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Barack Obama: "America’s First Jewish President"

James Petras | 26.12.2008 08:54 | Analysis | Anti-militarism | Other Press | World

According to a nationally prominent Zionist spokesperson, former Congressman, Federal Judge, White House Counsel to President Bill Clinton and early backer of Obama, Abner Mikvner, “Barack Obama is the first Jewish President”.

Obama's speech at American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), 4 June 2008
Obama's speech at American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), 4 June 2008


“Obama asks Shimon Peres: 'What can I do for Israel?'"
[Haaretz November 17, 2008]


“The UN Special Rappateur on Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories (Richard Falk) has said Israel’s policies there amount to a crime against humanity…He said the UN must act to protect the Palestinian population suffering what he called ‘collective punishment’…He said the International Criminal Court should also investigate whether the Israeli civilian leaders and military commanders for the Gaza siege should be indicted and prosecuted for violations of international criminal law”
[BBC News December 10, 2008]

“We need to ratchet up tough but direct diplomacy with Iran, making very clear to them than their development of nuclear weapons would be unacceptable, that their funding of terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hizbullah, their threats against Israel are contrary to everything we believe in…We may have to tighten up those sanctions…and give them a clear choice…whether they want to do this the hard way or the easy way.”
[President-Elect Obama on NBC Meet the Press, December 7, 2008]


Introduction

According to a nationally prominent Zionist spokesperson, former Congressman, Federal Judge, White House Counsel to President Bill Clinton and early backer of Obama, Abner Mikvner, “Barack Obama is the first Jewish President”. Mikvner’s affirmation reflects both Obama’s one-sided and longstanding commitment to the State of Israel and loyalty to the Zionist Power Configuration (ZPC) in the United States, as well as the long-term and successful effort of a network of financially and politically powerful Jewish Zionists to ‘embed’ Obama to their ‘Israel First’ political apparatus. What is striking about the latter is the demeaning and arrogant claims made by some leading Jewish Zionist about their ‘central roles’ in the making of Obama’s professional and political careers – in effect denying the President-Elect any credit for his own academic or professional success. (Historically this has been mirrored in the continuous claims of some American Jews to have fought and won the battle of Civil Rights in the 60’s on behalf of African Americans – essentially denying black Americans any independent political role in their own struggle.) Even their personal flattery about his ‘wisdom’, ‘brilliance’ and ‘intellectual acuity’ is always linked with his unconditional support of the State of Israel. One can envision how quickly his Zionist colleagues would replace their plaudits with crude insults regarding his intelligence if he suggested Israel end its starvation blockade of Gaza… Needless to say the Zionists know their man, as they confidently proclaim, he is a cautious and prudent politician, who measures power before he speaks, especially as he has filled the White House, economic councils and security apparatus with Zionist zealots.


The Making and Re-Making of Obama

The Chicago Jewish News, a nationally prominent Israel-First propaganda organ, published a lengthy article on ‘Obama and the Jews’ by Pauline Dubkin (October 24, 2008), which quotes approvingly a ‘long-time Jewish observer of the political scene’, who declared that, “Jews made him (Obama). Wherever you look there is a Jewish presence.”

This is not merely the usual arrogant self-aggrandizing boasts of a Zionist power broker, with which we are constantly bombarded on so many political topics, this reflects an important part of what Obama has become, especially in advancing his latter day political ambitions. The Zionist self-promoters (ZSP), ever ready to take credit for any success (no matter how notorious and immoral) – Wall Street speculators, Ivy League professors, Pentagon militarists, cultural gurus and even the key patrons of art forms like jazz and constantly rewrite history (or biography in the case of Obama) to maximize their self-importance in all aspects of American life. The ZSP conveniently fail to mention in their articles that Obama’s white Gentile grandmother gave him the intellectual nurturing and encouragement and diligently petitioned for scholarships for him to attend elite private schools, which formed the basis for his intellectual skills to write, speak and reason as an educated man.

The ZSP exclude from their ‘revisionist and Judaized’ biography of Obama, the central importance of Reverend Jeremiah Wright who transformed Obama from an elite Ivy university graduate into an effective social activist. Obama was able to participate and get involved in community organizing in Chicago’s African-American neighborhoods because of Wright’s endorsement and broad credibility. If it were not for Rev. Wright, Obama would never have had a social base or organizational experience to engage in Chicago politics. It is only after Obama had gained these skills and popular appeal that the Zionist politicos noticed him and went to work on his ego and ambitions, recruiting him to their pro-Israel agenda and financing his political career.

The Zionist re-write of his biography has gone curiously unchallenged by Obama. To suit his new mentors, the Israel-First ideologues and financial backers, he has willfully discarded and insulted his former mentors, as well as any current policy advisers and political colleagues who doesn’t adhere to the Zionist line of unconditional support for Israel. Two cases come immediately to mind. When leading Zionist ideologues objected to the presence of Zbigniew Brzezinski and Robert Malley, among Obama’s foreign policy advisors, the Zionists in Obama’s inner circle immediately marginalized them with his approval. When the notorious torture-promoting Zionofascist Harvard Law Professor, Alan Dershowitz raised a howl about former US President Jimmy Carter (a principled critic of Israel’s apartheid policies) speaking at the Democratic Party Convention (following a century-long political tradition of honoring former presidents) the Zionist operatives blatantly humiliated the elderly Carter by denying him even a five-minute speech – with Obama’s approval. ‘Professor’ Dershowitz publicly crowed about his success and power over the Democratic nominee Obama in censoring the former President.

The conversion and promotion of Obama as an Israel-Firster is an excellent case study of the methods the ZPC has used to build a near invincible power base in the US political system. The construction of the ZPC is not the result of a cabal with a preplanned centrally controlled operation. Obama’s conversion began through an ideologically diverse, individual, family and community-based effort. As Obama rose from local to national political office, Zionist promotion evolved from local into a nationally organized and concerted effort including campaign funding, business career appointments and paid propaganda and indoctrination junkets to Israel.

The ZPC offers positive inducements for the ‘recruitable’ and threats of retaliation and intimidation via media slanders and systematic public pillory through most Jewish communal organizations for the public political critics of Israel who remain recalcitrant and refuse to toe the Israel-First line.

Turning Obama into an Israel-Firster, according to the Chicago Jewish News article, began during his studies at Harvard Law School where he was ‘spotted’ by a Zionist professor, Martha Minow, as “smart, promising, and politically ambitious” and a likely recruit. The professor proudly recounts how she contacted family members, including her father, a major Democratic powerbroker, and fellow Zionists who ran a law firm in Chicago and recommended they hire the Obama. In brief, the first step in Zionist recruitment was using a prestigious academic post for initial contact, followed by a promise of career advancement through a professional network.

The next step was to introduce Obama to an association of ‘friends and neighbors in the Jewish Community including prominent Zionist financial supporters. Obama’s early promoters played a key role in convincing him that his political future depended on Zionist allies and that support depended on his total commitment to an Israel-First agenda. As Obama’s ties with his Zionist-liberal backers in the Democratic Party thickened, his links to black community organizing and his pastor and former mentor, the progressive African-American minister, Reverend Jeremiah Wright weakened. By the end of the 1990’s, Obama was firmly embedded in the liberal Zionist Democratic Party network and through it he teamed up with two key Zionist figures who were crucial to his presidential campaign: David Axelrod, Obama’s chief political strategist since 2002 and the chief architect and tactician of his presidential campaign in 2008 and Bettylu Salzman, daughter of Phillip Klutznick, a billionaire real estate developer, slumlord and zealous Israel-Firster. Salzman/Klutznick admits she never would have bankrolled and promoted Obama simply because of ‘his smarts’ or liberal politics if he hadn’t pledged his commitment to Israel’s interests. She states, “Obviously I’m not going to support someone who is opposed to Israel and what it stands for.

He’s right on all the issues when it comes to Israel. He is in exactly the same place (Hillary) Clinton is, maybe stronger. He’s a clearer thinker.” (Chicago Jewish News, October 24, 2008) While Obama served in the Illinois Senate, he shared an office with an Orthodox Jew and fanatical Israel-Firster, Ira Silverstein, who boasts of his role in ‘educating’ Obama about Jewish Orthodoxy and more important “shared pro-Israel feelings” to the point that … “When Silverstein sponsored numerous resolutions condemning PLO bombings Obama eagerly signed on as a co-sponsor.” (ibid)

Fully embedded in the Zionist Power Configuration of Chicago, Obama was advised by the Axelrods, Klutznicks and other key strategists to make the obligatory ritual pilgrimage to Israel and pay obeisance to its leaders in the course of his Senate campaign. During his trip to Israel, two years later in 2006, Obama was accompanied and guided by the executive vice-president of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. Under Zionist guidance, Obama ‘connected’ with the Israeli state, totally ignoring the plight of the Palestinians who were being savagely repressed by the Israel Army and assaulted on a daily basis by Zion-Fascist settlers. Obama returned a thoroughly committed Zionist African-American politician.

With the Israeli-ZPC certificate of approval, Obama’s financial base of support widened to include some of the wealthiest pro-Israel Jewish Americans in the Midwest including Lester Crown, whose son, James Crown headed Obama’s financial campaign in Illanois. According to Crown (pater), “From the time I met him, the times we talked about Israel and we talked about it several times, he has been an ardent backer of Israel’s defense position (sic), Israel’s security position.” (Ibid)

To those Zionfascists who demand that Israel annex all of Palestine and expel ‘the Arabs’ and were disturbed by Obama’s passing reference to a two-state solution, Crown assured them that Obama’s proposal was couched in such outrageously impossible demands for concessions from the Palestinians that it was a dead letter.

Not all Jews accept this view of a Zionist-embedded Obama: Some racists reject him as an untrustworthy and unqualified ‘Schvartze’ because of his ‘very close intimate relationship’ with Reverent Jeremiah Wright. The Zionist-influenced mass media took their cue from the far-right and orchestrated a hate campaign against Reverend Wright and his links to Obama. The ‘liberal Zionists’, who strategized and ran Obama’s presidential campaign, easily convinced Obama to publicly dissociate himself from his former minister and mentor of the 1980’s. Obama complied. However, the alliance of the Republican Right and Zionfascists demanded Obama make a public denunciation of the Minister. The liberal Zionists prepared the script, which Obama recited, issuing a vicious condemnation of Rev. Wright and specifically listed Wright’s defense of the sovereignty and self-determination of the Palestinians as one of his ‘crimes’.

Obama had crossed the River Jordan. His capitulation to the Zionofascists was the inevitable consequence of his intimate and longstanding ties to his liberal-Zionist backers. The public purging and scourging of a renowned African-American Christian theologian of the oppressed was only the beginning of the Zionist makeover of Obama as the first Jewish (or better Zionist) President of the United States. It was followed by further purges of any ‘centrist’ or ‘realist’ establishment adviser, who might at any time in the past have issued the mildest criticism of Israel’s policies or even praised or associated with any other critic of Israel or the Jewish Lobby in the US. It was ‘guilt by association’.

The Zionofascists soon pressed their campaign to force Obama’s liberal-Zionists to purge Zbigniew Brzezinski, the Cold Warrior National Security Adviser to former President Jimmy Carter, Samantha Power, author and lecturer at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and Robert Malley, a former Clinton adviser for their perceived crimes against Zionism. Brzezinski was accused of advocating what he called “an even-handed Middle East policy”, something clearly ‘anti-Semitic’ in the eyes of the unconditional supporters of Israel who dominate the Presidents of the Major American Jewish Organizations (PMAJO). Worse still he praised the Walt-Mearsheimer book critical of the Israel Lobby, a capital offense in the eyes of most of the Jewish political spectrum. Power and Malley also transgressed the Israel-First line. Although Brzezinski later recanted his praise of Professors Walt and Mearsheimers’ study, he and the other members of the ‘objectionable three’ foreign policy specialists were marginalized and excluded from having any input on policy issues related to Middle East.

Control of Obama’s Middle East policy was taken over by Dennis Ross, a virulent Zionist advocate of Israel’s ultra-militaristic policies, including an armed preemptive attack on Iranian nuclear and military installations. Ross is an unconditional supporter of the Israeli starvation siege of the 1.5 million residents of the Gaza Strip and fully backed Israel’s savage air attacks against civilian targets in Lebanon. Obama’s appointment of Ross is the clearest guarantee to all Zionists, liberal, orthodox or fascist, that US policy in the Middle East will continue to be subordinated to the interests of the Israeli State and its military.

Obama’s purge of any and all moderate voices on Middle East policy, his placement of fanatical Israel-Firsters in most key positions in his campaign and new Administration reflects his long-term, deep immersion into the Zionist Power Configuration. The result is a “Jewish President” – in the sense that most key White House, economic and security appointments reflect pre-election Zionist power in the making, indoctrination and scripting of the Obama candidacy.


The Configuration of the ‘Jewish President’

One of Obama’s longest supporters, Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf, provides a clue to Obama’s affinity for Zionist appointments. According to Rabbi Wolf, “Obama is embedded in the Jewish world.” While the Rabbi is presumptuous to assume that all Jews subscribe to his own Israel-First views, he is absolutely correct if he is referring to the Jewish-Zionist world.

Nothing better explains Obama’s selection of demonstrably failed economists and security officials than his long-term, large-scale links to the ZPC.

Obama started with the appointments of dual US-Israeli citizen, Illinois Congressman Rahm Emmanuel and Zionist David Axelrod to top White House posts, as well as Lawrence Summers (long-time Harvard ally of the Judeo-fascist, torture advocate Alan Dershowitz) as chief White House economic adviser. Summers is a life-time Israel-Firster, who used his presidency at Harvard University as a bully pulpit to attack a student-faculty group critical of Israeli policies in the Occupied Terrtories. As the former Treasury Secretary under the Clinton regime he was a key architect of the speculator-dominated financial system, which is currently in total collapse. In line with the ‘Jewish Presidency’, Obama named one of the foremost, unconditional Israel-Firsters to be his key Middle East policymaker – Dennis Ross, a leading Zionist ideologue and co-author of a presidential position paper advocating pre-emptive war with Iran. Ross is the pivotal Zionist figure in Obama’s entourage and his appointment is the guarantee for the 52 Presidents of the Major American Jewish Organizations (PMAJO) that the Obama regime will follow and support with American guns and American tax-payer money every Israeli war crime, assault or invasion on its Arab and Parsi-speaking regional neighbors. Ross, Axelrod, Summers, Emmanuel and their craven followers in Congress together with the AIPAC and the entire Zionist community-based network will ensure that Obama is inextricably ‘embedded’ in their agenda. They will not allow the publication or support of any intelligence investigation, judicial inquiry or United Nations report, which challenges Israel’s occupation of Palestine and promotion of pre-emptive war with Iran based on the fabrication of data about its so-called nuclear threat. Each and every recently appointed Zionists has condemned the United Nations and International Atomic Agency reports refuting Israel’s phony claims of an Iranian nuclear weapons program. They will make sure that newly appointed National Security Adviser, General James Jones will never bring up or make public his highly critical internal report based his on-site investigation of Israel’s crimes against the civilian Palestinian population in the Occupied Territories.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, President Obama and Defense Secretary Gates are so deeply ‘embedded’ in the Zionist network and so deeply infused with the Israel-First ideology that ZPC ‘pressure’ will not be necessary. The three are, in effect, Zionized Zombies, eager to fawn and truckle, even to grotesque excesses, at every wink and gesture, signaling military handouts, UN vetoes and repeated provocative acts of war against Iran. They have even exceeded President Bush in their eagerness to please their Zionist mentors by recognizing Jerusalem as the ‘undivided’ capital of the Jews – effectively denying the rights of the Palestinian residents.

Nothing speaks to the dominance of the ZPC over US political life – domestic and foreign - than the election of their meticulously groomed first ‘Jewish President’ – and the subsequent takeover of strategic economic and security posts in his administration.


Conclusion

The ascent of a minority of ambitious power-driven political operatives acting first and foremost for a militarist colonial power in a strategic region of the world economy represents the biggest threat to world peace and to US democratic values in recent history.

Think about it: Not only do the Zionists and their embedded clones rule the White House, they also have the political apparatus (left, liberal, center and right) to silence, insult, witch hunt and isolate any critic of their agenda, their organizations and of the State of Israel. When confronted by a critic the entire apparatus brays in unison about ‘anti-Semitism’ and follows up with severe civil sanctions. As Obama’s career under his Zionist handlers illustrates, they are capable of hurling repulsive denunciations against his former African-American mentor and spiritual councilor, Reverend Wright; capable of publicly humiliating and pushing aside a former President and Obama supporter, Jimmy Carter; capable of isolating and ‘sanitizing’ former top foreign policymakers from earlier Democratic Administration like Brzezinski, simply for pointing out Israeli crimes against humanity (although such observations are made daily in the European press and political circles).

The apparatus combines the carrot (embedding and promoting Obama) and the stick (stigmatizing Carter): It all depends on whether an individual, politician, academic, writer or journalist is ‘useful’ (i.e. an unconditional supporter) or ‘harmful’ (i.e. critical) to the State of Israel.

The Obama experience illustrates how a small, close knit, well-organized and well financed minority operating through prestigious professional posts and powerful economic enterprises can penetrate major political institutions, capture upwardly mobile politicians and ‘turn’ them into willing accomplices in promoting wars on behalf of a foreign colonial militarist power. If in the past we have experienced Zionist thuggery mugging our freedom of speech in civil society, think of what we can expect when these thugs have complete control of the White House. The ‘First Jewish President’ of the United States indeed! Where does that leave the American people, their rights, their interests and their country’s independent foreign policy?


Epilogue

In early December 2008, Israel’s right wing party, Likud, under the leadership of ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu, met and nominated its slate of candidates for the upcoming national elections (February 12, 2009). The majority of candidates nominated represent what most Israeli journalists call the ‘hard right’ or what might be accurately described as Zionfascism. The Likud Party majority favors the expulsion of all Palestinians (i.e. non-Jews) from Greater Israel, the military seizure of Gaza, the end of any pretense of peace negotiations and the immediate bombing of Iran.

Currently Likud and its fascists have the support of a plurality of Israeli Jews. If they win, it is a virtual certainty they will receive the automatic support of all the principle respectable pro-Israel Jewish organizations in the US, who follow the line that: “It is not ours to question whom the Israelis vote for office. It is our duty to back the State of Israel.”

The election of an Israeli-fascist regime will up the ante in Washington. Does Obama’s embedding in the Zionist apparatus include support for Jewish fascism , the total ethnic cleansing of Palestine and their unilateral decision to ‘nuke’ Iran? Three weeks into his presidency Obama will face his biggest Middle East challenge, which will define the nature of US policy in the region.

Obama has recently suggested that Washington would nuke Iran to protect Israel –which has never yet signed a treaty with the US – to which the Bush Administration replied contemptuously that it would be very hard to convince American parents in Kansas that their sons should risk nuclear incineration for the sake of a small country in the Middle East. Clearly Obama is a greater war monger on issues involving Israel then even Bush: It comes with being a “Jewish President”

James Petras
- Homepage: http://petras.lahaine.org/articulo.php?p=1768&more=1&c=1

Comments

Hide the following 27 comments

anti-semites fuck off

26.12.2008 09:19

I stopped reading around this bit:

"Mikvner’s affirmation reflects both Obama’s one-sided and longstanding commitment to the State of Israel and loyalty to the Zionist Power Configuration (ZPC) in the United States, as well as the long-term and successful effort of a network of financially and politically powerful Jewish Zionists to ‘embed’ Obama to their ‘Israel First’ political apparatus."

There are many legitimate grievances to be had with the state of Israel and its supporting organisations internationally. Using these grievances as a pretext to promote the long-running Global Jewish Conspiracy bullshit is utterly despicable.

Fuck off.

anonymous


is this anti-Semitic?

26.12.2008 11:49

I don't think there is a Global Jewish Conspiracy, but I think it's generally agreed that the Jewish political lobby in the US is very well organised and effective, especially compared to this size of its constituency. That's not necessarily to denigrate it; you can regard it as a compliment if you want.

I don't think its discriminatory if we just acknowledge the facts that different cultural groups have historically excelled in specific areas.

anon


The "Jewish Political Lobby"

26.12.2008 12:05

"I don't think there is a Global Jewish Conspiracy, but I think it's generally agreed that the Jewish political lobby in the US is very well organised and effective, especially compared to this size of its constituency. That's not necessarily to denigrate it; you can regard it as a compliment if you want."

What, exactly, is the "Jewish political lobby"? Does it include people like, say, Jews for Justice, Rabbis for Human Rights? Or, for that matter, Jewish gay rights groups, Jewish anarchists, etc.? Somehow I suspect not...

I don't deny that there are many, well-organised lobbying organisations which promote support for Israel. Many such organisations explicitly identify themselves with "Jewishness" in order to both gain support and gain a handy stick to beat detractors with. Posts such as the OP mirror this image by attacking these groups, not simply on "nationalist," "racist," "imperialist" or "war-mongering" grounds, but by making a major point, time and time again, about their (claimed - both by supporters and detractors) Jewish identity.

And when this goes from criticising specific groups such as AIPAC to dire warnings about a secretive Jewish financial-political conspiracy capable of dictating the course of the US government - as in the OP:

"Mikvner’s affirmation reflects both Obama’s one-sided and longstanding commitment to the State of Israel and loyalty to the Zionist Power Configuration (ZPC) in the United States, as well as the long-term and successful effort of a network of financially and politically powerful Jewish Zionists to ‘embed’ Obama to their ‘Israel First’ political apparatus."

It's hard not to see the parallels. Repackaging anti-Semitism and promoting it as somehow "leftist" is revolting.

"I don't think its discriminatory if we just acknowledge the facts that different cultural groups have historically excelled in specific areas."

Which areas are you thinking of here? Do you have any evidence to support this?

anonymous


Anti-semites fuck off

26.12.2008 16:18

Just fuck off

another anonymous


Label abuse

26.12.2008 17:15

Anti-zionists are NOT anti-semites, nor anti-Jewish either. Neither does being anti-zionist imply any credence whatsoever for the world Jewish / zionist conspiracy crap.

The two parties which need clear identification and a kick up the arse are;

1. Zionist influence peddlers wrongly and abusively conflating zionism with Jewishness, Jewish identity or Judaism or asserting Israel is "the country of the Jews".

It's the country of some Jews, and some of them -who had no choice because they were born in it- actively oppose it and do their best to undermine the zionist state. These people, together with all other anti-zionists, whether Jewish or not, are our comrades. The zionist influence peddlers do have a lot of influence in the USA, UK etc., BUT....

2. One bunch of bastards being effective in lobbying a bigger and even richer bunch of bastards, buying arms off them etc. does NOT amount to a conspiracy. Just an confluence of interests against the majority of the world's people (and in the case of the zionists, the Palestinians in particular).

World Jewish conspiracy nuts can, therefore, stick their racism and their "protocols" where the sun don't shine.

Stroppyoldgit


Anti-semitic

26.12.2008 18:00

This article is distinctly anti-semitic. It is one thing to disagree with the actions of the State of Israel and criticise zionism, but it goes too far to talk about the 'Zionist Power Configuration' (read: ZOG). There is no global Jewish conspiracy.

Alex


Why is this allowed on Indymedia?

26.12.2008 18:55

Anyone?

WHY?


FLASHBACK: Obama Obliterates Iran

26.12.2008 20:29



 http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=656&Itemid=1


Obama Obliterates Iran

11 June 2008


What Israel wants from the Americans, Israel gets - and in spades from Barack Obama. Along with Hillary Clinton and John McCain, Obama bent his knees to the breaking point to please the annual conference of AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. AIPAC represents the rightwing politics of a small nation, but the fawning behavior of America's top politicians gave the impression of an Israeli empire, demanding tribute. Obama was generous with the U.S. treasury. "As president I will implement a Memorandum of Understanding that provides $30 billion in assistance to Israel over the next decade," he vowed, earning thirteen rounds of sustained applause.


Freedom Rider: Obama Obliterates Iran

by BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley

"I will always keep the threat of military action on the table to defend our security and our ally Israel." - Barack Obama



How fortunate for Senator Barack Obama that the AIPAC convention took place immediately after he clenched the Democratic nomination for president. It was a great opportunity for the victor to show his true colors to an extremely powerful Democratic constituency, the pro-Israel lobby.

Obama didn't disappoint his audience, many of whom had feigned concerns about his candidacy. Phony hand wringing about emails claiming that Obama is a Muslim extremist was nothing but a ploy to insure that the Israeli government would get whatever it wanted in an Obama administration.

The Israelis should be rejoicing about the prospect of an Obama victory. Not only did the Senator repeat the litany of trite pro-Israeli phrases "only democracy in the Middle East," "special friendship" and so on, but he promised extra cash to Israel's already bulging United States bank account. "As president I will implement a Memorandum of Understanding that provides $30 billion in assistance to Israel over the next decade - investments to Israel's security that will not be tied to any other nation."

Not that there was ever a reason to worry. AIPAC always makes sure that Israel gets what it wants from American presidential administrations. Obama's victory shows that he knows the rules of the game backwards and forwards. By the time he finished his address at the AIPAC convention, he had been interrupted by sustained applause thirteen times and walked away holding the audience in the palm of his hand.

"AIPAC always makes sure that Israel gets what it wants from American presidential administrations."

Part of keeping Israel and its American lobbying force happy is to repeat what they want to hear, whether true or false. Dire warnings about a nuclear Iran attacking Israel are lies. Only Israeli government officials speak openly of attacking Iran and only Israel has nuclear weapons. Iran has never threatened Israel in any way, but that unimpeachable and inconvenient fact is not allowed on the American political campaign trail, and certainly not at an AIPAC convention.

So lying is the order of the day, and the Senator did not disappoint. "It (Iran) pursues a nuclear capability that could spark a dangerous arms race, and raise the prospect of a transfer of nuclear know-how to terrorists. Its President denies the Holocaust and threatens to wipe Israel off the map."

Iranian president Ahmedinajad never said anything about wiping Israel off the map and doesn't say that the Jewish holocaust never took place. These lies have been repeated so often and are so useful in justifying the threat of military action that neither Obama nor anyone else who repeat them are ever called bold faced liars. The prospect of Iran giving hypothetical nukes to terrorists makes no sense whatever. If Iran does pursue a nuclear capability, it will be no different than American allies Pakistan and India, whose acquisition of nukes has already created an arms race of its own.

"Dire warnings about a nuclear Iran attacking Israel are lies."

Obama's speech not only proved that AIPAC is powerful, but it proved that he and his recently defeated opponent are as alike as Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee. Hillary Clinton was pilloried for saying that "we would obliterate" a nuclear Iran. As always, Obama was less clumsy and ham fisted, but said the same thing. "I will do everything in my power to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," is a lot smoother than talk of obliteration but says exactly the same thing. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are indeed political twins.

Just a few days after Obama pledged to give Israel carte blanche, one of its cabinet ministers, Shaul Mofaz, felt emboldened to say that an Israeli attack on Iran was "unavoidable." Bush has been itching to attack Iran and now both major party presidential nominees are on record as saying that killing is fine with them. The only difference between the two is that Obama didn't join John McCain in singing songs about killing human beings. When it comes to foreign policy and Israel, Obama and McCain are also political twins.

"Iran has never threatened Israel in any way."

It was left to the government of Iran to succinctly sum up the problems that the United States and Israel create for the rest of the world. In a letter to the United Nations Secretary General, Iran's representative had this to say.

"Such a dangerous threat against a sovereign State and a member of the United Nations constitutes a manifest violation of international law and contravenes the most fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and, thus, requires a resolute and clear response on the part of the United Nations, particularly the Security Council."

Lots of luck Iran. Even if the Security Council takes action the United States will use its veto power to silence the world body. That is what happens in the Bush administration and that is what will happen in January 2009, whether the next president is named Obama or McCain. Evil twins still call the shots in American politics.

Margaret Kimberley


The Decline

26.12.2008 23:51

This is just another example of the decline of Indymedia from radical left wing to conspiraloon right.

oh well


reply to anonymous (third comment) [when are we going to get message threading?]

27.12.2008 00:39

"What, exactly, is the "Jewish political lobby"? Does it include people like, say, Jews for Justice, Rabbis for Human Rights? Or, for that matter, Jewish gay rights groups, Jewish anarchists, etc.? Somehow I suspect not..."

I mean the mainstream groups, so maybe I should have said the "Israeli political lobby". But they tend to call themselves Jewish lobbyists rather than Israeli (as you say), so perhaps that's why I said it. The lines are a bit blurred: is Judaism a religion, a cultural group, or a nation state? It has some elements of all three.

I must confess I didn't really read the original article ;-) as it seemed like waffle. I was just focusing on the first comment which didn't sound like anti-Semitism to me. I've not heard the term "Zionist Power Configuration (ZPC)" before - is it a fascist code like ZOG? I thought it just meant pro-Israeli lobbyists.

I think it's wrong to deny the existence of a disproportionately powerful pro-Israeli political lobby in the US. It clearly exists, and to deny it or sweep it under the carpet just fuels conspiracy theorists.

There are historical reasons for Jewish specialisation in some fields - many centuries ago they were forced to take certain trades because they were being persecuted and other religions (e.g. Islam) thought that things like moneylending and banking were sinful.

I'm by no means a historian, but the novel "The Slave" by Isaac Bashevis Singer paints an interesting picture of life as a Jew in Eastern Europe in the 1600s or thereabouts.Well worth reading.

Maybe I'm being naive in taking this article seriously, but it's an interesting area.

The left tends to be atheist and rationalist, so I think a distrust of all religions is to be expected, and religious states even more so. Personally I think Judaism is slightly better than Christianity or Islam, but I think they are all dangerous bullshit, and that the world would be better off without them all.

anon


+1 vote for "get this to fuck"

27.12.2008 02:01

Articles that, like this, conflate zionism and judaism are shit, whether they come from anti semite conspiracy factions, or aggressively nationalistic Israeli politicians.

Zionism does not equal judaism, can we get rid of this under "infactual", if not for the anti-semitic agenda?

CH


anon2anon

27.12.2008 06:53

"I mean the mainstream groups, so maybe I should have said the "Israeli political lobby". But they tend to call themselves Jewish lobbyists rather than Israeli (as you say), so perhaps that's why I said it."

And, in doing so, supported the Zionist argument that Zionism = The Jews, and by extension, anti-Zionism = anti-Semitism. Hence the problem.

"The lines are a bit blurred: is Judaism a religion, a cultural group, or a nation state? It has some elements of all three."

Judaism is a religion.
"The Jews" are a social group identified by cultural, ethnic and religious traits.
Israel is a nation state.

"I must confess I didn't really read the original article ;-) as it seemed like waffle. I was just focusing on the first comment which didn't sound like anti-Semitism to me. I've not heard the term "Zionist Power Configuration (ZPC)" before - is it a fascist code like ZOG? I thought it just meant pro-Israeli lobbyists."

I've not come across the term ZPC before either but I suspect it to be a ZOG-esque code. Particularly when combined with dire warnings of a secretive Jewish network of the political and financial elite.

"I think it's wrong to deny the existence of a disproportionately powerful pro-Israeli political lobby in the US. It clearly exists, and to deny it or sweep it under the carpet just fuels conspiracy theorists."

Nobody has denied that there is a powerful pro-Israeli lobby (in fact, I mentioned it in my first comment.) The problem is identifying lobbyists for a particular nation with every individual who is part of the group identified (by some) with that nation.

"There are historical reasons for Jewish specialisation in some fields - many centuries ago they were forced to take certain trades because they were being persecuted and other religions (e.g. Islam) thought that things like moneylending and banking were sinful."

True. Tho I suspect the extent of this has been deliberately over-represented by a variety of groups through history.

"I'm by no means a historian, but the novel "The Slave" by Isaac Bashevis Singer paints an interesting picture of life as a Jew in Eastern Europe in the 1600s or thereabouts.Well worth reading."

Fair enough. It is, however, 2008, not the 1600s.

anonymous


Seriously - why is this still here?

27.12.2008 14:18

This article was published at 08:54 am yesterday - nearly thirty hours ago. In that time a number of other articles have been promoted, showing that it isn't simply that there's no admins around.

So seriously - why is this still here?

Why is IMC UK allowing itself to be used as a platform for fascists?

anonymous


why is this blatantly antisemitic article still here?

27.12.2008 14:31

Didn't you guys learn a single damned thing from the whole Atzmon fiasco? Really, was that whole experience wasted on you?

@#<

Gehrig


that would be you

27.12.2008 20:46

re comment "Why is IMC UK allowing itself to be used as a platform for fascists?" anonymous

your comment is fascist not the story.

any criticism of zionists, jews, or israel is not anti-semitic. i have seen jews criticize isreali actions and be accused of being anti semitic and when they replied but i am jewish they are accused of being self haters. i would say that this attitude is fascist.




a


I know you are, you said you are, but what am I?

27.12.2008 22:19

"your comment is fascist not the story."

Most people grow out of "I know you are but what am I" by the time they are twelve. Either the youth are more politicised than I thought or you are startling immature. I tend to suspect the latter.

"any criticism of zionists, jews, or israel is not anti-semitic."

True. But when you have an article droning on about ZOMG TEH JEWS in every other sentence and pointing a wary finger to shadowy Jewish conspiracies controlling the media, political and financial establishment - well, it's hard not to see the obvious. If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, chances are you're dealing with waterfowl of some sort.

"i have seen jews criticize isreali actions and be accused of being anti semitic and when they replied but i am jewish they are accused of being self haters. i would say that this attitude is fascist."

I agree. Identifying the state of Israel with the Jewish people is a mistake, as it both smears critics of Israeli policy by labelling them as anti-Semitic and gives anti-Semites a cover by allowing them to present as anti-Zionist.

This, incidentally, is one of my main problems with this article, which makes exactly this identification.

anonymous


What are 'The Jews'?

28.12.2008 11:21

You make repeated reference to 'The Jews' but you do not define precisely who and what institutions they comprise. Are you referring to the whole racial group?

Your article falls down considerably on this one, it is meaningless unless you name some names - individuals and actions not some racial or ideological movement. We live in an age of human diversity and anti-conformity so it is no longer possible to use ideas like 'The Jews' when discussing political ideas.

You can use the term Republican or Democrat because they have a (reasonably) clearly stated set of beliefs and objectives, but you can't use the term Jew or Black in the same way since the beliefs and objectives in those cultures/ethnicities are inextricably amorphous - there is no coherent body that one can call 'The Jews' unless your further define it as the Jewish religion, or the Israeli state, or something concrete.

Anything less and you could easily be construed as being a Hitlerite. Care to revise your article or are you one of 'The Hitlerites'?

Alastair
- Homepage: http://usofc.wordpress.com


link to information about the author of this article

28.12.2008 14:52

Here is the wikipedia page of the author of this article, James Petras:

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Petras

He is an American left-wing revolutionary professor who has written some books about the influence of Israel on the US government.

It seems like he coined the term "ZPC" for Zionist Power Configuration.

Interesting quote (I don't know how true the assertion is):

"In The Power of Israel in the United States, Petras puts forth the thesis that American Jews are less than 2% of the population, yet represent 25-30% of U.S.'s wealthiest families (citing Forbes). He asserts that they wield their wealth effectively. As an example (citing Richard Cohen in the Washington Post) -- supplying 60% and 35% of the total contributions respectively of the American Democratic and Republican political parties."

anon


Pull yourselves together people

28.12.2008 22:08

James Petras, erstwhile excellent commentator on Latin American politics, has clearly lost the plot and has been increasingly ranting about Jewish conspiracies etc.

So let's go back to basics.

Barack Obama is not Jewish. He is a Zionist.

He is not the first Zionist President of the US and probably won't be the last. Bush was a Zionist. So was Clinton.

You don't have to be Jewish to be a Zionist - see right-wing Christians in the US. And here.

Likewise, being Jewish does not necessarily make you a Zionist - see anti-Zionist Jewish groups in all corners of the world.

The US and Britain use Israel as their proxy state in the Middle East. The tail does not wag the dog.

There IS, however, a powerful Zionist lobby, which of course claims it is 'speaking for the Jewish people' and pretends the two ARE synonymous. It's happy to be seen as 'the Jewish lobby', delivering the 'Jewish vote' to the politician most agreable to it at any given moment.

This lobby will claim Obama or any ally it can get and will fight for its interests as hard as it can. Currently it's not a hard fight as its interests are synonymous with those of British and US imperialism.

This is not some secret conspiracy. It's imperialism.

Got it now?

anti-Zionist


very true

28.12.2008 23:11

"There IS, however, a powerful Zionist lobby, which of course claims it is 'speaking for the Jewish people' and pretends the two ARE synonymous. It's happy to be seen as 'the Jewish lobby', delivering the 'Jewish vote' to the politician most agreable to it at any given moment."

Very true. Why so-called progressives feel the need to echo these (false) claims is beyond me.

Incidentally, while this article has remained here unchallenged for two and a half days, an article criticising it was removed within hours:  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/12/416185.html

anonymous


ffs

28.12.2008 23:20

"Incidentally, while this article has remained here unchallenged for two and a half days, an article criticising it was removed within hours:  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/12/416185.html"

Was it news?

Was it an email to the appropriate list?

Or what?

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/static/editorial.html

tj


no - but...

28.12.2008 23:39

I figured, since the IMCistas are quite willing to use the newswire to defend their editorial decisions (  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/05/399412.html ), they would also be willing to let others use the same newswire to discuss and criticise them.

Also, I feel that the potential incursion of racist stereotypes in supposedly progressive movements is a valid concern and, perhaps, newsworthy to activists in itself.

But, of course, it's easier to just bark "Israeli stooge!" and shut down discussion...

anonymous


IMC should be considered a racist entity

29.12.2008 08:43

The closure of critisism of racist articles like this, clearly show that the unelected and unaccountable indivisduals who run IMC uk are happy to allow racism and especially antisemitism appear on Indymedia without question, on one proviso that it promotes their own agendas- never mind how many lies are spouted about 'jewish conspiracies' and 'israel=nazis' so long as the clerical fascists of hamas/hesbollah/al qaida are able to carry on their murderous activities whilst being cheered on by IMCuk from the safety of their comfortable middle class homes.

stooge


All analysis, or just some analysis?

29.12.2008 13:15

I'd really like to read some decent analysis of the Zionist Lobby organisations in the states. There is plenty about other Lobbies.

Is there any decent writing about the pro-Israel (often but not always self-proclaimed Jewish) political lobby? If not why not? I'd guess it's at least as important and influential as any other Lobbies.

avid reader


Enough is enough

29.12.2008 18:45

Indymedia needs to hand over editorial control to people who are able to do the job. It's painfully clear those in the driving seat are unable to manage the site.

Time for Change


Moderation thread

30.12.2008 07:19

The matter is now being discussed in the correct forum -  http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-uk-moderation/2008-December/thread.html#853

Any evidence of racism in the article should be submitted to the list, in order to help sort out the issue.





ftp


@avid reader

03.01.2009 23:51

Check out The Israel Lobby by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt the original article can be found here ->  http://www.lrb.co.uk/v28/n06/mear01_.html and if it whets your appetite they have created a book about it here ->  http://www.amazon.com/Israel-Lobby-U-S-Foreign-Policy/dp/0374531501/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231026480&sr=8-1

I wonder how long it takes for someone to call me a Nazi, facist or an anti-Semite for giving you these links.

Ashley