The Frozen SmileBarak Obama has said, more than once, and in unmistakable language, that he supports Israel's right to exist and Israel's right to defend itself. But the funny thing is that (at least some of) those who hate Israel and who don't think that it has any right to defend itself nevertheless love and endorse Obama. Do they know something about Obama that perhaps Obama himself either doesn't know or doesn't want to say ?
First and perhaps foremost, there is Jimmy "Frozen-Smile" Carter, who thinks that Israel practices "apartheid" and is solely responsible for the Israel-Palestinian conflict. It has been announced that Carter will be one of the main speakers at the Denver convention to endorse Obama, although, as of this writing, it appears that he has been told not to mention the word "Israel." The Soviets, before passing out of history, experienced a thaw. Can we hope as much from Carter and/or his smile ? Hope again.
[Update, Aug. 28: In the end, the Forward reports, the Dems decided to honor Carter by showing a video of him but not allow him to speak at the convention.]
The Nation magazine, something of a voice of twenty-first century American Communism, gives a little more hesitant endorsement of Obama, all the while blaming Israel for everything that is wrong in the world, or at least in the Middle East.
And then there is the poor little Communist Party of the USA. It has seen better days -- say those of Earl Browder and William Z. Foster. But it still soldiers on as a ghost of a ghost, somewhere halfway between being moribund and dead. It endorses Obama (with some hesitation), but never misses a beat in beating down on Israel.
But wait, there is hope for those who want to dismiss everything I say in this posting. There is at least one enemy of Israel (not counting Pat Buchanan) who will not support Obama. That is the estimable Cynthia McKinnon, who is running for President all on her own.
Werner,
ReplyDeleteI hate most of the articles that The Nation runs on Israel, but did Israel come up even once in this editorial that you linked to? And The Nation is still capable of publishing very thoughtful and non-condemnatory pieces from our dovish Israeli chaver, Hillel Schenker, like the one he wrote recently on "The Tragedy of Ehud Olmert."
As for Carter, of course I dislike his views, but he explicitly doesn't consider Israel an "apartheid state." He makes the point that Israel is a liberal state within the Green Line; in fact, he probably sees it as more liberal than I do. He correctly perceives the danger that Israel could become an apartheid state if a two-state solution is not found soon. Which is, in explicit terms, the same conclusion that Ehud Olmert has arrived at.
My point is not to defend The Nation or Jimmy Carter on Israel, but to question your reasoning. The fact that some individuals or publications, which often iritate us on Israel, endorse Obama, should not make Obama suspect. Especially if some of these are not unalterably hostile to Israel in the first place.
Do you, pray tell, blame the Communist party's endorsement on Obama? Do you mean to imply that Obama somehow sympathizes with Stalinism? You seem to be heading off the rails when it comes to Obama.