Post by Moses on May 21, 2004 16:11:49 GMT -5
Hollings' remarks raise anti-Semitic charges
Senator defends opinion piece accusing Bush of using war in Iraq to get the Jewish vote
Staff and wire report
U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings is defending statements he made in a newspaper opinion piece he wrote that President Bush went to war with Iraq to protect Israel and garner favor with Jewish voters in November.
Some South Carolina Jewish leaders criticized the statement, saying the senator from Charles-ton went too far in putting his statements in newspapers.
"Is he anti-Semitic? No," said Columbia Jewish leader Sam Tenenbaum, husband of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Inez Tenenbaum. "Is the statement anti-Semitic? Yes," he said.
For a second day in a row, Hollings, D-S.C., on Wednesday declined to accept media phone calls about the column. Instead, he released a letter he sent to a constituent as his statement on the matter.
In the letter, Hollings wrote that he could provide quotes from Jewish leaders in the United States and Israel to support his position. He said characterizations of his comments as "anti-Jewish stereotyping or scapegoating is ridiculous."
Hollings' column appeared in three South Carolina newspapers this month, including The Post and Courier. He wrote: "With Iraq no threat, why invade a sovereign country? The answer: President Bush's policy to secure Israel."
He said Bush "came to office with one thought -- re-election. Bush felt tax cuts would hold his crowd together, and spreading democracy in the Mideast to secure Israel would take the Jewish vote from the Democrats."
Abraham Foxman, president of the Anti-Defamation League, wrote Hollings asking him to retract his comments. "This is reminiscent of age-old, anti-Semitic canards about a Jewish conspiracy to control and manipulate government," Foxman wrote. [sound familiar?]
It isn't the first time Hollings' comments have drawn criticism. In 38 years in the U.S. Senate, he has apologized for remarks that offended various religious and ethnic groups, including Jews, blacks and Japanese. For some, the comments could be seen as another case of Hollings being Hollings."To them, we say one doesn't take bigotry in stride," Foxman said. "He is one out of 100 (senators). These are 100 of the most prominent people in the country. To hear such crudeness, such ugliness, such classical anti-Semitism. It's sad."
State Democratic Party Chairman Joe Erwin did not return messages seeking comment. Local Jewish leaders were not immediately available for comment Wednesday.
Hollings voted in 2002 to give Bush permission to attack Iraq but later said he was misled and that the war is a mistake.
Inez Tenenbaum also released a statement saying Hollings was mistaken. [This is the SC DEMOCRATIC candidate for Senate]
"Sometimes I agree with Sen. Hollings," she said. "Sometimes I disagree. In this case I disagree and believe his statement was wrong."
Hollings' spokeswoman said the office had received about 30 calls on the matter, but only five came from South Carolina, and the issue ranked third as the hot topic of the day's calls coming in. Firing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld ranked first, she said.
Sam Tenenbaum said Hollings has long had a reputation for offensive comments but said "I don't think people keep scorecards."
www.charleston.net/stories/052004/sta_20hollings.shtml
Senator defends opinion piece accusing Bush of using war in Iraq to get the Jewish vote
Staff and wire report
U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings is defending statements he made in a newspaper opinion piece he wrote that President Bush went to war with Iraq to protect Israel and garner favor with Jewish voters in November.
Some South Carolina Jewish leaders criticized the statement, saying the senator from Charles-ton went too far in putting his statements in newspapers.
"Is he anti-Semitic? No," said Columbia Jewish leader Sam Tenenbaum, husband of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Inez Tenenbaum. "Is the statement anti-Semitic? Yes," he said.
For a second day in a row, Hollings, D-S.C., on Wednesday declined to accept media phone calls about the column. Instead, he released a letter he sent to a constituent as his statement on the matter.
In the letter, Hollings wrote that he could provide quotes from Jewish leaders in the United States and Israel to support his position. He said characterizations of his comments as "anti-Jewish stereotyping or scapegoating is ridiculous."
Hollings' column appeared in three South Carolina newspapers this month, including The Post and Courier. He wrote: "With Iraq no threat, why invade a sovereign country? The answer: President Bush's policy to secure Israel."
He said Bush "came to office with one thought -- re-election. Bush felt tax cuts would hold his crowd together, and spreading democracy in the Mideast to secure Israel would take the Jewish vote from the Democrats."
Abraham Foxman, president of the Anti-Defamation League, wrote Hollings asking him to retract his comments. "This is reminiscent of age-old, anti-Semitic canards about a Jewish conspiracy to control and manipulate government," Foxman wrote. [sound familiar?]
It isn't the first time Hollings' comments have drawn criticism. In 38 years in the U.S. Senate, he has apologized for remarks that offended various religious and ethnic groups, including Jews, blacks and Japanese. For some, the comments could be seen as another case of Hollings being Hollings."To them, we say one doesn't take bigotry in stride," Foxman said. "He is one out of 100 (senators). These are 100 of the most prominent people in the country. To hear such crudeness, such ugliness, such classical anti-Semitism. It's sad."
State Democratic Party Chairman Joe Erwin did not return messages seeking comment. Local Jewish leaders were not immediately available for comment Wednesday.
Hollings voted in 2002 to give Bush permission to attack Iraq but later said he was misled and that the war is a mistake.
Inez Tenenbaum also released a statement saying Hollings was mistaken. [This is the SC DEMOCRATIC candidate for Senate]
"Sometimes I agree with Sen. Hollings," she said. "Sometimes I disagree. In this case I disagree and believe his statement was wrong."
Hollings' spokeswoman said the office had received about 30 calls on the matter, but only five came from South Carolina, and the issue ranked third as the hot topic of the day's calls coming in. Firing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld ranked first, she said.
Sam Tenenbaum said Hollings has long had a reputation for offensive comments but said "I don't think people keep scorecards."
www.charleston.net/stories/052004/sta_20hollings.shtml