Sunday, January 26, 2014

AIPAC Confronting Debbie Wasserman-Schultz--Finally



AIPAC Confronting Debbie Wasserman-Schultz--Finally
by Joel B. Pollak 24 Jan 2014
John Hudson of Foreign Policy pours scorn (Update: see below) on the American Israel Public Affair Committee (AIPAC) for raising questions about Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz's opposition to new sanctions on Iran (to take effect if and when the interim nuclear deal fails). How is it possible, Hudson wonders, that a Jewish Democrat who prides herself on her pro-Israel record is now being targeted by AIPAC? The implication, reinforced by choice quotes from former AIPAC lobbyist is that AIPAC is becoming a more partisan, i.e. Republican, outfit.

Rubbish. If anything, AIPAC has bent over backwards to avoid antagonizing the Obama administration and the Democratic Party. The organization sat on its hands during the Hagel nomination, for example, and recently faced accusations that it had not been active enough on the issue of new Iran sanctions, which Obama has said he will veto. The risk to its traditional partisanship has been entirely in the opposite direction--i.e. it has been unusually charitable to Democrats in their increasingly creative definitions of what it means to be "pro-Israel."

There is a simple explanation for AIPAC's behavior--and probably the one AIPAC would give itself, were it inclined to comment on such stories: namely, that the organization does not focus on parties or personalities, but on policies. AIPAC's most important policy for the past fifteen years has been preventing a nuclear-armed Iran. Wasserman Schultz is in the crosshairs precisely because she is one of the few standing in the way of a strong bipartisan consensus on that policy. Those arguing otherwise likely prefer its recent Democratic drift.

Update: Hudson responds on Twitter, clarifying that he is not taking sides in this particular dispute:

Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Debbie Wasserman Schultz is the chair for the Democratic National Committee.

Note: Steven Grossman was the national chairman for the Democratic National Committee, and the national chairman for AIPAC.
Kenneth D. Wollack is a director at the Democratic National Committee, and was a legislative director for AIPAC.
Wendy Senor Singer is the head of Jerusalem office for AIPAC, her brother is Daniel S. Senor, and married to Saul Singer.
Daniel S. Senor is Wendy Senor Singer’s brother, married to Campbell Brown, the chief spokesman for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, and was a guest on Morning Joe.
Morning Joe is an MSNBC program.
Harold E. Ford Jr. is a political commentator at MSNBC, an overseer at the International Rescue Committee, and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the International Rescue Committee, the Aspen Institute (think tank), and the Brookings Institution (think tank).
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Campbell Brown is married to Daniel S. Senor, was a guest on Morning Joe, and an anchor for CNN.
Wolf Blitzer is an anchor for CNN, and was a correspondent for the Jerusalem Post.
Saul Singer is the editorial page editor for the Jerusalem Post, and married to Wendy Senor Singer.
AIPAC is a U.S.-based lobby group for Israel.
Lee Rosenberg is the chairman for AIPAC, and a friend of J.B. Pritzker.
J.B. Pritzker is a friend of Lee Rosenberg, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Commercial Club of Chicago, Members Directory A-Z (Past Research)
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
James S. Crown is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Lester Crown is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Walter Isaacson is the president & CEO for the Aspen Institute (think tank), a board member for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and was the chairman & CEO for CNN.
Thomas A. Dine was the president for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and an executive director for AIPAC.
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 Americans for Prosperity.
Sheldon G. Adelson pledged support in 2012 for Americans for Prosperity, and a contributor for AIPAC.
American Israel Education Foundation is a charitable arm for AIPAC.
Saban Family Foundation was a funder for the American Israel Education Foundation, the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, and the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Cheryl Saban is the president of the Saban Family Foundation, married to Haim Saban, 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, is the Chicago (IL) mayor, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Saban Center for Middle East Policy is a policy center for the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Haim Saban is a benefactor for the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, the treasurer for the Saban Family Foundation, married to Cheryl Saban, and a friend of Shimon Peres.
Shimon Peres is a friend of Haim Saban, and the president of Israel.
Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer (Past Research)
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Martin S. Indyk was the U.S. ambassador for Israel, the assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of State, the VP & director of the Foreign Policy Program founding director for the Brookings Institution (think tank), is the Middle East peace envoy for the U.S. Department of State, a director at the New Israel Fund, and founding director at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy.
Teresa Heinz Kerry is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and married to John F. Kerry.
John F. Kerry is married to Teresa Heinz Kerry, and the secretary at the U.S. Department of State for the Barack Obama administration.









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