Posted on 07/25/2007 6:16:10 PM PDT by goldstategop
He hasn't yet entered the Presidential race, and yet Fred Thompson, yesterday, showed us why he's the scariest Republican Presidential candidate. And maybe the scariest of both parties.
Don't believe Thompson's claim that he understands the Islamist jihadist threat to America. His announcement, yesterday, of his choice of Spencer Abraham as campaign manager, told us everything we need to know. Although Abraham, of Lebanese descent, is a Maronite Christian, he is a career water carrier for Islamists of the most extremist stripe and made that the cornerstone of his failed, one-term Senate career and equally lousy tenure as Energy Secretary.
Spencer Abraham: Former Bush Energy Secretary, Current Pan-Islamist & Fred Thompson Campaign Manager
As a conservative--but more important, as an American concerned about the future of this country in the face of a terrorist threat--Thompson's choice of Spencer Abraham was the nail in the coffin for me in opposing Fred Thompson's quest for the White House.
I know Spencer Abraham. He wrote one of my recommendations for law school. And the Spencer Abraham that I and all of America have since experienced is bad news for everyone except CAIR, ADC, MPAC, ISNA, and all Islamists who want to endanger America.
In 2003, I wrote the definitive column on Spencer Abraham a/k/a Spence a/k/a Edward Spencer Abraham (which was quoted in The Washington Post), and I re-publish it below, with several additions I've made, updating it. At the time Spence was still Energy Secretary, but he left to become a lobbyist for Islamist countries.
As a Senator, he took marching orders from James Zogby of the pan-Islamist Arab American Institute, opposing profiling of Arabs, the use of secret evidence against Muslims (at the behest of Muslim groups), attempting to repeal the Clinton counterterrorism package, refusing to fund computer tracking of student and other foreign aliens, giving millions in our tax money right to Hezbollah, and putting CAIR on the map on Capitol Hill (taking the group's officials around to meet other Senators and Members of Congress). He took campaign contributions from the relatives of Hezbollah-backed top Lebanese officials after he got the group millions in our tax money.
Spence was one of only two Senators in the entire U.S. Senate who refused to sign a letter calling on President Clinton to condemn Palestinian terrorism and Yasser Arafat. This was at the height of a series of homicide bombings in 1999 and 2000.
As Energy Secretary, he gave top secret tours of nuclear facilities, as well as detailed information on how we secure them to Muslim nations who are our enemies. And he gave out undue post-9/11 awards to Al-Qaeda money-launderers . . . at the White House. The money launderers were raided by U.S. Customs Service agents.
After he left the Bush cabinet, Spence became a lobbyist for Mid-Eastern Muslim countries that practice the Arab boycott of Israel and don't really like us too much either. He took their money and until the Thompson race, did their bidding.
Do you really support a guy, Fred Thompson, who picked this man to head up his team? Either Thompson is clueless about Abraham, which should immediately disqualify him for the White House and frighten all of us about how he makes decisions. Or he knows about Abraham, and went with him anyway. Just as bad.
If you want to say no to jihad, you WILL say NO to Fred Thompson. He chose, and now we must choose against him:
JIHAD SPENCE: Bush's Dangerous Energy Secretary is Now Fred Thompson's Campaign Manager
By Debbie Schlussel
Since the Blackout of 2003, he's gotten lots of TV face time. But should U.S. energy policy be entrusted to Spencer Abraham?
In 2000, President Bush said his Cabinet would "look like America," nominating Abraham, the defeated Lebanese-American Senator from Michigan, to Energy Secretary--part of the Bush strategy targeting the Arab vote.
But was this political strategy in the best interest of the country? Abraham's record suggests otherwise.
In the two years since 9/11, Abraham did absolutely nothing to improve our precarious electric power situation.
That would be bad enough.
But, since 9/11, Abraham continued a controversial UN-sponsored program allowing foreign visitors from countries on the State Department terrorist list to tour U.S. nuclear reactors. A course sponsored by the UN International Atomic Energy Agency, taught by U.S. nuclear weapons lab security personnel, gives tours of Nuclear Regulatory Commission facilities and teaches participants from 57 countries--including Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia--security techniques employed at American nuclear sites. "They were teaching them to black out systems, which they could use against us at labs," an official told a popular newssite.
The Clinton Administration taught the course to foreign representatives, too. But that was pre-9/11. In the post-9/11 era, Abraham irresponsibly continued it, despite protests.
Then there's Jamal Barzinji. Abraham enlisted him to find parties who helped and reached out to Muslims after 9/11, with Abraham hosting an awards ceremony for them. Problem is, Barzinji is an officer and/or director in SAFA Trust, Mar-Jac Poultry, and International Institute for Islamic Thought, all raided by Customs in March 2002 for laundering over $1.7 billion to Al-Quaida and Islamic Jihad (through indicted University of South Florida professor and alleged Islamic Jihad frontman Sami Al-Arian).
More troubling is Abraham's Senate record, ignored by his former Senate colleagues in an easy confirmation hearing.
Should a Senator who deliberately endangered national security for Arab/Muslim votes and campaign money be entrusted to oversee U.S. energy policy and access?
Abraham's frightening national security record included:
Liberal immigration policy, including lax foreign visitor tracking, at the behest of Arab/Muslim groups; Tried to End Profiling, Secret Evidence Use Against Terrorists
Abraham was Senate Immigration Subcommittee Chairman through the end of 2000. Abraham routinely caved to the demands of Arab/Muslim leaders, such as the Arab American Institute's James Zogby, on national security matters, especially immigration.
"Ever since (I first met) him, Abraham has been coming to us and giving advice, support and the benefits of his leadership," Zogby told The Detroit News.
And taking Zogby's advice, too.
Abraham actively worked to delay computer systems to track foreign visitors, which Arab/Muslim groups, including Zogby's, strongly opposed. 1996 immigration law required computerized entry and exit tracking of all temporary visas, but was gutted by Abraham and other legislators. They refused to allocate money for the program and delayed its full implementation until 2005. In 2000, Abraham, as Chairman of the Immigration Subcommittee, delayed implementation of other requirements of the 1996 immigration measure, including university-assisted enforcement student visa laws and collection of fees from foreign students to pay for computer tracking.
These programs might have prevented the Sept. 11 attacks. But Abraham desperately craved the Arab/Muslim vote in Michigan.
Abraham also sponsored and pushed for the repeal of the use of secret evidence against terrorists, a vital portion of the Clinton counterterrorism package. He also sought to outlaw profiling of Arabs and Muslims by federal law enforcement.
Foreign aid funding for Hezbollah, rewarded by pseudo-foreign campaign contributions
In July 2000, Abraham sought over $268 million in tax-funded USAID grants for Hezbollah terrorist-controlled Southern Lebanon, at Arab American Institute's Zogby's request. Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah, has targeted and murdered many Americans. Millions in similar USAID grants (which have scant strings and accountability attached) to Afghanistan were misspent on Taliban terrorist activities. Abraham enlisted Michigan Republican Congressman Joe Knollenberg, on the House International Relations Committee, to push the questionable aid package in the House. They ended up obtaining $86 million, which went straight to Hezbollah and which was never tracked thereafter. They knew this, and that's why they and Zogby sought the money for their Hezbollah friends.
Abraham and Knollenberg were repaid for their efforts, receiving thousands in campaign contributions from Nijad Fares, the Houston-based greencard-holding son of Syrian-backed Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Issam Fares.
Soft on terrorism
Abraham was one of only two U.S. Senators who refused to sign an October 2000 letter to President Clinton condemning terrorist acts by Yasser Arafat and the P.L.O.
Abraham led the nearly successful June 2001 attempt to reverse the use of classified evidence against terrorists, sponsoring the legislation at the behest of Islamist groups, including the American Muslim Association (AMA) and the American Muslim Political Coordination Council (AMPCC), both headed by Agha Saeed.
In July 1999, Abraham wrote to Saeed, AMA, and AMPCC asking their support: "Your efforts are truly needed in the political arena. . . . You can truly make a difference in the political and policy arenas, and I remain committed to helping you achieve that goal."
But Saeed openly praised Palestinian terrorism as "armed resistance" and appeared at lectures and events sponsored by Hamas front groups, including one panel, in which he was joined by the indicted Al-Arian, entitled: "Zionism: A Racist and Colonialist Ideology." AMA-sponsored events featured these exhortations: "The trees and the stones will say, oh Muslim, there is a Jew hiding behind me. Come and kill him!" "Victory comes from Allah and Hezbollah is our model." "Hear that, Bill Clinton? We are all supporters of Hamas."
Given Spencer Abraham's record of kowtowing to Arab, Muslim, and foreign interests on virtually every national security issue, his hegemony at Energy is disturbing. He should control no form of power--political or electric.
“Spence Abrahamson is a good guy. Oh, I see, anyone - at all - of Arab decent is automatically suspect. Get real!
That’s it. Play the race card. Although I’ve never understood how race plays into anything here as Arabs are not a suppressed minority to my knowledge. Plus, it is what he has supported policy-wise that counts, and he has supported Arab causes and groups detrimental to U.S. policy, has tried to thwart stopping the illegal immigrants flooding into our country, and gave away knowledge to enemy Arab countries regarding nuclear energy policy and protections while Energy Secretary. You argue like a Dem.
Damn the naysayers and false conservatives! Damn the torpedoes! Run, Fred, Run!!
“If you are of arab decent, you are an anti-semite, according to her.”
Careful here. Debbie Schussel is a Jew, and one might think by your constant personal attacks on her character that perhaps it is you who might be the anti-semite. I’d prefer not to believe that, but you are willing to believe the worst of her, so you leave yourself open to attack for one to think the worst of you too with regard to Debbie.
Untwist those panties! I do not feel the need to refute the claims of a hysterical columnist because she sees a jihadi in Fred’s campaign.
P.S. You also need to not be so mixed up about just which president would sell Israel out to preserve a legacy.
“Always liked Debbie Schlussel, but her public support for the campaign of the liberal Rudy Giuliani looses her all credibility with this conservative.”
Debbie supports Rudy because of his hard-line stance on terrorism and his stable and consistent support of Israel. He wouldn’t sell Israe out, like Bush/Rice are doing. If I were Jewish and her, I too would look fondly upon Rudy in this particular area of policy, which is what Debbie mostly blogs about. That is her area of expertise, primarily. Rudy went through 9/11 and he knows what and who the enemy really is. Too bad he sucks on social issues.
“Always liked Debbie Schlussel, but her public support for the campaign of the liberal Rudy Giuliani looses her all credibility with this conservative.”
Debbie supports Rudy because of his hard-line stance on terrorism and his stable and consistent support of Israel. He wouldn’t sell Israel out, like Bush/Rice are doing. If I were Jewish and her, I too would look fondly upon Rudy in this particular area of policy, which is what Debbie mostly blogs about. That is her area of expertise, primarily. Rudy went through 9/11 and he knows what and who the enemy really is. Too bad he sucks on social issues.
“Former US Senator Spencer Abraham’s role is being compared to the way Don Evans served George W. Bush as a confidant/counselor in 1999 and 2000.”
From the article “Jeri Factor” linked above. Scary. Don Evans was a RINO. And if this is true, then Abraham, and his pro-Arab advocacy, will be influencing Fred Thompson from his perch as “confidant/counselor” whenever Mid East matters arise. Great.
“P.S. You also need to not be so mixed up about just which president would sell Israel out to preserve a legacy.”
I’m afraid Bush/Rice would, w/Tony Blair (Labor Party) as emissary, in order to establish his legacy. He’s looking for his Jimmy Carter Camp David Accord moment in history. Not good. And w/Olmert in charge of Israel, he stands a chance to make as bad a “deal” for Israel as he was trying to make with the “illegal immigration bill” to establish his legacy. Having failed at that one, he is now trying to make his mark w/a Middle East deal. The Shamnesty bill wasn’t good for the U.S.; any Middle East deal that he will shove down Israel’s throat won’t be either.
Wrong Thompson. Consider the one who has ALWAYS been vocally pro-life, is 100% against ANY amnesty, pledged to NEVER raise taxes as POTUS, pledged to sign the FairTax into the law the moment it gets to his desk, and has publically called for Agents Ramos and Compean to receive a full pardon ... and interesting enough, NONE of those positions have been taken by Fred.
Oh, and THIS Thompson has been elected statewide FOUR times in a SWING state, running as a reliable proven conservative.
His name is TOMMY Thompson -- www.tommy2008.com
I wouldn't vote for Hillary; she just looks too . . . . too. . . socialist.
yitbos
who asked you??
I like Tancredo too.
It's known as "killing the messenger."
Schlussel goes over the top with her rhetoric at times, but there's nothing here that hasn't been reported before about Abraham. Much was written, after the horror of 9/11, about our failure to track visa holders, and Abraham's name was always mentioned as one of those leading the charge to thwart that effort.
That's an easy one: "President Al Gore."
If these things are true about Spencer Abraham, and that appears to be the case, how does it make one a fake conservative that they are alarmed that Fred Thompson seeks counsel with someone who supports “all Islamists who want to endanger America a pro-Islamist”?
B/S.
Schlussel did not say Abraham was a muslim. She pointed out that he is a Maronite Christian.
Tom Tancredo/Duncan Hunter
Thats why last week I decided to be for Hunter(see my tagline). I want no person that has too many Bush people working for them.
We need to clean out the Bush and Clinton people and get the US back.
Hunter's policy on immigration and national security give us the "return to sanity" of conservative leadership. I want no more big surprises and crossing my fingers that who we back will betray the US citizens.
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