Post by Moses on Oct 24, 2005 18:03:42 GMT -5
The Author of "America Unbound" posted his frame of the Bush Admin [not run by neocon cabal he says] to TPM cafe, and received this response:
...pure horsepucky.
George Bush and Dick Cheney are not philosopher kings. They are the representatives of --and depend upon -- a wealthy elite who have invested hundreds of $billions abroad and who depend upon the US government to protect their investments via use of the US military.
Readers need to ask themselves why professional pundits --i.e, people who depend upon this for a living -- never address who contributes to US campaigns , what the interests of those donors are, how those donors affect US foreign policy , and how actions to benefit private interests harm US national security.
Yet we know that US politics is market-driven --and that the "customer base" of people who can write huge checks to fund $200 million campaigns is pretty limited.
What the "ideology" memes don't address is why the Democratic leadership was so weak and timid in opposing Bush's war on Iraq--even though much of the Democratic rank and file were strongly opposed. Why the attack on Howard Dean? Why was John Kerry so tongue-tied when criticizing George Bush in the Presidental debates?
You want to know why we are in Iraq? We're there because Haim Saban and a few other billionaires thought it was a good idea. Some because of the oil. Some because of the chance for big weapons sales. Some because they are strong supporters of Israel -- often for business reasons.
Again, look at the Iraq timeline:
**************
a) November 2000- 2002: The biggest campaign donor to the Democratic Party is Israeli billionaire Haim Saban, who contributes $12.7 million in the 2000 and 2002 campaign cycles. (His wife Cheryl's donations raises the total to$13.7 million) See Reference [1] below
b) May 2002: Haim Saban funds the "Saban Center for Middle East Policy" at the Brookings Institute. One of the four stated research areas is "the implications of regime change in Iraq". Another task is providing "future policymakers with a better understanding of the complexities of the Middle East and the process of developing effective policies to deal with them"[2]
c) June 30,2002: St Petersburg Times notes that "leading congressional Democrats were concerned that Jewish voters and donors were reassessing their relationship "with the Democratic Party given Bush's strong pro-Israel stance [3]
d) September 10, 2002: During a conference at the University of Virginia, high level intelligence adviser to the White House, Philip Zelikow, states:
e) December 19, 2002: In a Los Angeles Times op-ed "Lock and Load",the Directors of Haim Saban's Center for Middle East Policy ,
Martin Indyk and Kenneth Pollack, state
They then advocate launching a war on Iraq.[5]
f) January 17, 2003: Atlanta Jewish Times notes that " pro-Israel interests have contributed $41.3 million" in campaign donations over the past decade, with more than two thirds going to the Democrats. Article also notes that Republicans are making a strong push to court those big donors. [6]
g) June 20, 2003: In a New York Times column, "Saddam's Bombs? We'll Find Them", Saban Center Director Kenneth Pollack states "Where are Iraq's weapons of mass destruction? It's a good question, and unfortunately we don't yet have a good answer... In any event, the mystery will be solved in good time; the search for Iraq's nonconventional weapons program has only just begun." [7]
h) September 2004: John Kerry attempts to criticize the Bush war on Iraq but can only make incoherent, strangled sounds.
i) November 2004: Instead of $12.7 million, Haim Saban's campaign donations in the 2004 election only total $84,000 -- and $2,000 goes to George W Bush, in case the Democrats don't get the message.[8]
j) November 2000-2002: Another large Democratic donor is billionaire S Daniel Abraham of West Palm Beach, Florida --who donates over $2.3 million to the Democrats in 2000-2002. [9]
Mr Abraham has long been a strong advocate for Israel in US foreign policy circles via his Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation [10]
k) March 18,2003: S Daniel Abraham donates $2,000 to Howard Dean's campaign[11]
l) September 11, 2003: Howard Dean receives a storm of criticism from the Democratic leadership after saying that the US needs to be evenhanded in the Israel-Palestinian issue [12]
k) November 2003-Feb 2004: Howard Dean campaign is destroyed in Iowa primary by a barrage of attack ads from a mysterious group "Americans for Jobs and Healthcare". Leader of
group refuses to disclose funding sources. Disclosure to FEC not required until end of quarter. [13]
l) March 2004: FEC report indicates that attack group "Americans for Jobs" received $1 million in funding, with the largest donation --$200,000 -- coming from S Daniel Abraham.[13]
m) November 2004: Instead of $Millions, S Daniel Abraham only gives the Democrats $81,500 in the 2004 election [11]
n) October 2004: John Kerry attempts to criticize Bush's invasion of Iraq but can only make incoherent, strangled sounds.
-------------------
References:
[1] www.opensecrets.org/indivs/index.asp , enter "Saban, Haim" and
select election cycles 2000,2002
[2] www.brookings.edu/comm/news/20020509saban.htm
[3] www.sptimes.com/2002/06/30/Columns/Jewish_voters_noticin.s html
[4] www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=23083
[5] www.brook.edu/views/op-ed/indyk/20021219.htm
[6] www.atljewishtimes.com/archives/2003/011703cs.htm
[7] www.brookings.edu/views/op-ed/pollack/20030620.htm
[8] www.opensecrets.org/indivs/index.asp (enter "Saban, Haim" and
choose 2004 )
[9] www.opensecrets.org/indivs/index.asp , enter "Abraham, S Daniel"
and 2000,2002
[10] www.motherjones.com/news/special_reports/mojo_400/1_abraha m.html
[11] www.opensecrets.org/indivs/index.asp , enter "Abraham, S
Daniel" and 2004
[12] www.cbs2.com/politics/politicsla_story_254070009.html
[13] www.public-i.org/report.aspx?aid=194&sid=200
...pure horsepucky.
George Bush and Dick Cheney are not philosopher kings. They are the representatives of --and depend upon -- a wealthy elite who have invested hundreds of $billions abroad and who depend upon the US government to protect their investments via use of the US military.
Readers need to ask themselves why professional pundits --i.e, people who depend upon this for a living -- never address who contributes to US campaigns , what the interests of those donors are, how those donors affect US foreign policy , and how actions to benefit private interests harm US national security.
Yet we know that US politics is market-driven --and that the "customer base" of people who can write huge checks to fund $200 million campaigns is pretty limited.
What the "ideology" memes don't address is why the Democratic leadership was so weak and timid in opposing Bush's war on Iraq--even though much of the Democratic rank and file were strongly opposed. Why the attack on Howard Dean? Why was John Kerry so tongue-tied when criticizing George Bush in the Presidental debates?
You want to know why we are in Iraq? We're there because Haim Saban and a few other billionaires thought it was a good idea. Some because of the oil. Some because of the chance for big weapons sales. Some because they are strong supporters of Israel -- often for business reasons.
Again, look at the Iraq timeline:
**************
a) November 2000- 2002: The biggest campaign donor to the Democratic Party is Israeli billionaire Haim Saban, who contributes $12.7 million in the 2000 and 2002 campaign cycles. (His wife Cheryl's donations raises the total to$13.7 million) See Reference [1] below
b) May 2002: Haim Saban funds the "Saban Center for Middle East Policy" at the Brookings Institute. One of the four stated research areas is "the implications of regime change in Iraq". Another task is providing "future policymakers with a better understanding of the complexities of the Middle East and the process of developing effective policies to deal with them"[2]
c) June 30,2002: St Petersburg Times notes that "leading congressional Democrats were concerned that Jewish voters and donors were reassessing their relationship "with the Democratic Party given Bush's strong pro-Israel stance [3]
d) September 10, 2002: During a conference at the University of Virginia, high level intelligence adviser to the White House, Philip Zelikow, states:
e) December 19, 2002: In a Los Angeles Times op-ed "Lock and Load",the Directors of Haim Saban's Center for Middle East Policy ,
Martin Indyk and Kenneth Pollack, state
They then advocate launching a war on Iraq.[5]
f) January 17, 2003: Atlanta Jewish Times notes that " pro-Israel interests have contributed $41.3 million" in campaign donations over the past decade, with more than two thirds going to the Democrats. Article also notes that Republicans are making a strong push to court those big donors. [6]
g) June 20, 2003: In a New York Times column, "Saddam's Bombs? We'll Find Them", Saban Center Director Kenneth Pollack states "Where are Iraq's weapons of mass destruction? It's a good question, and unfortunately we don't yet have a good answer... In any event, the mystery will be solved in good time; the search for Iraq's nonconventional weapons program has only just begun." [7]
h) September 2004: John Kerry attempts to criticize the Bush war on Iraq but can only make incoherent, strangled sounds.
i) November 2004: Instead of $12.7 million, Haim Saban's campaign donations in the 2004 election only total $84,000 -- and $2,000 goes to George W Bush, in case the Democrats don't get the message.[8]
j) November 2000-2002: Another large Democratic donor is billionaire S Daniel Abraham of West Palm Beach, Florida --who donates over $2.3 million to the Democrats in 2000-2002. [9]
Mr Abraham has long been a strong advocate for Israel in US foreign policy circles via his Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation [10]
k) March 18,2003: S Daniel Abraham donates $2,000 to Howard Dean's campaign[11]
l) September 11, 2003: Howard Dean receives a storm of criticism from the Democratic leadership after saying that the US needs to be evenhanded in the Israel-Palestinian issue [12]
k) November 2003-Feb 2004: Howard Dean campaign is destroyed in Iowa primary by a barrage of attack ads from a mysterious group "Americans for Jobs and Healthcare". Leader of
group refuses to disclose funding sources. Disclosure to FEC not required until end of quarter. [13]
l) March 2004: FEC report indicates that attack group "Americans for Jobs" received $1 million in funding, with the largest donation --$200,000 -- coming from S Daniel Abraham.[13]
m) November 2004: Instead of $Millions, S Daniel Abraham only gives the Democrats $81,500 in the 2004 election [11]
n) October 2004: John Kerry attempts to criticize Bush's invasion of Iraq but can only make incoherent, strangled sounds.
-------------------
References:
[1] www.opensecrets.org/indivs/index.asp , enter "Saban, Haim" and
select election cycles 2000,2002
[2] www.brookings.edu/comm/news/20020509saban.htm
[3] www.sptimes.com/2002/06/30/Columns/Jewish_voters_noticin.s html
[4] www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=23083
[5] www.brook.edu/views/op-ed/indyk/20021219.htm
[6] www.atljewishtimes.com/archives/2003/011703cs.htm
[7] www.brookings.edu/views/op-ed/pollack/20030620.htm
[8] www.opensecrets.org/indivs/index.asp (enter "Saban, Haim" and
choose 2004 )
[9] www.opensecrets.org/indivs/index.asp , enter "Abraham, S Daniel"
and 2000,2002
[10] www.motherjones.com/news/special_reports/mojo_400/1_abraha m.html
[11] www.opensecrets.org/indivs/index.asp , enter "Abraham, S
Daniel" and 2004
[12] www.cbs2.com/politics/politicsla_story_254070009.html
[13] www.public-i.org/report.aspx?aid=194&sid=200