Countdown
The Sheen of Shaheen...
Vol. VIII, No. 11
Posted on Wednesday March 28, 2007
The Sheen of Shaheen...
Arab American Bill Shaheen, the New Hampshire political powerhouse who chaired the successful primary campaigns for President Jimmy Carter, Vice President Al Gore, and Senator John Kerry (D-MA), last week threw his weight behind Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY). Shaheen will serve as co-chair of Clinton's national campaign as well as her New Hampshire efforts.
"As a father of three daughters, I am honored to be part of this historic campaign that will help elect the first woman president," he said. As for his better half, former Governor and chair of the 2004 Kerry campaign, Jeanne Shaheen, her current position as director of Harvard's Institute of Politics, requires her to remain neutral.
The Fear Factor...
The Israeli daily Haaretz is weighing in on the 2008 presidential race with an ongoing feature called "The Israel Factor" which rates the candidates' Israel-friendliness. The overwhelming winner (and the only candidate who wins the panel's unanimous praise) is former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Former House Speaker New Gingrich (R), Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (D) round out the top five.
When asked what makes a candidate "good for Israel," the answers are revealing: "He can deal in a realistic way with the conflicts of Middle East; he will not be overly susceptible to world opinion; he is ready to use force when necessary; he knows Israel and its problems; he will make sure not to pressure Israel into making concessions that will leave it with indefensible borders; he will take into account the interests of Israel as he formulates his Middle East policy; he is emotionally attached to Israel and the things it represents, and is pro-Zionist; he is well connected within the American Jewish community." Nobody thought that a peaceful resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict might make a candidate "good" for Israel?!?! Oy vey!
Here We Go Again...
When voters gave Democrats control of Congress in November, it was generally agreed they were expressing deep disenchantment with the war in Iraq. It was also generally agreed that they were not eager to start a war with Iran. But never mind what the voters want.
Salon reports that "AIPAC showed its true power-and its continuing ability to steer American Mideast policy in a disastrous direction-when a group of conservative and pro-Israel Democrats succeeded in removing language from a military appropriations bill that would have required Bush to get congressional approval before using military force against Iran." That's right. This time there won't even be a vote for Members of Congress to equivocate about.
Hit the Road, Jack...
Proving that any phrase containing the words "diplomat" and "John Bolton" is the ultimate oxymoron, America's former ambassador to the United Nations boasted to the BBC that he was "'damned proud of what we did' to prevent an early ceasefire" during Israel's assault on Lebanon last summer.
In an interview for a BBC radio documentary, "The Summer War in Lebanon," Bolton also described Israel's goal of "defeating their enemy militarily" as "perfectly legitimate...and good politics." Though not a surprise, hearing Bolton so bluntly brag about his "accomplishments" is just gross.
