By James North Studs Terkel was the smartest person I ever met, and the greatest single influence on me as a writer. He was much more than his folksy, cigar-chomping red-checked-shirt persona, authentic as that was. The last time I…
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Monthly Archives: October 2008
Jewish Left Can Only Rise Again by Condemning Neocons as Deluded Jews
A smear on a good man–Khalidi–in the desperate last days of a presidential race is one of those thrilling political events that is supposed to produce spine-tingling rhetoric. Obama didn’t deliver, of course, because he’s tight with the Is lob….
Palin ‘Scares the Hell Out of’ Ed Koch (and Plenty-um Other Jews)
Smart piece by Ethan Porter in New Republic saying Obama held on to the Jews with many a shrewd move. And making the point that Palin alienated Jews on cultural grounds, being from a small town and not very literate…
Blogosphere Kills the Newspaper Argument, Etc
Newspapers are in a free fall, and here’s another forum on whether blogging can save journalism, passed on by a newspaper editor (Peter Voskamp). I hate these conversations. Journalism is going to the internet, like it or not. There’s only…
Obamaguity
Last night in an interview, Rachel Maddow of MSNBC tried to get Obama to criticize the Republican Party, and he wouldn’t. Obama’s playing for Republicans now. It’s time to identify a central characteristic of this great politician: his ambiguity. Obama…
Canadian School ‘Rusticates,’ Deems ‘Offensive’ Jewish Critics of Israel
An excellent piece in Toronto Life about the school once known as Jew U. York University was a home to Jewish up-and-comers in the 60s. Now it’s become a hotbet of Palestinian activism. Kippas versus Kaffiyehs. Of course there are…
Throwing Khalidi Under Bus, Obama Is Said to Tap Emanuel, Former Volunteer in Israel
Here is how Obama threw Khalidi under the bus, per the JPost: Asked by a member of the Jewish community about the relationship during a campaign stop in Florida, Obama responded, “To pluck out one person who I know and…
Stop the Bomb (But Allow Iranian Nuclear Enrichment)
Trita Parsi of the National Iranian American Council says in the Guardian says that an Iranian bomb, and more bombs in the Middle East, is a horrifying prospect. Put all international energy into allowing enrichment, thereby allowing Iranian scientific prestige….
Columbia U. Provost Embraces His ‘Friend, Rashid’
From The New York Times today: “It just seems really ironic to me that Rashid would be singled out as a figure in the trumped-up controversy,” Alan Brinkley, Columbia’s provost and a friend of Mr. Khalidi’s since 1985, said in…
Remarkably Decent
editorial in Washington Post on Khalidi. “Idiot Wind.” Good hedline. Though it contains the usual prevarication about Khalidi’s “complex” views. The only good Palestinian is a mute Palestinian. The only good Palestinian valorizes ethnic cleansing of his people. And some…
Neocons Are the Jewish Elephant in the Room
Here’s an august professor of Jewish civilization, Jacques Berlinerblau, who was on tv moderating Bob Shrum and David Frum last week and today is about to conduct a forum on “the Jewish vote,” who has noticed that Jews are getting…
Guilt by Association–but Wait, Who’s Guilty?
The question is whether the Khalidi flap will lead to a larger discussion of Palestinian human rights. I think it will, inevitably. But for the meantime we get this kind of judicious tweezerish on the one hand beancounterish stuff from…
Maybe Khalidi Moment Will Show Who We Are in a Good Way After All?
Josh Micah Marshall has a great post on Khalidi. Holding nothing back, not mincing words. Calling it McCarthyism and racism. Dude you make me finally proud to be an American. This is the angry tone I’ve been waiting for. Marshall…
Why Won’t Politicians Stand Up for Khalidi and Palestinians? A: The Israel Lobby
Ron Kampeas has a good piece on JTA “clear”-ing Rashid Khalidi of the charge that he was a PLO spokesman. Kampeas points out that the PLO has been the internationally-accepted representative of the Palestinians since 1988, and that Khalidi wasn’t…
2-1/2 More Writers Standing Up for Khalidi
Nice defense of Rashid Khalidi by Scott Horton in Harper’s: Khalidi is also a Palestinian American. There is no doubt in my mind that it is solely that last fact that informs McCarthy’s ignorant and malicious rants. And Joe Klein…
Republicans Rip Off Obama Icon for Appeal to Jewish Dual Loyalty
McCain doesn’t sell. Everyone’s selling Obama. If you give $250 to the Republican Jewish Coalition, they will send you this poster, which they accurately call a “collector’s item,” 27-by-40. Obama sure is iconic, check out this search. P.S. Question: Is…
Smearing of Khalidi Points America Toward Great Social Challenge
“I hope that in the next century we will come to terms with our abysmal ignorance of the Muslim world. Muslims aren’t a bunch of wackos and nuts. They are decent, brilliant, talented people with a great civilization and traditions…
When Will Other Public Figures Join Colin Powell in Denouncing the Vilification of Muslims, Arabs, and Palestinians?
I asked a smart friend what he thought noteworthy about the Khalidi controversy: “I suppose the vilification of Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians (‘neo-Nazis’?) that not one American public figure but Powell has said a word about.” Oh my. Brings tears…
First It Was ‘Snow-Machines’. Now Palin Seeks Competition for ‘Cow-Towing’
This is from Fox News’s coverage of the Khalidi controversy. Or should I say Chalidi kontroversy. Fox can’t spell kow-towing. The story says Palin gave a speech where she said the LA Times could win the Pulitzer Prize in the…
Study Finds that ‘Dershowitz’ in Headline Leads to
higher traffic on a blogpost. Here is Dershowitz in an Atlanta newspaper saying that Jimmy Carter must debate him. Two years on. I’m for that. How come I can’t get into the Atlanta Journal-Constitution? I don’t know–maybe because I’m not…
Neoconservatism and Zionism Joined at Hip
Americans living in Israel are voting for McCain by 3-1, according to polls.
Little Old Jewish Ladies in Ohio Go Nascar to Vote for Obama
Funny story about 3 little old Jewish ladies who weren’t allowed into a polling place because of their Obama t-shirts, till a hulking Dale Earnhardt fan lent them his jacket. From Jerry Haber… Says he’s never gotten so many hits.
When Will American Jews Try to Export the ‘Highest Standards of Democracy’ to Israel?
I’m still thinking about my post about Israel not having a true democracy because Tzipi Livni would not include Arab parties in a coalition. Instead she reached out to the rightwing, Shas, but Shas wanted guarantees on Jerusalem. So she…
Memo to RNC: Obama Was Once Photographed with the Great Edward Said
Jack Ross on the Khalidi flap: The reason this is happening now is because McCain is playing his last desperate card, the Israel card, because he wisely decided not to incite a race riot by making it Rev. Wright. The…
We Are Meeting Our RNC With Destiny
The real religious issue is finally coming out. The Republican National Committee has issued a long press release all about Obama’s relationship in Chicago to Rashid Khalidi, citing a number of news articles that described or suggested Obama’s sympathy to…