Wes Clark: I will not tolerate anti-Semitic conspiracy webs to permeate the honest debate

[oberliner]

January 9, 2007

Abraham H. Foxman National Director Anti-Defamation League New York, NY

Dear Mr. Foxman:

I really enjoyed our conversation yesterday and look forward to our continuing relationship.

As we discussed, I believe that the United States today finds itself in a pivotal position as we seek to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

We need to get our strategy right. Challenging the threat posed by Iran’s quest for regional hegemony and nuclear capabilities requires a multi-faceted strategy. There is still time for direct dialogue, and the United States should take the lead. There are no guarantees that such a dialogue would be successful; and the option to use force should not be taken off the table. It has been my experience that diplomacy has always been America’s most effective tool and that force should be used only as a last resort.

My position on Iran should not be misinterpreted, defined out of context or used to create conspiracy theories about one group’s influence on U.S. foreign policy. There is no place in these critical policy debates for Anti-Semitic conspiracy theories that blame the Jewish community for the war in Iraq and for action against Iran.

A nuclear-armed Iran would pose a grave risk to the United States and our allies, including Israel.

I will not tolerate anti-Semitic conspiracy webs to permeate the honest debate Americans must have about how best to confront Iran.

I look forward to working with you and others in the American Jewish community to ensure that Iran does not become a nuclear threat to the United States , Israel, and our allies.

Sincerely,

Wesley K. Clark


http://www.forward.com/blogs/campaign-confidential/wesley-clark-dear-abe/

[Adelante]

1. I was just reading about this on American Prospect today

Smears for Fears
Wes Clark just got caught up in the rigged rules for discussing Israel-related issues in America.

By Matthew Yglesias
Web Exclusive: 01.23.07

Retired General Wesley Clark is, like me, concerned that the Bush administration is going to launch a war with Iran. Arianna Huffington spoke to him in early January and asked why he was so worried the administration was headed in this direction. According to Huffington's January 4 recounting of Clark's thoughts, he said this: "You just have to read what's in the Israeli press. The Jewish community is divided but there is so much pressure being channeled from the New York money people to the office seekers."

This, of course, is true. I'm Jewish and I don't think the United States should bomb Iran, but Thursday night I was talking to a Jewish friend and she does think the United States should bomb Iran. The Jewish community, in short, is divided on the issue. It's also true that most major American Jewish organizations cater to the views of extremely wealthy major donors whose political views are well to the right of the bulk of American Jews, one of the most liberal ethnic groups in the country. Furthermore, it's true that major Jewish organizations are trying to push the country into war. And, last, it's true that if you read the Israeli press you'll see that right-wing Israeli politicians are anticipating a military confrontation with Iran. (For example, here's an article about the timing of the selection of a new top dog in the Israeli Defense Forces; Benjamin Netanyahu is quoted as saying that the new leader "will have to straighten the army out, rebuild Israel's deterrence and prepare the defenses against threats, first and foremost, against Iran.")

Everything Clark said, in short, is true. What's more, everybody knows it's true. The worst that can truthfully be said about Clark is that he expressed himself in a slightly odd way. This, it seems clear, he did because it's a sensitive issue and he worried that if he spoke plainly he'd be accused of trafficking in anti-Semitism. So he spoke unclearly and, for his trouble, got … accused of trafficking in anti-Semitism.

James Taranto, who writes the hack "Best of the Web" column for the online version of The Wall Street Journal's hack editorial page, likened Clark's views on this to the notorious anti-Semitic forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Scott Johnson of the influential and moronic right-wing Power Line blog argued that "Clark's comments are not simply 'anti-Israel,'" and asked "is it a only a matter only of parochial concern to American Jews that they are now to be stigmatized without consequence in the traditional disgusting terms -- terms that used to result in eviction from the precincts of polite society -- by a major figure in the Democratic Party?"

-more

Matthew Yglesias

http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=12394

Edit: corrected format

[FrenchieCat]

2. Yes, I've read about this......in a couple of places....

Thankfully, it appears that it is only the neocons via the Republicans Noise machine that are attempting to light the fuse under the General in order to dismiss the messenger and distract from the reall warning on Iran.

What's new? :shrug:

The blog world is all a tizzy over recent remarks made by former Presidential candidate/decorated NATO General Wesley Clark regarding the Jewish Right’s obsession with bombing Iran. “The Jewish community is divided,” said Clark, “but there is so much pressure being channeled from the New York money people to the office seekers.” US News & World Report’s Michael Barone claims that Clark’s statement is “a sign that pro-Israel sentiment is not as strong in Democratic politics as it used to be.” Funny, I see it as a sign that being pro-Israel doesn’t necessarily mean supporting a neoconservative agenda. But hey, what do I know? I’m just a self-hating Jew.
http://jewschool.com/2007/01/08/mishegaas-20/