How Leahy tried, and failed, to downgrade aid to Israel

[cali]

1.

The age of gloating for Democrats over aid to Israel is probably over. It was a sweet ride, but apparently also short. Today, when the National Jewish Democratic Council convenes some reporters in a conference call with Jewish legislators, they had better be prepared to answer questions not just about the Republican decision to oppose aid to Israel, but also about their own Democratic head of subcommittee, who tried to downgrade the aid in an unprecedented way.

2.

And here's the story, published here for the first time. It involves Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, who has never been one of Israel's staunchest friends on the Hill. Leahy is often critical of the policies and behavior of the Israel (and sometimes rightly so). He is also the Chairman of the State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee. In this position, he tried last week - and intimately failed - to change the language of the "Fiscal Year 2008 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill," in ways not favorable to Israel.

3.

Leahy, truth must be told, was not going to hurt Israel financially. It would have gotten the aid one way or the other. However, he did try to downgrade it in many other ways, some very technical, some symbolic. One example: he sought to change the word Shall to Should wherever the bill says that Israel "Shall" get money. This might seem insignificant to people unfamiliar and not attuned to the legislative process, but it is not. Status symbols that have been in the bill for quite a while now are a serious business. And friends of Israel, in the committee and outside of it, reacted in astonishment to this bold trial by Leahy to use his power and introduce such changes at the last minute.

4.

Bottom line: Israel has many friends in this subcommittee. To name just a few, Daniel Inouye from Hawaii, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, Sam Brownback of Kansas and many more. It also has good friends on the Appropriations Committee like Dianne Feinstein of California (also often critical, but in a friendlier manner), Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey and others. Those friends, some alarmed by outside observers (AIPAC never sleeps), told Leahy they didn't like what they were seeing. Some testy words were exchanged in the markup session last Thursday. The bill, as it was introduced and passed, does not include the language Leahy wanted. In that sense, one can just treat this wrangling and shoving as if it had never happened.


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http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/rosnerBlog.jhtml?itemNo=877394&contrassID=25&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=1&listSrc=Y&art=1

mods: the reason I posted this here is that it has to do with U.S Israel relations and the Foreign Operations budget.

[Taverner]

1. Yikes

:popcorn:

[cali]

2. I think it's a pretty good example of how

difficult it is to change the course of Congress on Israel.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. I am in the middle of the Israel Lobby.

and the idea that AIPAC has bought, paid for and owns 70 senators and four times as many congresscritters is no surprise.

[cali]

4. What do you mean by "I am in the middle of the Israel Lobby"?

And I don't actually believe that AIPAC owns 70 Senators, etc. I think it's more complex than that.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. A superb book by two highly regarded profs,

from from the U of C.

They write how the too/close relationship between Israel and the US has actually damaged both countries. They explain, in great detail, how AIPAC has fucked our foreign policy and torn it into shreds, mainly in the muddle east. 2/5 of the book is footnotes, and I have checked more than 40 of them out. All accurate, all scary. It makes one despair for our future.

[cali]

7. Oh, you mean Mearsheimer and Walt's

new book. It's on order at my little library. I must say though that I've read mixed reviews.

[TwilightGardener]

6. Can somebody tell me why we're buying Israel cluster-bombs?

Don't they have enough weapons at their disposal?

[cali]

8. no, but at least that was something Leahy did accomplish:

"Leahy did score one achievement, which should not be be counted as a part of the story I was just telling. This achievement is an amendment that will prevent Israel from buying cluster bombs with American aid money. The bill approved by the Appropriations Committee includes a measure, sponsored by Leahy and Feinstein, that would restrict the sale or transfer of cluster bombs. No military funds will be used for such bombs unless "the cluster bombs have a failure rate of one percent or less; and the sale or transfer agreement specifies that the cluster bombs will be used only against clearly defined military targets and not where civilians are known to be present." The Lebanon war is the reason for the passage of this amendment in the Senate committee this year."

[Totally Committed]

9. Well, at least that's something....

Cluster bombs should be banned! The idea that my tax $$$ are buying them for ANYONE makes me ill.

However.... AIPAC must be stopped. MUST BE STOPPED.






TC

[cali]

10. I think the way to weaken AIPAC is to

make sure the information about the influence they wield, is disseminated in a way that isn't full of hyperbole or falsity or paranoia.

And supporting Leahy and others who are not influenced by AIPAC, isn't a bad idea either.

[Freddie Stubbs]

12. So that Israel retains the qualitative edge for its national security and its right to self-defense.

[DBoon]

11. "Friends of Israel?"

How about being a "friend" of the country you were elected to represent?