AIPAC's Proxy War on Obama

[Purveyor]

On August 12, 2008, President Barack Obama awarded the Medal of Freedom, our nation's highest civilian honor, to 16 individuals whom he described as "agents of change". Among the awardees were: Senator Edward Kennedy; former Congressman and Cabinet Secretary, the late Jack Kemp; and Grameen Bank founder, Muhammed Yunus.

One of the recipients, Mary Robinson, Ireland's first woman President and world renowned advocate for human rights, was singled out for attack by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and AIPAC. They argued, on the flimsiest of grounds, that Robinson was biased against Israel (though for the ADL and AIPAC, anything short of effusive praise for Israel is seen as evidence of bias).

The case they built against her was based largely on her chairing the 2001 World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, in her capacity as High Commissioner of the UN Human Rights Commission. The Durban Conference has been criticized by supporters of Israel for its harsh criticism of Israeli policies. There is, however, clear evidence that Robinson played an important moderating role in tempering the language of the conference, especially when it came to upbraiding those conferees who crossed the line into anti-Semitism. She was praised for her efforts by prominent Israelis, including Shimon Peres. None of this, however, has deterred Robinson's detractors. When faced with the facts which rebut their charges, they simply ratcheted up their rhetoric. A recent piece in the Jerusalem Post, for example, makes an absurd charge, blaming Robinson "for the destruction of the universality and moral foundation of human rights".

Despite the harshness of these attacks, and the hurt, no doubt, they have brought to Ms. Robinson, I am convinced that this entire episode had less to do with her than it does with the President. And the charges against this distinguished Irish leader though not only wrong headed, hurtful to her, and unfair, were also a case of political misdirection.

What first aroused my suspicions was ADL's and AIPAC's silence about the fact that South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu had also been tapped by the President to receive a Medal of Freedom. Unlike Robinson, who has only expressed general concern about Palestinian rights and temperate criticism of Israeli policy, Tutu has been a harsh critic, comparing Israeli practices in the occupied lands to Apartheid. How to explain this uproar over Robinson, and not a peep about Tutu?

MORE...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-zogby/aipacs-proxy-war-on-obama_b_258869.html

[Clio the Leo]

1. Remember a few months back when the admin boycotted the UN Conference.....

...... the one where Imadinnajacket made his big speech and a bunch of folks walked out? Anyway, there were folks here who were LIVID that the Obama admin. ........ which is of course headed by a BLACK DUDE ......... was not attending the conference and thus SUPPORTING racism. Blah, blah blah.

[Behind the Aegis]

2. It was a smart move on his part.

[Kurska]

3. Indeed, he made a good choice in staying away from that circus n/t

[Cali_Democrat]

4. AIPAC has been caught spying on America in the past

Lawrence Franklin, a US Department of Defense employee, pled guilty to passing sensitive information to the Israelis through AIPAC. He is serving time in prison where he belongs.

AIPAC is filthy and they only serve the interests of Israel and not the USA. They should remove the A from their name and just be called the Israel Public Affairs Committee.