AIPAC's Tough Talk Is Not Fooling Anyone
by Joel B. Pollak 23 Feb 2014,
5:34 AM PDT
The American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) published an op-ed
in the New York Times Saturday in which its leaders made a passionate and
well-argued case for continued pressure on Iran, and also for the role of
Congress in setting foreign policy. The organization, the op-ed made clear,
supports the Kirk-Menendez bill, i.e. the "Nuclear Weapon Free Iran
Act," which would apply new sanctions "if, and only if, the talks
fail."
The op-ed notes that Iranian
leaders have proudly declared that they do not intend to dismantle their
nuclear program, and even includes what might be considered a little dig at the
administration and its hostile attitude towards Congress in general: "At this
moment, we must not allow Iran to dictate the appropriate role of
Congress.....America’s elected representatives are not the problem; the
unelected theocrats of Iran are."
It is tough talk, and sets the
agenda for AIPAC's annual Policy Conference next week, which will bring many
thousands of pro-Israel volunteers to Capitol Hill to lobby their respective
members of Congress. But no one takes AIPAC's tough talk seriously. That is
because AIPAC sheepishly backed away from the Kirk-Menedez bill earlier this
month, when it was clear that Democrats would not fight President Barack
Obama's veto threat.
The authors of the op-ed attempt
to deal with that problem--rather unconvincingly: "Earlier this month, we
agreed with Mr. Menendez on delaying a vote in the Senate, but we remain
committed to the bill’s passage." Delaying--until when? Committed--how?
There are no good answers. The bill already has nearly sixty Senate
co-sponsors, and could likely override a veto. The problem is Democrats lack
the guts to take the first step.
And--crucially--AIPAC lacks the
courage to put the Democrats on the spot. At its Policy Conference dinner, it
will perform the absurd "roll call" ritual in which it introduces all
the members of Congress present, as if to signal to the volunteers that these
elected representatives really do care about Israel. Members of Congress have
realized that they need only endure a big crowd and some overcooked chicken to
check the "pro-Israel" box.
It is not just that AIPAC is
afraid of losing it's "bipartisan" label. The problem is also that
AIPAC's membership and donors are largely Democrat, reflecting the partisan
leanings of the American Jewish community. It does not want to make its members
face an uncomfortable political choice. So it will try to adopt a strong
position, without taking any action necessary to shame Democrats into following
through. Tough talk--but talk is cheap.
American-Israel Public Affairs Committee
(AIPAC)
Wendy Senor
Singer is the head of Jerusalem
office for the AIPAC, married to Saul Singer, and her brother is Daniel S. Senor.
Note: Saul Singer is
married to Wendy Senor Singer, and
the editorial page editor for the Jerusalem
Post.
Wolf
Blitzer was a correspondent for the Jerusalem
Post, and is an anchor at CNN.
Steven
W. Korn was the vice chairman & COO for CNN, and the president & CEO for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Thomas
A. Dine was the president for Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and an executive director at the AIPAC.
Walter
Isaacson was the chairman & CEO for CNN, and is the president & CEO for the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank).
George Soros
was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
David
H. Koch is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), the chairman for the Americans for
Prosperity Foundation, and was a donor for Americans for Prosperity.
Americans
for Prosperity Foundation is an affiliated group for the Americans for Prosperity.
Sheldon G. Adelson
pledged support in 2012 the Americans
for Prosperity, and a contributor for AIPAC.
Madeleine K.
Albright is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and is the
chairman for the National Democratic
Institute (think tank).
Kenneth D.
Wollack is the president of the National
Democratic Institute (think tank), and was the legislative director for the
AIPAC.
Morris J. Amitay
was an executive director for the AIPAC,
and is a lobbyist for the General
Dynamics Corporation.
William A. Osborn
is a director at the General Dynamics
Corporation, and a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago.
J. Christopher
Reyes was a director at the General
Dynamics Corporation, and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
James S.
Crown is a director at the General
Dynamics Corporation, a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank),
and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Lester Crown
was a director at the General Dynamics
Corporation, a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank),
and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
J.B.
Pritzker is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, a friend of Lee Rosenberg, and his father was Donald Pritzker.
Lee
Rosenberg is a friend of J.B.
Pritzker, and the chairman for the AIPAC.
Penny S. Pritzker
is Donald Pritzker’s daughter, a
member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, was the national finance
chair, fundraiser for the 2008 Barack
Obama presidential campaign, a co-chair for the 2009 Barack Obama inaugural committee, a fundraiser, national
co-chair for the 2012 Barack Obama
presidential campaign, a contributor for the 2013 Barack Obama inaugural committee, the host for the Barack Obama fund-raising dinner, 7/2/2008,
and Craig M. Robinson’s basketball
coach to children's team.
Craig M. Robinson’s
basketball coach to children's team was Penny
S. Pritzker, and is Michelle Obama’s
brother.
Michelle
Obama is Craig M. Robinson’s
sister, was a lawyer at Sidley Austin
LLP, and she babysat Jesse L.
Jackson Jr.
Barack
Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin
LLP.
Newton
N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago.
R.
Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP.
Jesse Jackson Jr. sentenced to 30 mos. in prison;
Sandi Jackson gets 1 year
Wednesday,
August 14, 2013
Sandi
Jackson is married to Jesse L.
Jackson Jr., and was the deputy director of training for the Democratic National Committee.
Debbie
Wasserman Schultz is the chair for the Democratic
National Committee.
Steven
Grossman was the national chairman for the Democratic National Committee, and the national chairman for the AIPAC.
Dana
J. Hyde was the legislative assistant for AIPAC, counsel for the National
Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, and an attorney at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr.
Lee
H. Hamilton was the vice chair for the National
Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, and is an honorary
trustee at the Brookings Institution
(think tank).
Cameron F. Kerry
was an associate at Wilmer Cutler
Pickering Hale and Dorr, a director at the National Jewish Democratic Council, is a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and
John F. Kerry’s brother.
Sheldon G. Adelson
sued the National Jewish Democratic
Council for defamation, and a contributor for the AIPAC.
Ira
N. Forman was an executive director for the National Jewish Democratic Council, and the legislative liaison
& political director for the AIPAC.
John
F. Kerry is Cameron F. Kerry’s brother,
the secretary at the U.S. Department of
State for the Barack Obama
administration, and married to Teresa
Heinz Kerry.
Teresa Heinz
Kerry is married to John F. Kerry,
and an honorary trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution
(think tank).
George Soros
was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, and is a board
member for the International Crisis
Group.
Thomas R.
Pickering is a co-chair for the International
Crisis Group, a distinguished fellow at the Brookings Institution (think
tank), was the chairman of review board that investigated the 2012 attack on U.S.
consulate in Benghazi, Libya in 2013, and the U.S. ambassador for Israel.
Saban
Center for Middle East Policy is a policy center at the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
Haim
Saban is a benefactor for the Saban
Center for Middle East Policy, a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a board member for the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, a
friend of Shimon Peres, married to Cheryl Saban, and a the treasurer for
the Saban Family Foundation.
Shimon
Peres is a friend of Haim Saban,
and the president of Israel.
Cheryl
Saban is married to Haim Saban,
the president of the Saban Family
Foundation, and was a major contributor for the 2011 Rahm Emanuel mayoral campaign.
Rahm
I. Emanuel was the candidate for the 2011
Rahm Emanuel mayoral campaign, the White House chief of staff for the Barack Obama administration, a civilian
volunteer for the , is the Chicago (IL) mayor,
a member of the Commercial Club of
Chicago, and his father is Benjamin
M. Emanuel.
Benjamin M.
Emanuel is Rahm I.
Emanuel’s father, and worked with Irgun.
Irgun
Saban Family
Foundation was a funder for Brookings Institution (think tank), the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces,
and the American Israel Education Foundation.
American
Israel Education Foundation is a charitable arm for the AIPAC.
Wendy Senor
Singer is the head of Jerusalem
office for AIPAC, married to Saul Singer, and her brother is Daniel S. Senor.
Saul
Singer is married to Wendy Senor
Singer, and the editorial page editor for the Jerusalem Post.
Wolf
Blitzer was a correspondent for the Jerusalem
Post, and is an anchor for CNN.
Daniel S. Senor
is Wendy Senor Singer’s brother, married
to Campbell Brown, the chief
spokesman for the Coalition Provisional
Authority in Iraq, and guest on Morning
Joe.
Campbell Brown
is married to Daniel S. Senor, was an
anchor for CNN, and a guest on Morning Joe.
Coalition
Provisional Authority in Iraq was a transitional government after U.S. invasion for Iraq.
Iraq Study Group
made policy recommendations on U.S.
involvement in Iraq.
Lee
H. Hamilton was the co-chair for the Iraq
Study Group, the vice chair for the National
Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, and is an honorary
trustee at the Brookings Institution
(think tank).
Dana
J. Hyde was the legislative assistant for AIPAC, counsel for the National
Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, and an attorney at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr.
Cameron F. Kerry
was an associate at Wilmer Cutler
Pickering Hale and Dorr, a director at the National Jewish Democratic Council, is a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and
John F. Kerry’s brother.
Vernon E. Jordan Jr. was a member of
the Iraq Study Group, is an honorary
trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle, a director at the American
Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), and a 2008 Bilderberg conference
participant (think tank).
Valerie B. Jarrett
is Vernon E. Jordan Jr’s great niece, the senior
adviser for the Barack Obama
administration, a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and a friend of Linda
Johnson Rice.
Commercial Club of Chicago,
Members Directory A-Z (Past Research)
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Cyrus F.
Freidheim Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Linda Johnson
Rice is a friend of Valerie B.
Jarrett, a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and a director at the United
Negro College Fund.
David
M. Sable is a director at the United
Negro College Fund, and was a director at Israel21c.
Amy
Friedkin is the president of Israel21c,
and was the president for the AIPAC.
No comments:
Post a Comment