Pat’s public statements regarding Israel suggest more than garden variety Jew-hatred. Buchanan and Ahmedinajad agree on one thing: the world would be “better” if Israel were wiped off the map. He is a hardcore anti-semite.
I think it’s fair to say that Buchanan doesn’t care much about Israel, and that he tries to be a counterweight to what he (correctly) sees as massive pro-Israel bias in the American political system. I happen to agree with that bias because I’m pro-Israel. But in the case of most Democrats, it simply results from the enormous clout of Jewish voters, activists, and donors in the Democratic party, and the tenacity and toughness of the Israel lobby. In other words, Rat politicans tend to be right on Israel, but generally for the wrong reasons. Buchanan (wrongly, in my view, but sincerely, in my view) thinks that the U.S. supports Israel excessively, against its own national interest. I think that, more than old-fashioned ethnic Catholic anti-Semitism (Pat’s brand), explains his hostility toward Israel. Also, I don’t think it’s fair to equate mild anti-Semitism with “Jew Hatred,” or hostility toward Israel with anti-Semitism, or opposition to the Israel lobby to hostility toward Israel. If we’re to be fair, we need to draw these distinctions. Life isn’t always simple.