AIPAC Goes After Jewish Dem Leader -- For Fighting Against War Bill!

AIPAC Goes After Jewish Dem Leader -- For Fighting Against War Bill!

Foreign Policy
 |  Posted: 01/23/2014
10:28 pm EST  |  Updated: 01/23/2014
11:59 pm EST

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/23/israel_n_4656033.html

Foreign Policy:



A
recent letter attacking Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie
Wasserman Schultz is causing an internal brouhaha at the American Israel Public
Affairs Committee, The Cable has learned.



Read the
whole story at Foreign Policy

One of Congress’s Most Pro-Israel Lawmakers Isn’t Pro-Israel
Enough for AIPAC

BY John Hudson

JANUARY 23, 2014 - 07:52 PM

http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2014/01/23/one_of_congress_s_most_pro_israel_lawmakers_isn_t_pro_israel_enough_for_aipac

A recent letter attacking Democratic
National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz is causing an internal
brouhaha at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, The Cable has
learned. The powerful lobbying outfit, known for its disciplined non-partisan
advocacy for Israel, recently issued an action alert about the Florida
congresswoman's waffling on Iran sanctions legislation. The letter urged
members to contact Wasserman Schultz and cited a disparaging article about her
in a conservative website founded by a prominent Republican political
operative.

That AIPAC was driving hard for new
Iran sanctions legislation surprised no one. But its use of a right-wing blog
to target a well-connected Jewish Democrat with a long history of support for
Israel raised eyebrows among some current and former AIPAC officials. It also
raised concerns that AIPAC's open revolt against the White House's Iran
diplomacy could fray its relations with liberal Democrats on the Hill.

"In the 40 years I've been
involved with AIPAC, this is the first time I've seen such a blatant departure
from bipartisanship," said Doug Bloomfield, AIPAC's former chief lobbyist.
Bloomfield was referring to an AIPAC letter scrutinizing Wasserman Schultz's
silence on sanctions. The letter relied on the Washington Free Beacon's reporting,
which (irony alert) happened to be the first news outlet to report
on the existence of the letter.

"We are asking you, our leaders
in the pro-Israel community, to reach out to Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman
Schultz's office," read the letter. "The [Free Beacon] article included below about Debbie Wasserman
Schultz blocking bipartisan Iran sanctions came out yesterday and, simply put,
we need to know if the story is true." 

Bruce Levy, a member of AIPAC's
National Council who supports new sanctions legislation, said the group made a
mistake by using the partisan news site in its official alert to members.
"It probably gave [The Beacon] credibility, which I'm not happy
about," he said. "Every little schmuck can express his opinion on the
Internet, and unfortunately, it gains credibility when you endorse it."

AIPAC declined to comment for this
story.

The situation Wasserman Schultz
finds herself in is a dilemma shared by many Democrats torn between their
support for the White House and their longstanding ties to the pro-Israel
community. But in her case, the politics are even more treacherous.

Wasserman Schultz, who refuses to
declare her position on the bill, is taking more heat from pro-Israel groups
than any other Democratic lawmaker, even though prominent members of the party
like Michigan Sen. Carl Levin and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein openly
oppose new sanctions at this time. It's not a mystery why.

Wasserman Schultz hails from a
heavily Jewish congressional district in south Florida where many equate
support for new sanctions with support for Israel. Given her high-profile
status as chair of the DNC, a position given to her by President Obama, and her emphatic
support of Israel, she's viewed as a bellwether for other fence-sitting Democrats
in Congress.

The future of Iran sanctions
legislation in the House of Representatives and Senate remains uncertain. In
the Senate, Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-Il) have corralled a
near-filibuster-proof majority of senators in support of their Nuclear Weapons
Free Iran Act, despite the outspoken opposition by the White House. If passed,
the bill would slap new sanctions on Iran if the current talks end without a
long-term deal. The White House says Iran will walk away from the delicate talks
if the legislation is passed, but 59 senators have already signed on in
support, including 16 Democrats. Thus far, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
has refused to give the bill a vote, but new legislative efforts in the House mirroring
the Kirk-Menendez legislation seek to pressure Reid into allowing one.

Needless to say, it hasn't been a
great month for Wasserman Schultz. In the past several weeks, she's been
hammered for her refusal to support the new sanctions legislation -- a dynamic
accelerated by a Huffington Post report in January detailing her
secret effort to press wavering Democrats to oppose the bill. After the AIPAC
letter went out, her office was hit with phone calls from AIPAC members in
Florida.

But that wasn't the end of it. The
Emergency Committee for Israel, a side project of conservative pundit William
Kristol, took out a bruising video ad attacking the congresswoman's pro-Israel
credentials. "She says she's tough on Iran," intones the ad, "so why is she against
bipartisan Iran sanctions?"

Pro-Israel advocates said they
expected those kinds of partisan attacks from right wing political outfits like
ECI, but not from AIPAC.

Michael Adler, an AIPAC activist and
prominent Democratic donor, said targeting Wasserman Schultz for not supporting
new sanctions legislation is misguided given her value to the pro-Israel
community. "The bill is only a litmus test for the unsophisticated in the
pro-Israel community," he said. "People can disagree on tactics, but
Debbie is in a unique position as DNC chair and has the pro-Israel agenda
deeply-rooted in her."

Bloomfield, who spent nine years as
chief lobbyist and legislative director at AIPAC, said the AIPAC he knew
wouldn't reproduce an article from such a blatantly partisan outlet. "We
used to use the phrase over and over again: We wanted to be a bridge between
the two parties," he said. "When Democrats would introduce
legislation to embarrass Republicans and Republicans would return the favor, we
wouldn't bite."

Levy, who stressed that he was not
speaking for AIPAC, said few appreciate the difficult position Wasserman
Schultz is in. "Debbie can not poke a stick in the eye of the
president," he said. "She's the head of the DNC for God's sake."

While he disagrees with the
administration's "naivete" with regards to Tehran, Levy said the
pro-Israel community must stand by her. "I don't envy her position,"
he said. "She's representing a large constituency in South Florida and the
DNC at the same time. That can be a conflict."

AIPAC's campaign in South Florida
has also triggered rare anger towards the group on Capitol Hill, where some
feel it has gone way too far.

"AIPAC has really over-reached
on this one and alienated key allies on the Hill over what really boils down to
a small tactical difference over sanctions timing," said a congressional
aide who has worked closely with AIPAC. "It's hard to come to any other
conclusion that they aren't deliberately flaming the partisan flames for their own
political benefit." 

Adler doubted that the letter
represented the views of elite AIPAC operatives and said the organization would
no doubt maintain its bipartisan sheen. "When you have an organization
that depends on citizen lobbyists some of them aren't as nuanced," he
said. 

Whatever the case, it's unlikely
that Wasserman Schultz will be able to keep her silence on new sanctions given
the passion of her constituents. As it stands, her spokesperson would not deny
reports that she had brought other Democrats to the White House to lobby
against the new sanctions bill. Statements she provided to The Cable,
and other media outlets, cleverly dodge  the issue of new sanctions
legislation. "Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz has been a strong supporter of
sanctions against Iran and will continue to be," said spokeswoman Mara
Sloan. With no vote pending in the House, she's under no obligation to declare
a position. But whether that will pass muster with her South Florida
constituents remains to be seen

Comment:

BEFORE ANY PERSON COMMENTS HE MUST TAKE
INTO CONSIDERATION WHETHER 13% JEWS IN US CAN PLAY WITH THE FATE OF MILLIONS OF
AMERICANS VOICE DESENT ON THE ISSUE “NO” TO IMPOSE  NEW SANCTION ON IRAN?

AT A TIME WHEN IRAN HAS AGREED TO THE
CONDITION LAID OUT BY THE US AND OTHER FIVE COUNTRIES INCLUDING EU NEGOTIATORS.  ISRAEL’S ORCHESTRATED ACTION THROUGH AIPAC IS
CONSIDERED BY THE MAJORITY AMEICANS AS AN AUDACIOUS ILLEGAL INTERFERENCE OF APACE ON
BEHALF OF ISRAEL IN THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS OF US.

NOW, ISRAEL’S  DEMAND AND ACTION AGAINST THE JEWS AND OTHERS
HAS PUT ALL IN LOGGER HEAD LONGTIME DIPLOMATIC FIGHT AND DISBLIEVE. THIS MOVE
OF THE ISRAEL

AND ITS TESTICLES THE MEMBERS OF AIPAC
EXCEPT A FEW SANER JEWS WOULD NOT ONLY PUT US IN A EMBARRASSING POSITION. IN
ADDITION, WOULD FACILITATE  RUSSIA TO USE
THE SITUATION TO THEIR ADVANTAGE TO CONSOLIDATE THEIR STAND AND POSITION IN MID
EAST. THIS SUFFICIENTLY PROVES THAT ISRAEL IS IN SECRET CONIVENCE WITH RUSSIA
TO HUMILIATE US AND RAISE THE DEPENDENCY OF THE ARAB WORLD OF MID EAST ON RUSSIA,
WHILE RUSSIA WOULD GRANTEE ON BEHALF OF IRAN.  

NETANYAHU WANTS TO START WW III BY
ATTACKING IRAN. HE FORGETS HE WOULD DESTROY THE WORLD ALRIGHT AT THE SAME TIME HE
WOULD DESTROY ALL JEWS ALL OVER THE WORLD TOTALLY.

THIS IS THE TIME AMERICANS MUST UNITE
AND STRENGHTEN THE HANDS OF THE PRESIDENT AND DEMAND OF HIM TO VETO THE
RESOLUTION OF SANCTION IF ANY.

THE SAME THING AND MORE WHICH US PRESIDENT IS
DOING THROUGH NEGOTIATION RATHER MORE SOLIDLY BY INVOLVING ALL OTHER SUPER
POWERS. BUT NETANYAHU IS ALLERGIC TO THE PRESIDENT AND HAS BEEN WORKING WITH HIS
EGO OF HATE AGAINST THE US PRESIDENT FROM DAY ONE OF HIS PRESIDENCY OF US.

NETANYAHU'S EGO IS SO STRONG THAT TO
SATISFY HIS EGO HE WOULD NOT MIND A THIRD WORLD WAR.

ANY NEW RESOLUTION ON NEW SANCTION ON IRAN
IF IS PASSED BY THE CONGRESS AND SENATE VOTES SHOULD BE STRAIGHT VETOED AND AIPAC
MUST BE ASKED TO PACK UP AND LEAVE US FOR EVER WITH THEIR SUPPORTING POODLES.

THAT IS WHY THE SAYING IS INSIDE ENEMY
IS MORE DANGEROUS THEN OUTSIDE ENEMY.  WE
AMERICANS HAD BEEN TOO GOOD TO THE ISRAELI HYPOCRITES THAT TODAY THEY WANT TO
THRUST ON US ISRAEL'S EVIL DESIRE ON US TO GET IT DONE EVEN AFTER ALL THESE YEARS
OF PASSONATE  AND LOVE BY US AMERICANS.  THIS ASSASSIN IS NOT A HUMAN BEING, OTHERWISE
HOW COULD HE THREATEN A SANE JEWISH LADY OF SUCH A HIGH PROFILE AND STATUS.  EMINENT POLITICAL ANALYSTS ARE OF THE OPINION
THAT EVEN JEWS ARE NOT SAFE IN HIS HANDS.