Posted on 09/19/2006 4:16:14 AM PDT by nj26
First came Sen. George Allen's Macaca Moment. Then we learned of challenger Jim Webb's thoughts on the "horny" women of the Naval Academy.
Now, just when you thought Virginia's U.S. Senate race couldn't get any weirder, the Jews of Tunis are making a cameo.
At a debate in Tysons Corner yesterday between Republican Allen and Democrat Webb, WUSA-TV's Peggy Fox asked Allen, the tobacco-chewing, cowboy-boot-wearing son of a pro football coach, if his Tunisian-born mother has Jewish blood.
"It has been reported," said Fox, that "your grandfather Felix, whom you were given your middle name for, was Jewish. Could you please tell us whether your forebears include Jews and, if so, at which point Jewish identity might have ended?"
Allen recoiled as if he had been struck. His supporters in the audience booed and hissed. "To be getting into what religion my mother is, I don't think is relevant," Allen said, furiously. "Why is that relevant -- my religion, Jim's religion or the religious beliefs of anyone out there?"
"Honesty, that's all," questioner Fox answered, looking a bit frightened.
"Oh, that's just all? That's just all," the senator mocked, pressing his attack. He directed Fox to "ask questions about issues that really matter to people here in Virginia" and refrain from "making aspersions."
"Let's move on," proposed the moderator, George Stephanopoulos of ABC News.
Yes, let's -- but not before we figure out what that was all about. Turns out the Forward, a Jewish newspaper, reported that the senator's mother, Etty, "comes from the august Sephardic Jewish Lumbroso family."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
If all you did was read the article, you don't have the facts. The article cuts both the question, AND the answer, and makes it look like the "aspersions" was directly related to the question.
In fact, the question was twice as long as written, and very offensive and combative, worse than the part you see. It included comments about his middle name, a suggestion he's lying about macaca, and that his mother his hiding her jewishness. It asks "when did you stop being a jew", but Allen answers THAT part of the question with a solid minute of why nobody's religion should be part of the debate. He ended his answer with a "why would you even ASK such a question".
The reporter then RESPONDS : Honesty. It is to THAT response that Allen launches into the answer that ends with "casting aspersions".
Certainly a reporter saying she's asking a question to try to get the candidate to be honest is "casting aspersions", NOT about the mother for being jewish, but on the candidate for being untruthful. He entire question was about casting aspersions on the mother for teaching her son racist remarks (previous question), his mother hiding her jewishness, and Allen lying about it.
Also, it was at the tail end of his question, where he was running out of steam, the moderator was interrupting him to move on, and he had to summarise.
NOBODY at the event thought he was "casting aspersions" about being jewish. When the Webb camp saw the tapes and did their polling, they realised that they had been crushed on the issues, and decided the only way they could save themselves was to turn this into an attack on a female reporter.
THEN, when they launched that attack, one of their blogger minions said that "casting aspersions" could be linked with "is your mom jewish" to suggest Allen thought calling his mother jewish was offensive.
Milbank went along with it, he loves Webb and hates Allen. Don't fall for it, watch the entire tape of the question, and see for yourself what he was talking about when he said "casting aspersions".
It's fine if you think he responded inappropriately, that a subjective thing -- but don't buy the lie that he said that suggesting he might be jewish is "casting aspersions".
I think a vast majority of sailors are fine people. But remember that in the post WW2 era, the Navy was where kids could go if they weren't into draft-dodging but didn't want to worry about actually getting killed in a war zone. Neither Korea or Vietnam put naval forces in extreme danger.
Of course, the Swift Boats were highly dangerous, but there were only a few people who served in that capacity. Kerry wouldn't have been on swift boats if he hadn't asked for the assignment -- and he did that because his friend was killed and he wanted revenge.
BTW, according to his authorised book Tour Of Duty, once he was in Vietnam for a month, having seen guys come back (and not) from swift boat patrols, he decided he didn't want to do it. He skipped a meeting, and was "volunteered" for duty. He begged his commander to take him off the duty, but his commander made him go.
That's not part of his story he brags about. I've urged people who didn't like the SBVets to read Tour Of Duty instead, it usually had the same effect once I told them what to pay attention to.
Wasn't Allen also Governor at one time???
What's up with Webb and the "horny" comment? I haven't heard anything about that at all.
####
Is that because you generally rely on DBM for reliable reporting? Dana Milbank is hardly going to waste words on items that will damage the Dem contender.
Oliver North did not succeed in his run for Senator either.
Bullshit......Wonder Warthog
What a profound reply.
Would you care to elaborate why asking if one of your grandparents was Jewish or black should be considered "making aspersions" in your book?
aspersion
1: a disparaging remark [syn: slur]
2: the act of defaming [syn: calumny, slander, defamation]
I still do not understand why, if my mother were black or Jewish, anybody would be justified in using the color of her skin or her Jewish faith as the basis for determining how much she should be esteemed.
If that is the case, then it would be yet another example of the media manipulating the news.
The district presstitutes are desperate to derail Allen, and have been savaging him for any actual or invented reason they can find. It's quite amazing. I'm just waiting for the al-Reuters photos of George wearing a yellow Star Of David on his lapel, and an op-ed page devoted to whether he's 1/8th or 1/16th Joo and a point-counterpoint whether is he entitled to remove it.
I was not aware of this, but I can't say that I'm surprised.
A yes/no question was not asked. The reporter asked "When did you stop being a Jew?" What was Allen to say? "My family is not Jewish" - He is painted by people like you as a bigot *or* "My family is Jewish" - He was ashamed of his Jewish heritage and kept it secret - again he is painted as a bigot.
He is definitely getting the early opportunity to sharpen his elbows.
I think he is up for it:
"Let's enjoy knocking their soft teeth down their whiny throats" - Sen. George Allen on Democrats
Yes, the toe-sucker Morris did confirm the same comment made by Lewinsky's warmup act.
WTF difference does it make?
Sleezy friggin msm=dems.
I hope so. He's the best choice of the leading 4 contenders.
The reporter provocateuse had a nasty tone of voice when she read this question, and when she asked when he had abandoned his Jewish heritage, her voice positively dripped venom.
I think it was within bounds for Allen to respond with passion to such a loaded question asked in such an overtly nasty way.
The countervailing problem is the sort of noncommittal, emotionless response to a loaded question -- like when somebody asked Dukakis what he would do if his wife was raped and murdered, and he answered with a long, dull, absolutely emotionless discourse on crime and punishment.
What you said. You had to see and hear it (or at least hear it) to get the full flavor of what went on.
Airborne, fecal matter, fan.
Coincidence?
Dear AnAmericanMother,
The video is in different places on the web, including one copy at YouTube.
With the video, it becomes even clearer that Sen. Allen was responding to a clearly anti-semitic provocation on the part of the Jew-hating Klannette reporterette.
sitetest
Thanks for the tip. I go a lot on facial expressions, it'll be good to see that just to confirm my opinion.
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