soc.veterans

Obama advisor: US Jews Hinder Peace

Yitzak Benhorin - YNet News March 26, 2008

General Merrill "Tony" McPeak, Senator Barack Obama's military advisor
and co-chair of his presidential campaign is a longtime anti-Israeli
critic who has slammed Israel harshly during his career, according to
an inquiry by conservative American media outlets.

McPeak, who served as the chief of staff o the US Air Force before
retiring in 1994, made headlines over the past week after accusing
former President Bill Clinton of McCarthyism. Yet as it turns out,
over the years he has criticized Israel for failing to withdraw to the
1967 borders and charged American Jews were preventing American
pressure that would lead to a Mideast peace agreement.

The examination of McPeak's career, undertaken by conservative
magazine American Spectator among others, revealed that the general
adopted a harsh anti-Israeli line in interviews he submitted to and
articles he published. According to the magazine, beyond his affinity
for alcohol, which saw him detained for drunk driving a year ago,
McPeak also appears to take great pleasure in slamming Israel and pro-
Israel Jews.


'Large vote in favor of Israel'

In an interview with The Oregonion about five years ago, McPeak argued
that the influence exerted by American Jews is responsible for the
lack of progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. According
to the general the problem was New York and Miami.

"We have a large vote here in favor of Israel. And no politician wants
to run against it," he said.

In the same interview, McPeak spoke of his personal experience with
Israel.

"I've spent a lot of time in Israel, worked at one time very closely
with the Israeli Air Force as a junior officer," he said, "but that's
maybe the more cosmopolitan, liberal version of the Israeli
population."

McPeak also charged that Jews and Christian Zionists manipulated
American foreign policy in Iraq.

"Let's say that one of your abiding concerns is the security of Israel
as opposed to a purely American self-interest, then it would make
sense to build a dozen or so bases in Iraq," he said.


'Disturbing canard'

Following the latest revelations, the Republican Jewish Coalition
(RJC) called on Obama to remove McPeak as his military advisor and
national campaign co-chairman.

"By choosing to have a military advisor and national campaign co-
chairman like General McPeak, serious questions and doubts are once
again being raised about Senator Obama's positions and judgment on
Middle East issues," said RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks.

"Rather than putting the blame where it belongs - on the Palestinian
leadership and their continued reliance on terror, General McPeak
finds it more convenient to blame American Jewry and their perceived
influence," said Brooks. "This is the same dangerous and disturbing
canard being promoted by the likes of Jimmy Carter and authors
Mearsheimer and Walt in their book, The Israel Lobby."

"Senator Obama continues to surround himself with advisors holding
troubling and disturbing anti-Israel bias," Brooks said. "We call on
Senator Obama to immediately remove General McPeak from his campaign
leadership role and as a key advisor."

www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3523709,00.html

Be sure to read 'The Lobby Strikes Back' article which mentions
Mearsheimer/Walt and Obama via the following URL:

http://amconmag.com/2007/2007_12_03/cover.html



Additional about Mearsheimer/Walt at following URL:



http://www.itszone.co.uk/zone0/viewtopic.php?t=49800



Congressman Howard Berman on Israel and the pro-Israel lobby



http://www.itszone.co.uk/zone0/viewtopic.php?t=85265

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A premature withdrawal from Iraq would endanger Israel, John McCain
said.

"I believe a reckless and premature withdrawal would be a terrible
defeat for our security interests and our values," the Arizona senator
and putative Republican presidential nominee said Wednesday in a major
foreign policy speech. Iran, which backs Shi'ite hegemonic aspirations
in Iraq, would "view our premature withdrawal as a victory and the
biggest state supporter of terrorists, a country of nuclear ambitions
and state of desire to destroy the state of Israel, will see its
influence in the Middle East grow significantly."
Top Israeli officials have also said that a hasty U.S. withdrawal from
Iraq would endanger Israel. Both Democratic candidates, Sens. Hillary
Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.), have called for phased
withdrawals from Iraq.
The overall theme of McCain's address was that foreign policy today
means having an alliance of democracies - an implied rebuke of
President Bush, who has been accused by critics of ignoring natural
U.S. allies during the Iraq war.
He repeatedly cited Israel as a natural ally in a coalition of
democracies. "Today we are not alone," he said. "There is a collective
powerful voice of the European Union, and there are the great nations
of India and Japan, Australia and Brazil, South Korea and South
Africa, Turkey and Israel, to just name a few of the leading
democracies."

http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/107735.html


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John McCain, NeoCons, the Israel Lobby and Weekly Standard (USS
Liberty and Ron Paul mentioned):
http://neoconzionistthreat.blogspot.com/2008/03/make-people-aware-subscribe.html

Here is a tiny URL of the above one:

http://tinyurl.com/358b8c
Here is the direct link for the youtube of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfLeZXrluZw

Be sure to also access both pages of http://NEOCONZIONISTTHREAT.BLOGSPOT.COM
(click on the pictures).

Founding Father George Washington warned US against the passionate
attachment (like we have for Israel) in his Farewell Address which is
included near the bottom of the following URL:

http://astandforjustice.org
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6 Signs the U.S. May Be Headed for War in Iran (for Israel)

http://www.itszone.co.uk/zone0/viewtopic.php?t=71055&start=670

Here is a tiny URL of the above one:

http://tinyurl.com/39qkun