← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Centinel
Thread ID: 9756 | Posts: 6 | Started: 2003-09-13
2003-09-13 05:03 | User Profile
From Ha'aretz, available online at: [url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/339448.html]http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/339448.html[/url]
Democrat's remarks on Israel may lead Jews to cut funds
By Nathan Guttman September 12, 2003
WASHINGTON - The recent statements about Israel by leading Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean were the last thing the Democratic Party needed. The Israel issue sparked off a public confrontation among the candidates, with Democratic congressmen joining the fray.
Meanwhile, the Republicans are thrilled by the crack in their rival party's united front regarding Israel. They are also heartened by the surveys indicating the growing tendency of American Jews to vote for the Republican Party.
How did the Israel issue rise to the fore of the Democratic primaries debate? It all began with a statement by front-runner Howard Dean, a former Vermont governor, at an election event at Santa Fe last week. He said "it is not our place to take sides" in the Middle East conflict. A few days later he told the Washington Post "the United States needs an evenhanded approach to the conflict."
Senator Joseph Lieberman, also a Democratic candidate, responded sharply: "If this is a well-thought-out position, it's a mistake and a major break from a half a century of American foreign policy." Lieberman said Dean either understands nothing about foreign policy, or wants to damage the special relations between the U.S. and Israel since the state's establishment.
John Kerry, once the Democratic front-runner and today second after Dean in the polls, said "it is wrong that Governor Dean has proposed a radical shift in the U.S. policy toward the Middle East."
The argument climaxed at a debate among the nine Democratic candidates in Baltimore on Wednesday. In contrast to the previous restrained, polite discourse, the Israeli issue became the main sparring arena between Lieberman and Dean.
"All of us here ... have quite correctly criticized George W. Bush for not standing by our values in our foreign policy and for breaking our most critical alliances. That, with all respect, is exactly what Howard Dean's comments over the last week about the Middle East have done," attacked Lieberman.
"I am disappointed in Joe. My position on Israel is exactly the same as Bill Clinton's," retorted Dean.
"Not right," interrupted Lieberman.
"Excuse me, Joe," said Dean. "I didn't interrupt you and I'd appreciate it..."
"Not right," Lieberman interjected, turning Israel into the hottest subject in the Democratic camp.
Jewish organizations protested Dean's comments, which indicate he wants to change the American pro-Israeli policy to reflect a balanced approach to both sides. A letter is being circulated in Dean's party denouncing his statements and position, and even Democratic minority leader Nancy Pelosi and her deputy Steny Hoyer have criticized his position.
Dean is trying to mend the impression, maintaining his positions are the same as Clinton's. This week he wrote to President Bush, calling on him to ask Clinton to embark on an urgent mediation mission to the Middle East.
In an interview to CNN on Wednesday, Dean refused to withdraw his statement but admitted "I have learned that `evenhanded' is a very sensitive term and I could have used a different one."
Sources in the Jewish community say that Dean has wrecked his chances of getting significant contributions from Jews. However, some say this is less significant to Dean, whose campaign is based on contributions from citizens via the Internet. Many believe Dean's statement will drive more Jews toward Lieberman and Kerry, enabling Kerry to take the lead again.
Republicans hastened to denounce Dean, hoping angry Jews would cross over to the Republican side. The Republican camp is now celebrating last November's interim election results that were published this week. The exit polls were conducted by Voter News Service, whose systems crashed on election day. The data indicates that 35 percent of Jews voted for Republican candidates, compared to an average of 25 percent in previous congressional elections.
Howard Dean visited Israel last year and left the impression that he is sympathetic to Israel's cause. He also appointed Steve Grossman, formerly one of the heads of the pro-Israeli lobby in Washington, to a senior post in his campaign.
However, Jewish sources believe his utterances reflect his true positions, which are left of the Democratic Party consensus.
Dean is now maintaining a consistently moderate pro-Israeli line. He says the settlements are an issue of negotiation between the sides. As for the assassinations, he says he opposes violence but the Hamas men are soldiers, not civilians. He is against deporting Arafat, and believes Israel can build the separation fence, but not set a border which deviates from the Green Line.
2003-09-13 05:59 | User Profile
Howard obviously didn't check his remarks beforehand with his old friends at AIPAC, or his wife - Judith Steinberg.
Oh well, I'm sure with his bona-fides he'll manage to assert it's Israeli-philic orientation. He could in fact argue his position is pretty well identical to that of the Israel left, Labor etc.
Likudnites vs. Laborites. Sometimes it makes me feel politically that I'm living more in Israel than the USA (assuming anyone else besides us can remember when there was a difference).
2003-09-13 07:29 | User Profile
*Originally posted by wintermute@Sep 13 2003, 07:04 * ** A cheerful note from Mr. George Orwell:
**We are the dead. Our only true life is in the future. We shall take part in it as handfuls of dust and splinters of bone. But how far away that future may be, there is no knowing... **
Wintermute **
Thanks - that little bit of uplift just made my day. :(
Golly - you're the one that harps on Calvin for his gloominess. I think you and John Calvin might get along fine. :rolleyes:
2003-09-14 14:30 | User Profile
From Walter Mueller:
Howard Dean went to Yale, where he majored in political science. However, he decided to become a medical doctor. Dean was baptized Catholic before he met Judith Steinberg, who was also a medical doctor. He calls himself now a Congregationalist. It turns all into the twilight zone when one talks a look at the traditions in the Howard Dean home. His wife is a full-fledged Jew and Howard Deans home is decorated appropriately. The whole family celebrates only Jewish holidays, and the children consider themselves Jews.
Here's something interesting to know. George W. Bush's grandmother was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Dean's grandmother.
Just like Bush Jr., Howard Dean loved alcohol in his younger years and it's been said that he could drink like a horse. One of Dean's sons was just recently caught in a burglary, but daddy fixed it.
Howard Dean's wife refused to carry the last name and continues to use her Jewish maiden name, Steinberg. Howard Dean also likes to present himself as the "peoples candidate." The Real Choice. Not so. He raised more money in the short time than his other fellow democratic candidates. One of his biggest financial supporters is multi-millionaire Soros. He has also surrounded himself with some of the hottest campaign advisers. There is super-lawyer David Boies and JFK Speech-writer Ted Sorensen.
Senior Adviser to Dean's campaign and responsible for the Internet campaign is David Weinberger, who was a close associate to Netanyahu's campaign. Surprised? What did you expect from a guy that is married to a Jew?
I was surprised that the Jewish community has been strangely quiet about Howard Dean, so I took a closer look at his wife. Even though her husband pretends to have a problem with Israel, Judith Steinberg maintains a medical practice in Jerusalem, to help the victims of "terrorist bombings." Even though her husband speaks out against the war on Iraq, Judith Steinberg is a member of the US Coalition to protect Israel.
Howard Dean's children are raised as Jews and educated in Jewish schools. Reminder: By his own admission, only Jewish holidays are celebrated in the Dean/Steinberg home.
2004-02-02 09:21 | User Profile
[url]http://www.usajewish.com/scripts/usaj/paper/usajewish_electionblog1.asp[/url]
'Mail' in the middle, and original post at bottom of page...
2004-02-02 10:36 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Texas Dissident][url]http://www.usajewish.com/scripts/usaj/paper/usajewish_electionblog1.asp[/url]
'Mail' in the middle, and original post at bottom of page...[/QUOTE]
Check out this lying bag of :dung: ...
Great blog! But "original dissent" is hardly a conservative website. It's a haven for Israel bashing and Jew-hating Aryan nation idiots and faux libertarians. Many of OI's members have been kicked off real conservative websites like [url]www.FreeRepublic.com[/url], where over 90% of their 100,000 registered members support Israel over terrorism more vociferously than ANY candidate running in this November's election.
Keep up the great work! Y. B. David Editor, JewPoint Oh, yeah...REAL conservative websites like FreeRepublic.
Actually, FR can be considered a conservative website, but only if you're a conservative citizen of Israel. Americans who put Israel first are neither conservative nor liberal; they are traitors who ought to be hanged.
As for the label of "Israel basher," I wear it as a badge of honor.