In search of the truth about the Israel lobby's influence on Washington

[norml]

A Beautiful Friendship?
In search of the truth about the Israel lobby's influence on Washington

By Glenn Frankel
Sunday, July 16, 2006; Page W13

All David Ben-Gurion wanted was 15 minutes of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's time.

Israel's founding father, one of the indomitable political leaders of the 20th century, came to Washington in December 1941 yearning to present the case for a Jewish state directly to the American president. He took a two-room suite at the old Ambassador Hotel at 14th and K for $1,000 a month and cooled his heels for 10 weeks, writing letters and reports and making passes at Miriam Cohen, his attractive American secretary. But Ben-Gurion didn't get the meeting. Not then, not ever. Not even a pair of presidential cuff links.


Photos
A Beautiful Friendship?
Is the Israel lobby too powerful? Is even raising the possibility a sign of anti-Semitism?

Now let's fast-forward 64 years to late May and a news conference in the East Room of the White House. That tall, freckled, slightly nervous-looking man with the rust-colored hair standing alongside President Bush at matching lecterns is Ehud Olmert, 12th prime minister of Israel. The two leaders and their advisers have just spent two hours together in the Oval Office. Bush is reaffirming the "deep and abiding ties between Israel and the United States" and praising Olmert's "bold ideas" and commitment to peace. Afterward, they'll adjourn for a private session without aides or note-takers and then go to dinner together. And the next day Olmert will address a joint session of Congress, whose members will interrupt his speech with 16 standing ovations. Ben-Gurion, whose remains rest in a simple grave overlooking the Negev Desert, would be stunned.

It's not that Olmert is a more commanding figure than Ben-Gurion. Far from it. No, it's about power. And not just Israeli power. It's really about the perceived power of the Israel lobby, a collection of American Jewish organizations, campaign contributors and think tanks -- aided by Christian conservatives and other non-Jewish supporters -- that arose over the second half of the 20th century and that sees as a principle goal the support and promotion of the interests of the state of Israel.

Thanks to the work of the lobby and its allies, Israel gets more direct foreign aid -- about $3 billion a year -- than any other nation. There's a file cabinet somewhere in the State Department full of memoranda of understanding on military, diplomatic and economic affairs. Israel gets treated like a NATO member when it comes to military matters and like Canada or Mexico when it comes to free trade. There's an annual calendar full of meetings of joint strategic task forces and other collaborative sessions. And there's a presidential pledge, re-avowed by Bush in the East Room, that the United States will come to Israel's aid in the event of attack.


snip


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/12/AR2006071201627.html

[Name removed]

1. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DELUSIONAL]

2. I wonder when the US TAXPAYER will have a lobbyist?

Yep -- that's us folks -- the people who pays the bill -- work hard so that a whole lot of rich guys can decide what to do with taxpayer money.

When did this disconnect happen?

The money that the government "spends" comes from the taxpayers.

The taxpayers should be deciding where our money is to be spent.

[Alcibiades]

5. One caveat:

Are you high?

The government doesn't spend the taxpayer's money. It stopped doing that years ago, after the first round of Bush tax cuts! If you're still paying taxes, you must be some kind of sucker, or else not rich.

Now, thanks to Bush and six years of "fiscal conservatism" in Congress, the government is spending the taxpayer's grand-children's income!

"The taxpayers should be deciding where our money is to be spent."

Um, yeah, sure. What are you, French? Do we need to remind you who the decider around here is?

[DELUSIONAL]

7. My point exactly -- only the wage earning middle class pay taxes

and it is the wage earning middle class being hit with job lay offs -- and hidden tax increases.

There is no real representation for the tax payers -- but lots of lobbyist for all sorts of special interests.

The irony of the well dressed, well fed -- uber rich folk working as lobbyist -- speaking to other well dressed, well fed mostly rich white folk . .. .

Meanwhile in the real world .... people die -- who aren't well dress, well fed -- many were -- but now they are hiding trying not to be bombed (Lebanon) or killed/murdered in a civil war (Iraq) -- where are the rich well fed lobbyists to represent these people??

My point lobbying really really sucks.

No I am NOT high -- never have been -- perhaps one day -- I'm near sea level.

[AlamoDemoc]

3. You know, when you read articles like this from Washington Post

....you know there are questions raised all around, at coffee tables and water coolers all around the country of our unconditional support of state of Israel....even earlier this week there was a barrage of OPED pieces from NYT, LAT, and even WSJ questioning Israel's motives in Lebanon.

[Bonobo]

4. Thank you! Finally! Someone brave enough to tell the truth!

I saw the same thing in this book:

[High Plains]

6. Any mention of the Israeli lobby equates to anti-semitism?

Nice little system you have there. But it must embarrass people who care about real anti-semitism.

[Bonobo]

8. Are you an Anti-Zionist?

[alvarezadams]

17. I am

as are many Jews.

And don't even try to equate anti-Zionism as anti-semitism.

[Bonobo]

21. Just a simple question then... Should Israel be removed from existence?

[alvarezadams]

28. No

While I do not recognize its de jure right to exist, I DO recognize its de FACTO existence. Israel is there, there is a people that has a right to self-determination, a right which should and must be protected.

Nevertheless, this same right exists vis a vis the Palestinians, who not only have a de facto but a de jure right to nationhood and sovranty.

If I am anti-Zionist it is because I am anti-nationalist. Self-determination is a necessity, but the idea of territorial expansion or national superiority are anathema to me.

Zionism's success was based on a violence no less extreme than the Palestinian's. Zionist violence was proactive while the Palestinians' has been, by definition, reactive. While this does not warrant a value judgement, it should be taken into consideration when defenders of either side deign to enter into moral arguments.

Both sides are morally bankrupt. Yet one side has a degree of "moral credit" (which they have abused) inasmuch as they are the "initial victims" in this particular chapter of a bloody history.

It is in Israel's hands to actually take (as opposed to assuming) the moral highground by affording to the Palestinians, on their own free will and with reference to basic human rights... what the Israeli's took by force majeur and manipulation. This would not be an altruistic move but one that is a given amongst law-abiding nations.

The fact is that, due to any number of justifiable or unjustifiable reasons, Israel has not acted as a law-abiding nation. It has not, especially under Likkud rule, negotiated in good faith (relying, in the time-honoured rw way, on the inevitability of the other side being dishonourable). It has twisted international law in order to justify liebenstraud in the occupied territories of the W. Bank, and practices a virtual aparthied amongst its own CITIZENS, without mentioning the displaced inhabitants of Palestine.

I am indeed anti-Zionist, just as many Israeli Jews are. The Jews were the victims of unmentionable misery - one would think that they would think twice before dealing out similar miseries.

Passion is the key to the problem in the ME (and virtually anywhere else). Nationalism, one of mankind's most destructive illnesses, merely exacerbates passion.

If anyone is capable or liable to overcome such base passions and to eschew base actions, it should be a law-abiding and democratic nation. Such a collective can and must be held to the highest moral standards and hold a REAL moral highground over diverse groups of extemists that are fighting (rightly or wrongly) against perceived injustices against incredibly long odds.

Draconian measures - state violence - can only provide short-term tactical victories. Strategically and in the long-term, actions such as Israel's (or the US' in any number of places around the world), can only result in defeat or at least the dehumanization of the conflict in question.

Time and time again I have come across zealous Zionists - or zealous Islamic fundamentalists - on many boards or in any café in Madrid. They remind me of jingoist GOPers... or the falangists of the last generation here in Spain... or Nazis.

[Bonobo]

32. If I could recommend your post, I would. Thank you.

I agree with everything you said.

But I am not sure that Anti-Zionist is a good label.

It unfortunately puts you in the company of too many neo-nazis -and you clearly do not deserve to be in such company.

Again, thank you for your well-written and thoughtful response.

[alvarezadams]

Thanx

for the vote of confidence!

[alvarezadams]

41. Thanx

for the vote of confidence!

[Jacobin]

33. Thoughtful post

I agree with 99 percent of it and thank you for taking the time to put into words the views of many who are tired of being excoriated for not taking one side or the other without question.

[DarkmoonIkonoklast]

36. Hear! Hear!

   Well said, a.a.... but I must stress one thing:
   Make sure you define VERY precisely what YOU mean by "Anti-Zionist" since, as you have stated, there is a great difference -- a CRUCIAL difference -- between Semitism and Zionism, a difference of which even many Jews are, sadly, unaware.
   I hold Zionism to be a belief in the "Natural Superiority" of the Nation of Zion, the "God-Given Mandate" which states that Zion ("Israel" to far too many people) MUST be supported, AT ALL COSTS.
   This doctrine of the divine Right of "God's Chosen" to exist even at the expense of ALL OTHER PEOPLES, is at the root, so I believe, of the tactics of repression and racism which seems to underpin current Israeli policy and actions in the ME.
   On April 15th 1986, U.S. F-111 warplanes attacked Libya in an attempt to kill Libyan President Qadaffi; On the same day, in Israel, millions of citizens took to the streets in protest of THEIR OWN GOVERNMENT's actions in Lebanon and other neighboring states. The bombing was, of course, front page news... the marches, at least out here in so-called "Liberalia" was buried deep in the back of the news section, and at that, rated only 2-3 column-inches. Curiously, I've spent the past hour trying to locate an account of the protests, to no avail.
   Are there forces "editing" our newspapers now, to suppress knowledge of the depth of anger felt by the Israeli people about the actions perpetrated in their name by their own government?
   Are there forces within our own government aiding and abetting this Orwellian censorship of events?
   The John Hagee Ministries website lists among their fundamental beliefs (2nd from the bottom), the following:
   "Our Commitment to Israel: We believe in the promise of Genesis 12:3 ("And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.") regarding the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. We believe that this is an eternal covenant between God and the seed of Abraham to which God is faithful."
   In his sermons, Rev Hagee has stated his "unalterable belief" that this is a commandment to all believers, DIRECT FROM GOD, to oppose, BY ANY AND ALL MEANS, those who IN ANY WAY oppose the hegemony of Israel on Earth. The existence of deep connections between JHM and the inner circle of the current administration has long been rumored. Such possible influence over our Nation's highest decision makers, by a man who has stated, from the pulpit AND IN PRINT that Islam exists ONLY to destroy Christianity, must give pause to anyone who believes in America as a seeker of, and an architect of, true peace in the world, and true unity among Nations and Peoples.
   In 1960, the Presidential campaign of John F Kennedy degenerated into the question of whether the Vatican might dictate U. S. government policy under his administration. Are we now facing a similar question about the Knesset? Are there forces within our government who believe in a Biblical interpretation SO EXTREME as to bias any rational discussion of the freedom and sovereignty of the Islamic people?
   I devoutly hope this is not so... but the possibility that it might, indeed, be so, is terrifying to me. We can not risk the possibility. We must be certain... and soon, preferably before the November elections.
   And if it should prove to be so? If it should prove that our Nation is now under the control of Zionist, or pro-Zionist elements?

[God Almighty]

12. I suppose all the Rabbis and Jews opposed to Israel's aggression

are anti-Semitic, too.

[Bonobo]

14. No, but talk about Jews' control over the world with money rings alarms...

[jonnyblitz]

25. yes, but talking about lobbyists influence on policy is legitimate.

[norml]

35. The Israel Lobby

The Israel Lobby
John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt

For the past several decades, and especially since the Six-Day War in 1967, the centrepiece of US Middle Eastern policy has been its relationship with Israel. The combination of unwavering support for Israel and the related effort to spread ‘democracy’ throughout the region has inflamed Arab and Islamic opinion and jeopardised not only US security but that of much of the rest of the world. This situation has no equal in American political history. Why has the US been willing to set aside its own security and that of many of its allies in order to advance the interests of another state? One might assume that the bond between the two countries was based on shared strategic interests or compelling moral imperatives, but neither explanation can account for the remarkable level of material and diplomatic support that the US provides.

Instead, the thrust of US policy in the region derives almost entirely from domestic politics, and especially the activities of the ‘Israel Lobby’. Other special-interest groups have managed to skew foreign policy, but no lobby has managed to divert it as far from what the national interest would suggest, while simultaneously convincing Americans that US interests and those of the other country – in this case, Israel – are essentially identical.

Since the October War in 1973, Washington has provided Israel with a level of support dwarfing that given to any other state. It has been the largest annual recipient of direct economic and military assistance since 1976, and is the largest recipient in total since World War Two, to the tune of well over $140 billion (in 2004 dollars). Israel receives about $3 billion in direct assistance each year, roughly one-fifth of the foreign aid budget, and worth about $500 a year for every Israeli. This largesse is especially striking since Israel is now a wealthy industrial state with a per capita income roughly equal to that of South Korea or Spain.

Other recipients get their money in quarterly installments, but Israel receives its entire appropriation at the beginning of each fiscal year and can thus earn interest on it. Most recipients of aid given for military purposes are required to spend all of it in the US, but Israel is allowed to use roughly 25 per cent of its allocation to subsidise its own defence industry. It is the only recipient that does not have to account for how the aid is spent, which makes it virtually impossible to prevent the money from being used for purposes the US opposes, such as building settlements on the West Bank. Moreover, the US has provided Israel with nearly $3 billion to develop weapons systems, and given it access to such top-drawer weaponry as Blackhawk helicopters and F-16 jets. Finally, the US gives Israel access to intelligence it denies to its Nato allies and has turned a blind eye to Israel’s acquisition of nuclear weapons.

snip

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v28/n06/mear01_.html

[carl_pwccaman]

9. First of all, do you think Israel has the right to exist, start there...

I support Israel's right to exist as a state.

As such, they can get criticized like other states for mistakes, and they are not perfect.

Other states get aid, too.

Some states are hemmed in by enemies on all sides, so they may need a bit more support, if they are our allies in some way. Israel can be described as such, they are far more in line with American Democratic values than Saudi Arabia, for example, so as allies go, I sure hope Israel is getting more support than the Saudi's.

Put it in perspective. There's a lot going on in the world.

Israel gets considered for some very good reasons. Sure there is manipulative lobbying on behalf of the State of Israel, as well as all other states we have relationships with.

To suggest that Israel is monstrously dangerous compared to the many other countries we deal with, or that Israel has disproportionate power for nefarious reasons, would be a bit odd, not in accord with perspective.

[God Almighty]

11. This is about the bombing of innocent people who did not attack

Neither the government of Lebanon nor the innocent Lebanese victims attacked Israel. It's like nuking everyone in the state of Texas because Rove fingered Valerie PLame.

[God Almighty]

10. Follow the money

Here's the scoop on the contributions. Except, for those voting against a cease-fire, this is blood money.


Located this trhough google.

Pro-Israel PAC Contributions to 2006 Congressional Candidates
2005-2006
State Office District Candidate Party Status Contributions Career Total Committees
Alabama S Sessions, Jeff R I 2,000 196,825 AS, B
H 2 Everett, Terry R I 6,500 22,500 AS, I
H 7 Davis, Artur D I 2,000 80,067 B
Alaska S Stevens, Ted R I 4,000 73,200 A(D)
Arizona S Kyl, Jon* R I 84,500 163,025
S McCain, John R I 1,000 162,500 AS, C
Arkansas H 3 Delay, Robert R C 5,000 10,000
California S Feinstein, Dianne* D I 31,500 146,342 A(D), I
H 5 Matsui, Doris D I 3,000 6,050
H 5 Matsui, Robert D N 1,550 10,700
H 8 Pelosi, Nancy D I 0 63,450 I
H 12 Lantos, Tom D I 2,500 112,750 IR
H 24 Gallegly, Elton R I 1,500 45,250 I, IR
H 25 McKeon, Howard R I 2,500 4,500 AS
H 27 Sherman, Brad D I 5,500 48,830 IR
H 28 Berman, Howard D I 3,500 67,050 IR(NE)
H 29 Schiff, Adam D I 6,500 35,417 IR(NE)
H 30 Waxman, Henry D I 1,000 36,832
H 36 Harman, Jane D I 6,500 93,771 I
California H 39 De La Torre, Hector D N 1,000 1,000
H 44 Calvert, Ken R I 2,000 2,000 AS
H 47 Sanchez, Loretta D I 5,500 45,700 AS
H 50 Busby, Francine P. D 0 1,000 1,000
H 51 Filner, Bob D I 3,000 85,014
Colorado H 3 Salazar, John D I 6,600 14,600
Connecticut S Lieberman, Joseph* D I 49,500 286,258 AS
H 2 Simmons, Robert R I 1,000 19,500 AS
H 4 Shays, Christopher R I 2,000 12,850
Delaware S Carper, Thomas* D I 14,000 30,500
S Biden, Joseph, Jr. D I 0 101,007 FR
Florida S Nelson, Bill* R I 53,500 90,860 AS, B, FR
S Martinez, Mel R I 10,000 43,500 FR
H 6 Stearns, Clifford R I 6,000 9,500
H 9 Bilirakis, Michael R I 10 20,116
H 17 Meek, Kendrick D I 6,500 13,500 AS
H 18 Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana R I 9,500 93,990 IR
H 19 Wexler, Robert D I 1,000 12,500 IR
H 20 Wasserman Schultz, Debbie D I 2,500 6,500
H 22 Shaw, E. Clay, Jr. R I 21,005 72,505 W
Georgia H 2 Bishop, Sanford D. Jr. D I 500 500 A
H 5 Lewis, John D I 1,000 71,250 W
H 6 Price, Thomas R I 500 1,000
H 7 Linder, John R I 500 20,150 W
H 8 Marshall, Jim D I 5,000 7,000 AS
H 12 Barrow, John D I 8,100 16,600
Illinois S Durbin, Richard D I 1,500 329,171 A(D, FO)
H 2 Jackson, Jesse, Jr. D I 4,500 10,500 A(FO)
H 5 Emanuel, Rahm D I 8,500 22,000 W
H 6 Roskam, Peter R O 4,000 4,000
H 8 Bean, Melissa D I 19,680 29,680
H 10 Kirk, Mark R I 66,064 119,382 A(FO)
H 11 Weller, Jerry R I 2,500 33,900 IR, W
H 14 Hastert, J. Dennis R I 16,200 97,050 House Speaker
H 15 Johnson, Timothy R I -1,000 7,000
Indiana S Lugar, Richard* R I 32,250 75,450
H 5 Burton, Dan R I 1,000 73,000 IR
H 6 Pence, Mike R I 11,000 22,250 IR(NE)
H 8 Ellsworth, Brad D C 6,000 6,000
Iowa H 3 Boswell, Leonard D I 3,100 23,675 I
Kansas H 3 Moore, Dennis D I 3,600 42,776 B
Kentucky S McConnell, Mitch R I 9,010 377,685 A(FO)
H 4 Davis, Geoffrey R I 1,000 9,500 AS
Louisiana S Vitter, David R I 2,000 33,000
H 1 Jindal, Bobby R I 2,000 8,500
H 3 Melancon, Charles D I 100 18,100
H 4 McCrery, James, III R I 2,000 39,500 W
H 6 Baker, Richard R I 1,000 36,350
H 7 Mount, Willie Landry D N -5,000 13,000
Maine S Snowe, Olympia J.* R I 2,000 73,000 I
S Collins, Susan M. R I 1,000 54,500 AS
H 2 Michaud, Michael D I 500 6,750
Maryland S Cardin, Benjamin L.#* D O 17,500 43,950 W
S Steele, Michael* R O 5,000 5,000
H 5 Hoyer, Steny D I 28,500 120,775 A
Massachusetts S Kennedy, Edward* D I 12,000 79,120 AS
Michigan S Stabenow, Debbie* D I 55,296 96,106 B
H 12 Levin, Sander D I 3,000 119,227 W
Minnesota S Kennedy, Mark*# R O 1,000 3,250
S Klobuchar, Amy* D O 1,000 1,000
S Coleman, Norm R I 3,000 38,980 FR
H 2 Kline, John P. R I 10,000 10,000 AS
H 7 Peterson, Collin C. DFL I 100 100
H 8 Oberstar, James L. DFL I 2,000 2,000
Mississippi S Lott, Trent* R I 13,000 80,200 I
Missouri S Talent, James* R I 36,010 53,510 AS
S McCaskill, Claire* D C 1,000 1,000
H 3 Carnahan, Russ D I 2,500 8,000
H 4 Skelton, Ike D I 1,000 69,450 AS
Montana S Burns, Conrad* R I 29,500 194,510 A(D)
S Baucus, Max D I 2,000 319,348
Nebraska S Nelson, E. Benjamin* D I 46,500 77,260 AS
Nevada S Ensign, John* R I 9,500 21,700 AS, B
H 1 Berkley, Shelley D I 36,750 243,705 IR(NE)
New Jersey S Menendez, Robert*# D I 24,500 68,983 B
H 1 Andrews, Robert D I 3,000 41,750 AS
H 3 Saxton, H. James R I 1,000 72,900 AS
H 5 Garrett, E. Scott R I 5,000 19,700 B
H 6 Pallone, Frank, Jr. D I 5,000 60,550
H 7 Ferguson, Mike R I 500 10,000
H 9 Rothman, Steven D I 9,000 56,503 A(FO)
H 11 Frelinghuysen, Rodney R I 4,100 10,350 A(D)
New Mexico S Bingaman, Jeff* D I 1,000 262,425
New York S Clinton, Hillary Rodham* D I 37,118 56,118 AS
H 2 Israel, Steve D I 5,100 28,100 AS
H 7 Crowley, Joseph D I 10,500 62,657 IR(NE)
H 8 Nadler, Jerrold D I 1,000 21,000
H 9 Weiner, Anthony D I 2,000 17,000
H 14 Maloney, Carolyn D I 2,000 24,000
H 17 Engel, Eliot D I 22,000 163,918 IR
H 18 Lowey, Nita D I 1,000 112,238 A(FO)
H 25 Maffei, Daniel D C 5,000 5,000
H 26 Reynolds, Thomas R I 2,000 4,000 W
H 27 Higgins, Brian D I 4,600 9,600
North Carolina H 10 McHenry, Patrick R I 9,000 9.500 B
H 11 Shuler, Joseph Heath D C 1,000 1,000
North Dakota S Conrad, Kent* D I 52,600 254,539 B
Ohio S DeWine, Mike* R I 31,000 54,500 A(FO), I
S Brown, Sherrod*# D C 2,000 32,750 IR
H 7 Hobson, David R I 3,500 11,000 A(D)
Oklahoma S Inhofe, James M. R I 2,000 89,800 AS
H 2 Boren, David D I 6,500 7,500 AS
H 5 Bode, Denise R O 1,500 1,500
Pennsylvania S Santorum, Rick* R I 46,950 94,700
S Casey, Bob* D C 10,000 10,000
H 6 Gerlach, Jim R I 5,500 8,450
H 6 Murphy, Lois D C 1,000 9,000
H 8 Fitzpatrick, Michael R I 2,000 8,000
H 13 Schwartz, Allyson D I 2,500 23,650 B
Rhode Island S Chafee, Lincoln* R I 1,500 16,500 FR(NE)
Rhode Island S Laffey, Stephen* R C 5,000 5,000
Rhode Island S Reed, Jack D I 1,000 107,350 AS
South Carolina H 5 Spratt, John M. Jr. D I 2,500 17,400 AS, B
H 6 Clyburn, James E. D I 500 4,600 A
South Dakota S Johnson, Tim D I 5,000 166,837 A(FO), B
H At-L. Herseth, StephanieÝ D I 2,100 28,500
Tennessee S Ford, Harold, Jr.*# D O 4,500 14,500 B
H 3 Wamp, Zach R I 2,000 4,000 A
H 6 Gordon, Barton D I 1,000 57,900
Texas H 2 Poe, Ted R I 5,000 5,000 FR
H 10 McCaul, Michael R I 2,000 2,000 FR
H 17 Edwards, Chet D I 5,100 40,700 A, B
H 22 DeLay, Tom R N 26,000 112,050
H 22 Lampson, Nicholas D C 3,000 30,506
H 28 Cuellar, Henry D I 500 2,500 B
H 32 Frost, Martin D N 1,000 190,014
H 32 Sessions, Pete R I 1,000 4,750 B
Utah S Hatch, Orrin G.* R I 1,000 51,700 I
H 1 Bishop, Robert R I 1,000 4,500 AS
H 2 Matheson, James D I 2,100 37,100
H 3 Cannon, Christopher B. R I 500 1,500
Virginia S Allen, George* R I 19,000 29,400 FR
H 1 Davis, Jo Ann R I 1,000 3,750 AS, FR, I
H 7 Cantor, Eric R I 26,500 112,230 W
Washington S Cantwell, Maria* D I 2,844 2,844
H 2 Larsen, Richard D I 3,000 15,000 AS
Wisconsin H 7 Obey, David R. D I 1,000 150,100 A(FO), B
Wyoming S Thomas, Craig* R I 11,000 24,500

PRESIDENT Lieberman, Joseph D C $7,000 286,258


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


TOTAL for 2005-2006 Election Cycle

TOTAL 1978-2004 Funds to Congressional Candidates

TOTAL No. of Recipient Candidates, 1978-2004
$ 1,358,537

$42,365,498

1,978


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KEY: The “Career Total” column represents the total amount of pro-Israel PAC money received from Jan. 1, 1978 through Dec. 31, 2005. S=Senate, H=House of Representatives. Party affiliation: D=Democrat, R=Republican, Ref=Reform, DFL=Democratic Farmers Labor, Ind=Independent, Lib=Libertarian. Status: C=Challenger, I=Incumbent, N=Not Running, O=Open Seat (no incumbent). *=Senate election year, #=House member running for Senate seat, †=Special Election. Committees: A=Appropriations (D=Defense subcommittee, FO=Foreign Operations subcommittee, NS=National Security subcommittee), AS=Armed Services, B=Budget, C=Commerce, FR=Foreign Relations (NE=Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs subcommittee), I=Intelligence, IR=International Relations, NS=National Security, W=Ways and Means. “–” indicates money returned by candidate, “0” that all money received was returned, “[]” = independent expenditures on behalf of candidate (not included in candidate totals).

[Bonobo]

13. I see you like lists. Here is one for you.

Jews were run out of every country in Europe

Year Place

1. 250: Carthage
2. 415: Alexandria
3. 554: Diocese of Clement (France)
4. 561: Diocese of Uzzes (France)
5. 612: Visigoth Spain
6. 642: Visigoth Empire
7. 855: Italy
8. 876: Sens
9. 1012: Mayence
10. 1181: France
11. 1290: England
12. 1306: France
13. 1348: Switzerland
14. 1349: Hielbronn (Germany)
15. 1349: Hungary
16. 1388: Strasbourg
17. 1394: Germany
18. 1394: France
19. 1422: Austria
20. 1424: Fribourg & Zurich
21. 1426: Cologne
22. 1432: Savory
23. 1438: Mainz
24. 1439: Augsburg
25. 1446: Bavaria
26. 1453: Franconis
27. 1453: Breslau
28. 1454: Wurzburg
29. 1485: Vincenza (Italy)
30. 1492: Spain
31. 1495: Lithuania
32. 1497: Portugal
33. 1499: Germany
34. 1514: Strasbourg
35. 1519: Regensburg
36. 1540: Naples
37. 1542: Bohemia
38. 1550: Genoa
39. 1551: Bavaria
40. 1555: Pesaro
41. 1559: Austria
42. 1561: Prague
43. 1567: Wurzburg
44. 1569: Papal States
45. 1571: Brandenburg
46. 1582: Netherlands
47. 1593: Brandenburg, Austria
48. 1597: Cremona, Pavia & Lodi
49. 1614: Frankfort
50. 1615: Worms51. 1619: Kiev
52. 1649: Ukraine
53. 1654: LittleRussia
54. 1656: Lithuania
55. 1669: Oran (North Africa)
56. 1670: Vienna
57. 1712: Sandomir
58. 1727: Russia
59. 1738: Wurtemburg
60. 1740: Little Russia
61. 1744: Bohemia
62. 1744: Livonia
63. 1745: Moravia
64. 1753: Kovad (Lithuania)
65. 1761: Bordeaux
66. 1772: Jews deported to the Pale of Settlement (Russia)
67. 1775: Warsaw
68. 1789: Alace
69. 1804: Villages in Russia
70. 1808: Villages & Countrysides (Russia)
71. 1815: Lubeck & Bremen
72. 1815: Franconia, Swabia & Bavaria
73. 1820: Bremes
74. 1843: Russian Border Austria & Prussia
75. 1862: Area in the U.S. under Grant's Jurisdiction
76. 1866: Galatz, Romania
77. 1919: Bavaria (foreign born Jews)
78. 1938-45: Nazi Controlled Areas
79. 1948: Arab Countries

[western mass]

16. Dude, forgot one: 80. 2006: Palestine.

Oops, sorry, re-reading your list, I realize we're only talking about ethnic cleansing of Jewish people. My bad.

[IA_Seth]

31. What the hell?

What the hell does this list have to do with an Israeli lobby having undue influence on Washington?

Spare me. The Jewish people have been wronged throughout history, point taken...but that does not have a DAMN THING to due with the Israeli lobby influencing our countries government. Nada.

How about we stay on topic, k?

[leesa]

34. Maybe because they kept buying off people's governments?

Your response is really disgusting. What does this have to do with posting the AIPAC donations to government officials?

[Celica Toyota]

39. That explains why we won't stand up to them.

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[harlinchi]

18. I think aid to Israel is a legitimate topic for discussion.

I don't think the Protocols have to be raised as an issue in response. I have not posted on the current conflict (Israel vs Hezbollah). I have a reluctance to post on topics where others have a clearer connection than I. I don't post (often) on abortion, e.g., because, in my view, the question should be decided by females.

While I, like many folks other than members of Hezbollah and Jews (I even feel awkward using the word!) have strong opinions about what is occurring, I hesitate to speak them. I'm not speaking them here, either. I will speak about US foreign aid, though.

I wonder if such aid is to be always given? Will Israel always 'need' it? I'm sure they will find a way to assert that they will. Wouldn't you, given an analogous situation? But should it always be granted?

I think questions should be asked about all foreign aid. All of those 'assist the growth of democracy' dollars spent in Latin America, for instance, actually appear to have been intended to support the business interests of a few wealthy US citizens/corporations. How much did we spend and are we spending to subvert the Venezuelan government? Why is it so important to allot money (last week - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5166806.stm ) to seek democracy in Cuba? Legitimate questions, all. Why should aid to Israel not be questioned, then?

[oc2002]

23. Do not be intimidated by 'anti-Semitic' rhetoric.

you should however read up on the topic, there is in fact much more discusion in Israel about its actions, then you will ever see here!

History is everything in the Middle East for putting any arguments in proper context.

I suggest a book like Beyond Chutzpa by Finkelstien. as a good start.

[harlinchi]

24. Thanks. I took a peek at Wikipedia and a few reviews...

...and he appears to be one who tries to speak the truth. I won't address the numbers of victims of the Holocaust since it, to me, would be pointless. Suppose the total were 5.1 million instead of 6 million. Would that diminish the evil? At what numerical point does the evil rise to the level represented by six million victims? Doesn't 5.1 million suffice? Wouldn't 3 million do? Dadgummit, wouldn't 1 million be enough? I'm not discounting 900,000 victims. If they died or were deprived, they counted!

I'm also not arguing with you; I appreciate the new author to read, and thank you for him. Is there a balancing view you would recommend, or would you say that Finklestein's perspective is closest to the truth?

[jonnyblitz]

26. that term is losing it's affect because when I have pointed

out instances of ACTUAL anti-semitism here (and there HAS been some) I have been flamed more severly than when I harshly criticize Israel. THere is a serious backlash against the term that can be blamed on the people who use it too freely.

[DarkmoonIkonoklast]

37. This former Marine thinks...

   ... ANYTHING our Government does, any decision made, any policy executed, in Our Name, and especially paid for with OUR TAX MONEY, is a legitimate topic for discussion... otherwise, for what did my comrades-in-arms die?

[oc2002]

19. I think the question is why do we have foreign lobbiests influence our gov

There are several problems with AIPAC, one is that the taxpayer is PAYING for it. Another is that, although Israel is an ally they do not always act in our interests, and another is that Israel gets 4-5 billion dollars a year in aid from the tax payers.


A very good article, informative, and non editorial. As for those saying its anti-semitic are just waving a false flag. It is not just about AIPAC, but how the system in Washington is corrupt or broken.

[harlinchi]

20. Wait, US taxpayers pay for AIPAC? n/t

[oc2002]

22. Yes, we give 4-5 billion a year to Israel,

to spend that money any way they want to. Including spending it on AIPAC.

[Totally Committed]

27. Ironic in the extreme, isn't it? --- And, sad.

When I think of what $4 or $5 billion (annually, like clockwork) could do to aleviate poverty and hunger in this country, I want to cry.

TC

[alvarezadams]

29. Aid?

US Aid to Israel (Also see: Links)
Marc Lance http://www.sustaincampaign.org/presentations_resources/articles/gen_lance.html

The question of how much aid the US gives to Israel each year is not an easy one to answer precisely. Certain parts of the aid are clear, namely our direct bi-lateral aid which appears as part of the foreign aid budget. But there are many other categories of aid which are harder to find in the massive federal budget, hard to estimate in terms of actual value, or which are simply unknown.



The category of direct bi-lateral aid alone is staggering. The House of Representatives has appropriated $2.04 billion in military aid to Israel for next year (up from $1.98 billion this year) in addition to $840 million in economic support funds. The total amount of US aid of this sort has been constant, at around $3 billion, for many years, but there is a current ten year plan to phase out economic aid and provide corresponding increases in military aid.



Israel is the single largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid nearly one-third of the total direct bi-lateral aid. If we exclude Egypt whose disproportionate share of aid came as a result of agreements made with Israel at Camp David, and Columbia, which receives enormous aid to prosecute a brutal military campaign allegedly aimed at drug trafficking, Israel receives more than all of Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa combined. That is, one of the richest countries in the world, a country of around 6 million people, receives more aid than two entire continents including some of the poorest regions in the world. This aid amounts to around $500 per year for every Israeli citizen and more if we exclude the Palestinian citizens of Israel who receive few if any benefits from the money (none of this aid goes directly to Palestinians living in the occupied territories). To take one other comparison, the US has put forward less than $300 million to fight AIDS in Africa. So roughly 10 times more money goes to Israel than goes to fight the greatest plague the earth has seen since the middle ages.



Other aid to Israel is harder to calculate. Much is buried in DoD (Department of Defense) budgets and some costs such as lost interest from early disbursement, forgiven loans, etc. is difficult to calculate. Nonetheless, many estimates put total aid at near $5.5 billion. One should not be confident of any particular number here, but there are clear categories of aid not included in the foreign aid budget: research and development support for weapons systems, joint military training, loan guarantees, loans that are later forgiven, gifts of military hardware, access to US military intelligence, special grants for refugee resettlement, and early disbursement of funds.

This last category is not widely known. There are at least two ways in which Israeli aid is different from that of any other country. First, it is transferred to Israel in one lump sum at the beginning of each fiscal year. Other countries’ aid is disbursed throughout the year. This, of course, costs the US interest on the money. Second, Israel needn’t account for specific purchases. Most countries receive aid for very specific purposes and must account for how it is spent. Israel is allowed to place US aid into its general fund, effectively eliminating any distinctions between types of aid.



US loans to Israel are also a source of much confusion. Israel owes the U.S. government almost $3 billion in economic and military loans. It is often stated by Israeli officials that Israel has never defaulted on a loan from the United States. This is true, but only because loans are waived before default can occur. From FY 1994 through FY 1998, Israel received $29 billion in waived loans. Currently, the total U.S. contingent liability for Israeli loans the amount the US will owe if outstanding loans are not repaid is about $10 billion.



Finally, it is worth noting how this aid is spent. After the Intifada began last fall, Israel requested additional shipments of Black Hawk and Apache helicopters. These weapons have been used to fire missiles into civilian neighborhoods and to assassinate Palestinians throughout the Intifada. In June 2001 Israel requested 50 additional F-16 fighter jets. These purchases would, if approved by Congress, be financed largely by U.S. military aid. Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) requested that President Bush investigate whether Israel’s use of these weapons violated the Arms Export Control Act, which stipulates that U.S.-supplied weapons be used only for legitimate self-defense. The White House has not issued a public response.



Moreover, the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act prohibits military assistance to any country which engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights. The State Department, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, LAW , B’tselem, Al-Haq, and other human rights groups have all confirmed that in attempting to suppress the intifada Israel has employed collective punishments, home demolitions, detention without charges, torture of detainees, extra-judicial killings, and other violations of Palestinian human rights.

Finally, the Proxmire amendment bans military assistance to any government that refuses to sign the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty and to allow inspection of its nuclear facilities, which Israel refuses to do. Presidential and Congressional indulgence of Israel has allowed it to respond to the Palestinian intifada with massively disproportionate force, escalating the conflict beyond any possibility of a peaceful resolution in the foreseeable future.

Author is a professor of philosophy at Georgetown University, and founder of SUSTAIN.

-----------

In exchange we have little manipulations such as the USS Liberty or the cabal with the French and Brits to wage aggressive war.

Being a victim (of various wars) doesn't justify the unjustifiable. Two (or more) wrongs don't make a righ.

[alvarezadams]

30. More manipulation

...Analysts say Israel's targeting of civilian and government infrastructure overshadows its strikes on the offices and rocket launchers of Hezbollah guerrillas, whose capture of two Israeli soldiers triggered the attacks.

"This is a classic strategic bombing campaign," said Stephen Biddle, a former head of military studies at the U.S. Army War College now at the Council on Foreign Relations. "What the Israelis are trying to do is pressure others into solving their problem for them, hence the targeting of civilian infrastructure."

But the growing list of civilian casualties — despite Israel's use of U.S.-designed precision-guided bombs — could turn Arabs and others against the Jewish state and its key ally, the U.S., and still not fatally wound Hezbollah, said military analysts....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060720/ap_on_re_mi_ea/mideast_fighting_strategic_bombing

[Celica Toyota]

38. kick

[Celica Toyota]

40. kick