Patterico's Pontifications

3/16/2010

Help Joe Klein

Filed under: International — DRJ @ 12:37 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

Joe Klein is dismayed at AIPAC:

“The America-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has done a very unwise thing: It has issued a statement criticizing the Obama Administration, rather than Israel, for its reaction to the Netanyahu government’s recent announcement of more illegal settlement blocks in East Jerusalem–an announcement that was made during Vice President Joe Biden’s visit last week, an act of extreme rudeness on top of its unquestioned illegality.

This is quite remarkable. I may be wrong–and commenters are welcome to correct me–but I can’t remember another ethnic or religious lobbying group publicly siding with a foreign country against the President of the United States … especially when the country in question is engaging in behavior that the international community believes is illegal.”

This sounds like another way of saying Americans shouldn’t criticize the President over foreign policy matters, harkening back to the notion that politics stops at the water’s edge. However, Vietnam War activists and Bush era celebrities mastered the concept of Americans siding with a foreign country against a U.S. President. For example:

  • Jane Fonda:

    “If, as she claims in her autobiography, the purpose of her broadcasts was to apprise pilots and ground troops of what our bombing was doing to the North, why did she broadcast the following statements (among others like them)?

    The United States must get out of South Vietnam and “cease its support for the . . . Thieu regime.”

    “I want to publicly accuse Nixon here of being a new-type Hitler whose crimes are being unveiled.”

    “The Vietnamese people will win.”

    “Nixon is continuing to risk your [American pilots’] lives and the lives of the American prisoners of war . . . in a last desperate gamble to keep his office come November. How does it feel to be used as pawns? You may be shot down, you may perhaps even be killed, but for what, and for whom?”

    Nixon “defiles our flag and all that it stands for in the eyes of the entire world.”

  • Sean Penn:

    “Hollywood star Sean Penn applauded President Hugo Chavez as the Venezuelan leader lambasted the Bush administration and demanded an end to war in Iraq.

    Chavez met privately with Penn for two hours Thursday, praising the actor as “brave” for urging Americans to impeach President Bush.

    “In the name of the peoples of the world, President Bush, withdraw the troops from Iraq. Enough already with so much genocide,” Chavez said before an auditorium packed with his red-clad supporters.

    Penn sat near the front, at times applauding and nodding in agreement. He is the latest in a series of celebrities who have visited Caracas, including actor Danny Glover and singer Harry Belafonte.”

  • Any others we should bring to Mr. Klein’s attention?

    — DRJ

    39 Responses to “Help Joe Klein”

    1. The number of things that would come as a surprise to Joe Klein would be just shy of infinity.

      JD (3f6928)

    2. How about all those Muslim groups that have repeatedly sided with America’s enemies?

      pst314 (672ba2)

    3. Senator John Kerry not only praised the communist North Vietnamese regime, he secretly met with it to negotiate and to coordinate his anti-war strategy.

      pst314 (672ba2)

    4. Ted Kennedy approached the KGB for support to undermine Reagan.

      all the groups and individuals that supported Saddam, both times.

      the list is long and undistinguished.

      redc1c4 (fb8750)

    5. But..but..but…DRJ. That’s different!

      The people Joe Klein likes are, well, good.

      The people Joe Klein does not like are, well, evil.

      So it’s not hypocrisy.

      Joe Klein is just right. I mean, “left.”

      Eric Blair (c8876d)

    6. and who could forget move on, in trying to prevent the surge, and all the other anit-Bush groups that are now so strangely silent, even as his policies remain in place under Ear Leader’s reign.

      redc1c4 (fb8750)

    7. Let’s also not forget CAIR, and all of their fellow indicted and unindicted, co-conspirators.

      AD - RtR/OS! (02b3ae)

    8. Klein said, in part, “I can’t remember another ethnic or religious lobbying group …”

      DRJ: Though I’m not in any way as concerned about AIPAC’s actions as Joe Klein appears to be, I do wonder if you are comparing the same thing when you talk about the individual actions of Fonda and Penn? They are not one-man and one-woman “ethnic and religious lobbying groups” far as I know.

      I don’t believe they lead or speak for ethnic or religious lobbying groups, either.

      Myron (6a93dd)

    9. Because loyalty applies to groups and not individuals?

      DRJ (daa62a)

    10. CAIR’s support of Hamas in contradiction to US administration policy would seem to be something to point out to Klein.

      SPQR (26be8b)

    11. Joe Klein is Idiotology level stupid. Doesn’t he do VH1 shows in his spare time?

      JD (8c105e)

    12. Mr. Klein, meet the shark–you know, the one you just jumped.

      kyle (f0256d)

    13. It’s a travesty! A group whose purpose is to encourage good US-Israel relations for the benefit of Israel and America is mad at the President for being an asshole to Israel! Contriving a situation where Jerusalem and Washington “face off,” a situation America apparently considers just the new way of business but Israel considers the biggest crisis in relations in three decades, that will surely benefit both parties! Joe Klein, what a genius!

      skwiself (b69230)

    14. Wow, another self – loathing Jew from the left. Quel surprise.

      Dmac (ca1d8c)

    15. The usual…the lefties demand that the West Bank be Juden Rein…and they call us Fascists and Nazis.

      It’s all too funny.

      Dave Surls (9a2653)

    16. Joe Klein is dismayed at AIPAC:

      “The America-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has done a very unwise thing: It has issued a statement criticizing the Obama Administration, rather than Israel, for its reaction to the Netanyahu government’s recent announcement of more illegal settlement blocks in East Jerusalem–an announcement that was made during Vice President Joe Biden’s visit last week, an act of extreme rudeness on top of its unquestioned illegality.

      Somebody should really tell Klien that the Nuremburg laws were discarded in 1945.

      ttc (4eaf13)

    17. The usual…the lefties demand that the West Bank be Juden Rein…and they call us Fascists and Nazis.

      It’s all too funny.

      Damn Ay-rabs should just let the Chosen People steal their land and resources and force them into enclosed ghettos.

      AJB (3008d4)

    18. BTW, Jane Fonda and Sean Penn are not “ethnic or religious lobbying group[s]” but thanks for playing the false equivalency game anyway.

      AJB (3008d4)

    19. Obama loves to meddle in the internal affairs of our allies such as Israel and Honduras, but holds the line on criticizing international scumbags and pariahs like Iran and Venezuela. Go figure.

      daleyrocks (718861)

    20. Hey DRJ:

      “…Because loyalty applies to groups and not individuals?..”

      You have identified one of the most important signifiers of the Progressive Leftist here. Individuals never count to these people. Only groups, and monolithic groups at that.

      Brilliant call.

      Besides, the “Party of So?” will continue to shriek at the things that serve their side, and sweep anything that disagrees with their world view under the carpet.

      Eric Blair (c8876d)

    21. Even Ozzie Guillen, Manager of the White Sox dumped all over Sean Penn in a twitter message.

      daleyrocks (718861)

    22. “BTW, Jane Fonda and Sean Penn are not “ethnic or religious lobbying group[s]” but thanks for playing the false equivalency game anyway.”

      AJB – So you and Mr. Klein would have been fine if individual influential Jews had reamed the Obama Administration over its misguided policies?

      daleyrocks (718861)

    23. Israel, Honduras, and Great Britain are finding out what it is like to be Barcky’s friends. And AJB is a mental midget.

      JD (f56a68)

    24. DRJ you asked..I may be wrong–and commenters are welcome to correct me–but I can’t remember another ethnic or religious lobbying group publicly siding with a foreign country against the President of the United States … especially when the country in question is engaging in behavior that the international community believes is illegal.”

      Yes there is one striking instance of a group going to a foreign country to support that government against the US.

      October of last year This news announcement..

      Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) has announced that he is leading a group to Honduras to encourage those who helped fund and supported the coup against Honduran President Manuel Zelaya to resist American pressure to return Zelaya to office.

      In other words, Jim DeMint is acting against the foreign policy of the United States of America in encouraging post-coup Honduran government officials defy the United States. He is encouraging a political leadership which has no legitimacy and which not recognized by other democracies in the region — while the ousted President makes cell phone UN General Assembly statements from a couch-bed in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa.

      Oh by the way, and Israel’s settlements are illegal as is torture, but as usual Republicans think law and morality is only for someone else.

      And if you dont think comment 14 about self loathing Jews is anti Semitic hate speech, then you have no standards..

      VietnamEraVet (9f20cf)

    25. DRJ you asked..I may be wrong–and commenters are welcome to correct me–but I can’t remember another ethnic or religious lobbying group publicly siding with a foreign country against the President of the United States … especially when the country in question is engaging in behavior that the international community believes is illegal.”

      Yes there is one striking instance of a group going to a foreign country to support that government against the US.

      October of last year This news announcement..

      Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) has announced that he is leading a group to Honduras to encourage those who helped fund and supported the coup against Honduran President Manuel Zelaya to resist American pressure to return Zelaya to office.

      In other words, Jim DeMint is acting against the foreign policy of the United States of America in encouraging post-coup Honduran government officials defy the United States. He is encouraging a political leadership which has no legitimacy and which not recognized by other democracies in the region — while the ousted President makes cell phone UN General Assembly statements from a couch-bed in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa.

      Oh by the way, and Israel’s settlements are illegal as is torture, but as usual Republicans think law and morality is only for someone else.

      And please dont let this site be ruined by anti Semitic hate speech as seen in post 14 about self loathing Jews.. How hateful is that!!

      VietnamEraVet (9f20cf)

    26. Don’t forget La Raza and similar organizations.

      pst314 (dbf8fd)

    27. VEV, I will personally give your entire comment all the consideration it is due based on your previous postings here. Have a good evening.

      Stashiu3 (44da70)

    28. Just send him a DVD of Team America. Probably hasn’t seen it yet.

      Kevin Murphy (3c3db0)

    29. Joe Klein’s president is sort of an embarrassment to our country I think. Like the high school drop-out rate and obesity levels. Except for like if obesity levels were the president.

      You just can’t take the little president man anywhere.

      happyfeet (71f6cb)

    30. I think it’s an admirable to stand against the cowardly American president’s attempts to oppress the Honduran people.

      happyfeet (71f6cb)

    31. President Obama will never let racism stop him from recreating Stalins dream.

      highpockets (8952b4)

    32. that was supposed to say an admirable *thing* I think…

      hey DRJ I have a blog for you!

      here!

      that’s my favorite post so far… I read it over and over and sigh like Peggy Noonan with a hot cup of General Foods International French Vanilla Coffee.

      happyfeet (71f6cb)

    33. “Damn Ay-rabs should just let the Chosen People steal their land”

      It’s not their land, never was their land and never will be their land.

      Eretz Israel belongs to the Arabs like India belonged to the Brits.

      And saying that Jews shouldn’t be allowed to build houses in the West Bank is like saying that American Indians shouldn’t be allowed to build houses in America.

      Dave Surls (9a2653)

    34. (@25 VietnamEraVet) Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) has announced that he is leading a group to Honduras to encourage those who helped fund and supported the coup against Honduran President Manuel Zelaya to resist American pressure to return Zelaya to office.

      There was no coup as it was prevented by the Honduras Supreme Court and Congress. Zelaya attempted to usurp the Honduras Constitution, but was stopped by those institutions and by military officers in Honduras who refused to obey his unlawful orders and instead obeyed their court system and Congress.

      Subsequent to Zeyala’s lawful removal from power, an interim President was selected in accordance the the legal line of succession (the interim President was from Zelaya’s own party). Once the scheduled election took place a few months later, he stepped down and the new elected President assumed power.

      President Obama did everything he could to reinstate Zelaya. At one point, he refused to support the scheduled elections:

      So far, the Obama administration has ignored these requests and instead has repeatedly doubled down. It’s revoked the U.S. travel visas of President Micheletti, his government and private citizens, and refuses to talk to the government in Tegucigalpa. It’s frozen desperately needed financial assistance to one of the poorest and friendliest U.S. allies in the region. It won’t release the legal basis for its insistence on Mr. Zelaya’s restoration to power. Nor has it explained why it’s setting aside America’s longstanding policy of supporting free elections to settle these kinds of disputes.

      I am not certain where Joe Klein stood on this issue (and quite frankly do not care), but hopefully it was not as shameful as our President.

      Pons Asinorum (1f16cc)

    35. “This is quite remarkable. I may be wrong–and commenters are welcome to correct me–but I can’t remember another ethnic or religious lobbying group publicly siding with a foreign country against the President of the United States”–some wanker

      Maybe not. But, a bunch of traitor Democrats once took it a step farther, and took up arms against our country. I think some guy named Lincoln was President at that time.

      Dave Surls (9a2653)

    36. VeVian forgot Baghdad Jim McDermott’s (D-WA) mission to Iraq in the countdown to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
      But, why am I surprised – there is very little in history that she has gotten correct.

      AD - RtR/OS! (02b3ae)

    37. I see VEV’s fantasy life is as rich as ever.

      SPQR (26be8b)

    38. Because loyalty applies to groups and not individuals?

      DRJ: Isn’t that my argument, not yours? You’re the one who equated two individuals with lobbying groups.

      Myron (a79d53)

    39. In all the decades of hippy punching we’ve had, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jane Fonda referred to as a religious and/or ethnic group.

      Congrats on your novelty, I suppose.

      [note: fished from spam filter. –Stashiu]

      fishbane (a72928)


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