Quit Hating on Jimmy

As Ben Smith reports on his Politico blog, some Jewish Democrats, although certainly not all, are taking offense at Jimmy Carter's willingness to make even a mild critique of Israeli policy. Elliot Abrams, an Iran-Contra indictee, and Ira Forman, executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council whine about the former President's willingness to point out how big a contribution Israeli settlements have made to continuing the conflict in that region.

My Gut Reaction: Oh, boo-hoo...

Analysis: If one takes even a brief look at their website, it becomes clear what the NJDC is trying to do. As part of their "Stop the Smears" campaign, they are doing their best to present President Obama as Israel's best friend possible. Any comments, however legitimate, that might lead some to doubt the Democratic Party's support for Israel will be condemned, no matter how well-thought out they are.

However, these criticisms ignore the genuine moral claims of Palestinians in the face of Israeli settlers. Furthermore, they ignore the fact that, as a major source of funding for the Israeli government, we have the most control over what they do, and hold responsibility for their actions in the face of the Arab world. If we seek to be taken seriously as peacemakers, we must rein in the Israelis' actions.

Deja Vu...

The recent speech by Sen. Barack Obama on energy was not perfect by any means. It pandered to the auto industry and auto unions, and gave no specific indication of what type of sacrifices would need to be made by the American people in order to achieve sustainable energy use.

That stated, there was one point Sen. Obama made that was quite important, although it has not been focused on by the media to my knowledge. At one point, he notes that our current crisis is partially the result of the failure of previous generations of American leaders to deal with the issue of our dependence on foreign oil. In doing so, he unwittingly echoed a warning voiced by President Jimmy Carter over twenty years ago.



In an address to the nation, he warned that failing to address our dependence on oil at the present time would lead us to more dire straits later on. In Obama's speech, we see what the failure to heed that warning has led to.

Beat the Cockburn

Although The Nation Alexander Cockburn is known for his extreme opinions, his “Year of the Prisoner” column was beyond the pale. (Note: You must have a Nation subscription to read the full article.) First, his suggestion that Democrats should accuse John McCain of collaborating with the North Vietnamese is politically suicidal. Doing so would open the Democratic Party to a deluge of condemnation for being unpatriotic. It is bad enough when the Republicans swift boat us; we do not need to do it to ourselves.

Second, his claims that nuclear weapons may be on the USS Jimmy Carter, despite international agreements to the contrary, are unsubstantiated. Aren’t journalistic accusations supposed to be supported by evidence, or has The Nation adopted the standards of Fox News?

Mr. Cockburn should look to the example of his brother Patrick and base his assertions on the facts on the ground. Until he does so, his column should be entitled “Out to Lunch.”