Posted on 08/17/2003 10:09:46 PM PDT by forty_years
Has hell frozen over? The LA Times--what my eloquent colleague calls a "flower-power liberal newspaper"--has come out in support of President Bush's nomination of Daniel Pipes to the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP). Will wonders never cease?
The LA Times yesterday stated (click here for alternate source):
But in trying to prevent Middle East scholar Daniel Pipes from joining the board of the U.S. Institute of Peace, Sens. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) are abusing their privilege.
Pipes has a long record of stirring up controversy on Islamic affairs. Long before Sept. 11, 2001, he warned of the danger of Arab terrorists lurking within the United States. He has been a fervent defender of Israel, including its settlement policy. His stands have earned him the enmity of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which is leading the charge against his nomination.
But however provocative Pipes may be, he is no bigot. In his 2002 book "Militant Islam Reaches America," he states that Muslim immigrants can "bring much of value, including new energy, to their host societies." He has consistently urged Arab Americans to shun radicalism and embrace moderate Islam. Pipes, who earned his doctorate at Harvard and has written 11 books, would bring a lively and inquiring mind to the institute, which is a research organization created by Congress to promote peaceful resolutions of international conflicts...
Sens. Kennedy, Dodd and Harkin should drop their resistance to Pipes.
As I have already written extensively about the Pipes nomination, I will not belabor the point. This is a ground-shaking event. The fact that a left-wing organ like the LA Times is supporting Pipes defuses the rabid ranting of groups like CAIR - The Council on American Islamic Relations and the AMC - American Muslim Council. Pipes has now been legitimized by both the right and the left. He has been supported by the Chicago Sun-Times, Jerusalem Post, New Republic, New York Post, and Pakistan Today.
Please support the Pipes nomination NOW!
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