hopefully the hearings will expose that Hagel and HIS policies are EXACTLY the same as Obama's policies.
(4) A Republican will now be the scapegoat for the resulting catastrophe's of those policies
(5) Obama NEVER is blamed for failures in his administration -- usually because the media won't actually call them the failures they are. (6) the first black president will never be a failure if the media can avoid reporting it.

[Zionist Conspirator]

Chicken hawk neocons, lobbyists for global corporations and those that put other nations first are not serving Americans.

How about putting G-d first? Or perhaps one's country comes before the Creator of the Universe. Nice to know.

Maybe G-d's a "foreigner?"

Isn't it amazing how many former Obama-haters have become his cheerleaders over this choice?

[wildbill]

Didn’t the Dems oppose John Tower for Defense Sec. under Reagan and Bush lose his choice for Attorney General?

Is the bar too high only for Democratic choices?

[wildbill]

Didn’t the Dems oppose John Tower for Defense Sec. under Reagan and Bush lose his choice for Attorney General?

Is the bar too high only for Democratic choices?

[Rome2000]

Hagel is a degenerate moon god sympathizer just like the fraud in the White House.

Just like Honest Ape said, "You can't fool all of the people all of the time",

But you have to give the "Domestic Enemy Within" kudos for trying.

Nevertheless, the day of reckoning is fast approaching, and the "Low Information Voter", who was never supposed to be enfranchised in the first place as per the warnings of the Founders, will most assuredly be getting exactly what they deserve in the coming RESET OF THE REPUBLIC.

Amin Al Husseini seen inspecting his Hanzar Division made up exclusively of Muslims, mostly from the Crotia/Bosnia/Serbia region. They actively lead the genocide against Serbs, Serbian Jews and Gypsies.

Amin Al Husseini meets with Adolf Hitler in November 1942, weeks before the decision to implement the Final Solution which sent Europe's Jews to the gas chamber. The Third Reich provided Amin Al Husseini with a salary and appointed him Head of the Hanzar SS Division. The Hanzar Division was made of Nazi Muslims and implemented the genocide of 250,000 Serbs, Gypsies and Jews during WWII.

Amin Al Husseini shown here on a Nazi poster recruiting fellow Muslims to join Hitler in the fight against the West and the Jews. His disciples today include Yasser Arafat, Saddam Hussein and the leaders of Hamas, Al Qeida and Islamic Jihad.

Amin Al Husseini, future President of the World Islamic Congress (1961) and founding father of the Arab League (1944) inspects his Muslim Nazi troops, the Hanzar Division. Amin Al Husseini making the traditional nazi salute.

Yasser Arafat became a disciple of Amin Al Husseini since the age of 17. Here: recent picture of Palestinian soldiers under the leadership of Arafat making the traditional Nazi salute.

BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA, COMMUNIST CRYPTO-MUSLIM AND POTUS

The “Congressional Progressive Caucus” must be targeted and destroyed as well their allies in the press and academia.

No holds barred, take no prisoners, name names and make these red bastards pay dearly for the consequences of nearly one hundred years of insidious and unrelenting attacks on capitalism and judeo-christian morality.

The days of marxists operating in the open in your face and you'll like it or else are fast drawing to a close.

These RED SONS OF BITCHES THINK THEY CAN STEAL THE PRODUCTIVE CLASS MONEY VIA THE ELECTORAL PROCESS.

WRONG.

[apoliticalone]

Actually I’m a strong fiscal conservative independent, and have never been a blind supporter of political hacks, Parties, candidates, or politicians except for our USA as our nation. My posts and profile have been consistent in this regard.

But I don’t understand why the liberal MSM never misses an opportunity to put Israel front and center in the equation on the selection of our USA SecDef?

Who cares about Ireland or Israel? If the dude is competent, with ethics, and a patriotic American, and I think he is, that’s good enough for me. He’s sacrificed more than most who criticize him.

Israel picks their politicians and as an American I leave it up to them. I don’t meddle in their politics, and now they must stay out of ours. The current selection of SecDef could be far worse for America. That’s the way I see it.

[Tublecane]

To some, whom we nonsensically call neoconservatives, Israel is the 51st state (or if you’re Obama, the 58th). They are the West’s representative in the Middle East, and their national security is ours. Should they fall, we’d immediately be in existential danger.

I have no idea why anyone would actually believe this, unless imperialism and the National Security State/military-industrial complex is so important to them that they’ve tricked themselves into thinking one step back from a posture of imminent danger would doom us. Sorta like how the hint of spending cuts, beside defense, calls forth the specter of old people eating dog flood and ragamuffins roaming the streets to socialists’ minds.

[Rome2000]

Hagel is an anti-semite and snake in the grass who sides with the domestic enemy within and the foreign enemy in the White House.

HUSSEIN BARAKA chose him for exactly that reason.

Try buying a clue, there's a 2% discount, tied to the reduction in your paycheck.

[Tublecane]

That was one of the weirdest posts I’ve ever read. If the previous poster said they go to the bathroom first thing in the morning would you respond “How dare you not put God first in the morning!”

[Gluteus Maximus]

What a steaming pant load.

All Hagel really has to do is point out that a large majority of American Jews voted for the Kenyan, a known anti-Semite, then shrug and say "hey, if they don't care, why should I?"

[Jim Noble]

“Hagel must address Jewish Lobby comment”

Why must he address it?

70% of Jews would vote for Obama again if he nominated the head of Hamas as SECDEF.

Hagel doesn’t have to address a damn thing.