The Israelis understand, even if their American patrons do not, that they live in another country, one with its own national interests, its own strategic ambitions and its own enemies, none of which necessarily overlap with America’s.
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August 18, 2005
WB: The 51st State
Comments
just slightly OT
Col. Patrick Lang in his blog about the Gaza issue: Zero Sum Game
I would recommend Elie Kheddourie’s old book, “Nationalism” as a source for understanding the destructive potential of “Nationalism” as opposed to “Patriotism.’ As Kheddourie would have it, Patriotism is love of your own group. Nationalism is love of your own group at the expense of someone else’s group. In other words, in a Nationalist paradigm, if your group wins something then my group must have lost something. This is the traditional mindset in the ME
Israeli Nationalism against US Patriotism also fits into Billmon’s analysis. (and of course the US will pay the $2 Billion Israel demands for the Gaza retreat and West Bank expansion.)
AIPAC is the golden goose. They’ve got more palms greased in DC than you could find during Senior Discount Day at Denny’s.
It’s symptomatic on all sides of the aisle. Anyone who’s got a seat at the table has at some time been felt up by AIPAC. They write the big checks.
They get away with it not just because of the “51st state” mentality…but because of the fear of being labeled anti-semitic. As if US state secrets are somehow the providence of Israel and it’s just skipping the middle man at State by allowing them to get there via spies. And don’t you dare disagree or consider it a breach of national security, you nazi-cloven-hooved-son-of-a-dirty-beast.
Ah shucks; it’s scapegoat time!
Maybe not tho’…….. expect the great peacemaker Sharon…. Gaza withdrawal etc (fuck Shabrila etc) ……. to launch an air attack on Iran within the closing days of this month.
Posted by: Cloned Poster | Aug 18 2005 20:56 utc | 3
Like a grizzled old investigative reporter once told me: It’s not the stuff they try to hide that’s the real scandal; it’s the stuff they think they can get away with right out in the open.
Slightly OT with regard to this superb post by the barkeep, but the real scandal for me is the spectacle of elected Democrats in Congress who think they can get away with attacking Bush’s foreign policy right out in the open. Hell, they co-wrote the script with AIPAC; Bush is only doing the best he can to meet their exacting demands.
Posted by: alabama | Aug 18 2005 21:07 utc | 4
Anybody got any salt to go w/this larouche dish?
Behind the Iraq Dossier Hoax: Intelligence Was Cooked in Israel
But a deeper probe into the scandal reveals that there was good reason that the spin-meisters at the Coalition Information Center—the Washington-London civilian government propaganda unit that crafted both the Blair dossier and major portions of Secretary Powell’s own lighter-than-air book of evidence—did not reveal the sources of their information. The entire cooked intelligence picture was “Made in Israel.” It was cooked up at a right-wing think-tank complex notorious as a hotbed of radical Likudnik propaganda, and with links to the Office of Vice President Dick Cheney, via his Chief of Staff Lewis Libby and his former client, Marc Rich.
Posted by: Uncle $cam | Aug 18 2005 21:19 utc | 5
@ Uncle – remember Karen Kwiatkowski
A coworker and I were suddenly directed to go down to the Mall entrance to pick up some Israeli generals. Post-9/11 rules required one escort for every three visitors, and there were six or seven of them waiting. The Navy lieutenant commander and I hustled down. Before we could apologize for the delay, the leader of the pack surged ahead, his colleagues in close formation, leaving us to double-time behind the group as they sped to Undersecretary Feith’s office on the fourth floor. Two thoughts crossed our minds: are we following close enough to get credit for escorting them, and do they really know where they are going? We did get credit, and they did know. Once in Feith’s waiting room, the leader continued at speed to Feith’s closed door. An alert secretary saw this coming and had leapt from her desk to block the door. “Mr. Feith has a visitor. It will only be a few more minutes.” The leader craned his neck to look around the secretary’s head as he demanded, “Who is in there with him?”
There is no question that Israel had some hands in the Iraq “intelligence” desaster.
Uh, minor correction: SCI is not the highest level. Top Secret is the highest, and SCI is a flavor of TS often used by the intelligence community. It lets them tailor vetting and access to the particular compartment. So the breach of trust is comparable to Pollard’s. USGO-1 could share a cell with lonely whiner Pollard and they can play Kiss-of-the-Spider-Woman at Butner.
Ooooh, Jonathan, sponge me there again!
Posted by: psh | Aug 18 2005 22:00 utc | 7
I can understand treating Israel as if its the 51st state.
What I just cannot comprehend is why Israel gets more influence on US foriegn policy than the other 50 states combined. It doesn’t make sense. Why would US administrations appoint people at the bidding of Israel? What is in it for them? Surely there are domestic stakeholders (not voters of course, but, at the least, defence manufacturers) who have more of an interest in who these positions are filled by. Surely AIPAC by itself is not so powerful that they can decide US foreign policy?
Maybe it is, but I cannot help feeling that there is another layer or dynamic behind all this.
Posted by: still working it out | Aug 18 2005 22:33 utc | 8
But whatever the reason it must be one of the most remarkable facts in all of history that the most powerful nation ever is so weak domestically that it let its foriegn policy be hijacked by a small country of a few million.
It makes you start to seriously wonder if the Libertarians might be onto something.
Posted by: still working it out | Aug 18 2005 22:36 utc | 9
As Juan Cole points out, how do you think it sits wth the Iraqis (and the Al Jazeera audience) that the second highest ranking US diplomat in Iraq is (presumably with tacit US administration knowledge and support) spying for Israel? Does this do anything to substantiate the “paranoid fantasy” that the Iraqi debacle is a thinly disguised Israeli attack on Muslims…
Amazing.
Posted by: PeeDee | Aug 18 2005 22:43 utc | 10
I think this goes a way back. The Zionist Neocons’ connection to Israel is out in the open, and I think it is connected to the control of money and resources, and of the Middle East. The Washington pols on both sides have been involved in international money making schemes all along, and occasionally it comes out. A look into the Rothschild banking family might give some clues. This goes back to the creation of Israel.
Posted by: jm | Aug 18 2005 22:52 utc | 11
So this country hasn’t really been hijacked by Israel. It’s been under the same umbrella of control all along. The players have no patriotism or nationalism. They use the money and resources of their respective countries to further their agenda.
When our monetary system was privatized it became a dipping fund for these international money houses.
Ron Paul, the Libertarian is the only one, I believe, who sees the solution to this as coming about through the nationalization of our financial system.
Posted by: jm | Aug 18 2005 23:01 utc | 12
“USGO-1,” which the Jewish Telegraphic Agency has suggested is someone “recently appointed to a senior Bush administration post.”
Who the hell is this one? Maybe our new ambassador to the UN? Anyone have any ideas?
Posted by: kane | Aug 18 2005 23:30 utc | 13
I suppose the nitwits at AIPAC thought knowledge of their widescale unethical dealings were so brazen that any criticism could easily be branded the irrational rant of antisemitic conspiracy theorists. Perfect.
As a religious studies graduate student now out of the cave of naivete I can say confidently that it’s not the Holocaust that disproves the existence of an all powerful and beneficent God, but the day-to-day mechinations of international politics and global capitalism. In other words, the existence of George W. Bush proves the nonexistence of a God that really cares about our world.
Now if only the medieval scholastics knew W, they would have saved countless hours of theological wrangling.
Posted by: argent | Aug 18 2005 23:47 utc | 14
As a Puerto Rican, I’m tired of hearing American say that we (Puerto Rico) “get all the benefits of statehood” yada-yada-yada….
We get didly squat except for a bloated, corrupt colonial burocracy that makes the Republican party look like a bunch of boy scouts.
Google…”Cerro Marravilla” and you’ll see what I mean…
That my only complaint about your post, everything else is top notch. Just felt like ranting a bit….
Carry on.
Posted by: Rafael Pinero | Aug 19 2005 0:47 utc | 15
Let’s not be naive here. AIPAC money to politicians has much to do with the special relationship, but equally or more important is the quid pro quo of “favors” we get from Israel. Namely:
1. intelligence– we are so clueless about the middle east, we rely on mossad for virtually everything we know. Sometimes they even tell us the truth.
2. a deniable surrogate to do things that for various reasons the US couldn’t or wouldn’t do. In the past this often meant carrying out policies that Rethug administrations wanted but a democratic congress wouldn’t permit. Who sent advanced weapons to S. Africa and Guatemala when Congress had qualms about supporting apartheid and death squads? Israel. Who sent Iran the missiles in Reagan’s arms-for-hostages fiasco? Israel. What about the taking out of the Iraqi nuclear reactor?
Those are two of the things we know about. How many Israeli assassinations have been done at our request? How much you want to bet that Mossad provides intelligence on US dissidents that the CIA cannot? How much you want to bet that Mossad did NOT tell us everything it knew about 9/11? Given what we DO know, this kind of speculation, while admittedly only speculation, is by no means tinfoil hat crazy.
Posted by: the exile | Aug 19 2005 0:58 utc | 16
three things, not two– editing the post deprived me of my ability to count.
Posted by: the exile | Aug 19 2005 1:02 utc | 17
yu gotta be anto seismotic. i mean just how much influence does this ‘chosen of god’ generate in the empire?
alot.
i find it insane that our fearless leader is just racing around and around on his tricycle in some dust bowl called tex-ass. this is the leader of the world and that condi boy oh boy can she style. i mean this is the face of the ‘rabid realist’ ‘taking charge’.
oh pale moon, tell me it aint sooooooooooooo.
at least mr. bill says it in such an interesting manner. talk about living in the times of much darkness.
Posted by: oh pale moon | Aug 19 2005 1:53 utc | 18
@Rafael Pinero
“As a Puerto Rican, I’m tired of hearing American say that we (Puerto Rico) “get all the benefits of statehood” yada-yada-yada….
We get didly squat except for a bloated, corrupt colonial burocracy that makes the Republican party look like a bunch of boy scouts.”
Speaking as an unemployed, uninsured Ohioan, I was under the impression that “…didly squat except for a bloated, corrupt colonial burocracy” were the benefits of statehood.
Posted by: Monolycus | Aug 19 2005 2:01 utc | 19
Think Monica. Think Whitewater. Wouldn’t you want to avoid these, and much much much worse, if you were the Chimp?
Thimk!
Posted by: annon II | Aug 19 2005 2:32 utc | 20
Like all things in Washington DC, Israel and K Street share the best government money can buy.
Posted by: jdp | Aug 19 2005 3:23 utc | 21
Is there anyone in this administration who can, with a straight face, tell Jonathan Pollard why he’s still in jail?
Posted by: Brian Boru | Aug 19 2005 4:13 utc | 22
De aanvalsplannen van VS en Israël tegen Iran Anyone here know what language this is? It’s linked to the August 18, 2005 Wayne Madsen Report. I believe we have some Wayne Madsen Report readers in the bar…
Posted by: Uncle $cam | Aug 19 2005 5:59 utc | 23
Can anyone think of other pairs of countries which have had a similar relationship? The development of US-Israeli relations over the last fifty years seems almost incomprehensible to me.
De aanvalsplannen van VS en Israël tegen Iran
Anyone here know what language this is?
I think it is Dutch.
Posted by: susan | Aug 19 2005 6:49 utc | 25
Yeah, good old Nederlands.
By the way, Billmon, the only flaw in your superb post was its title. Israel is certainly not the 51st State of the Union. As your conclusion indicates, the US is occupied territory, rather like the West Bank would be if someone gave the Palestinians a few nukes and Israel had to be a bit more careful in its overt dealings.
Posted by: MFB | Aug 19 2005 7:00 utc | 26
You have a point, Billmon. Golda Meir worked on plans for Israel in her home in Denver, Colorado.
Posted by: jm | Aug 19 2005 10:04 utc | 27
An excellent analysis found over at kos:
The Gaza Withdrawal and Israel’s Permanent Dilemma
junkyard snatched Strafor Intelligence’s subscription only report on what is behind the Gaza withdrawal.
Good background and geopolitical reality on Isr’s position and the rock and hardplace they are between. What they did in the past, why it isn’t working any longer.
If you need any dots connected in the terrier game a close reading of this will do it for you.
Posted by: Uncle $cam | Aug 19 2005 11:00 utc | 28
I was just thinking “How come it got to be Israel?” New Zealand is a small country if you gave us a few billion dollars a year we would kick back a good portion of that to your politicians and other assorted trough guzzlers and we wouldn’t even want to kill anyone.” And then I realised that was the problem.
For this relationship to work people have to be killed. That way whenever anyone asks about the dough; types in the know can just tap their noses, nod sagely and mutter about national security, lives at risk etc, so not killing wouldn’t work.
Well alright then give us enough money and we’ll kill a few people AND we’ll sell your gear to countries you’ve promised your citizens you won’t deal with AND we’ll split the commission. See you can’t be fairer than that!
There’s quite a big kiwi diaspora in the US now I can see this working. We’ll lobby to make New Zealand to be recognised as the ‘true home’ of the Hobbit. The Arabs aren’t very pissed off with us so oil prices could drop!…hmmm no that won’t work…I’ve got it! We’ll invade all the bits of Australia that no one has dug up yet and split the take with Congress by way of a publicly listed company whose shares can only be held by a sitting member of the US legislature.
We will invade Australia (only the bits that haven’t been dug up yet) because we discovered a plot to release cane toads on the West Coast of the US which the Aussies ‘claim’ will kill off all native wildlife thereby making anywhere on the West Coast of the US OK to dig holes in, but in actual fact will have all Californians ‘hooked’ on bufotenine the incredibly strong hallucinogen secreted by Bufus Marinus (the cane toad).
The truth will out when State Governor Arnie the Austrian collapses because his brain has shrunk to the same size as his shrivelled testes. Bufotenine has an action similar to serotonin (equivalent to steroids for the brain) unfortunately just as too much ingestion of testosterone can make the body’s testosterone ‘factory’, the testicles, shrink; too much bufoterin will make the body’s serotonin factory, the brain, shrink.
It’s got synergy.
What could be better. All those Wesr Coast ‘pinkos’ are turned into actual cretins, Congress goes back to only having WASPs in the lobby and everyone makes a dollar!
Posted by: Debs is dead | Aug 19 2005 11:21 utc | 29
I would agree that AIPAC has perhaps an undue influence, but certainly no more so that numerous other PACs. They just have a different agenda.
You know with all the wailing and gnashing of teeth the left engages in constantly in the left wing blogosphere about the corruption in Washington i have yet to see anybody seriously address the issue of publicly funded elections and the role of K street in politics, even on the “prestigous” weblogs.
Until this issue is addressed things are only going to get worse.
Posted by: Anonymous | Aug 19 2005 15:45 utc | 31
Regarding the outrages US politicians don’t even feel they need to hide, I’m still astounded by the lack of uproar when Clinton appointed former AIPAC people — Israel lobbyists! — as Ambassador to Israel and chief Israel/Palestine negotiator. As I’ve written before, with the Democrats you get Likud light and with Republicans, Likud dark.
Atrios and Kos never go near these issues. And Arianna goes all Dershowitz on us when it comes to Israel. Thank goodness at least billmon and Juan Cole (plus Left I on the News and other less well-trafficked blogs) go there.
Posted by: ralphbon | Aug 19 2005 17:21 utc | 32
The operational phrase for discribing the U.S.-Israeli relanthionship shoul be:
“With friends like these….”
Posted by: Rafael Pinero | Aug 19 2005 19:22 utc | 33
From the Desk of George W. Bush
Talking Points Memo to Karl Rove
A. The New Talking Head
1. Scott McClelland’s Impending Transfer
2. Rehiring Ari Fleischer, as long as AIPAC
and Feith says he’s available from his
lobbying for Israel functions
B. Start a Small War
1. Engage 504th to pay a little drop-in visit.
2. Pay $2B to Mossad for Katyusha lob yesterday.
(note to self: who is that guy with the yamuka
videotaping me, clear out here in Crawford?!)
Posted by: tante aime | Aug 19 2005 20:28 utc | 34
A translation, thanks to Sherlock (thank you Apple!):
De aanvalsplannen van VS en Israël tegen Iran
The attack plans of the US and Israel against iran
Of course, if many of you knew this, my appy-polly-ogies.
Posted by: TheMumblingInferno | Aug 19 2005 21:09 utc | 35
Debs- LOL. New Zealand should be the mouse that roared. It would help if you would find a few gazillion barrels of oil…
Unkka- Here’s a hopefully occasionally correct (it’s been a while) summation of that Dutch language article:
Teheran has let it be known that it has anti-aircraft guns around all nuclear facilities…the conflict between Iran and the US-Israel [seen as one entity in the article] has, more and more, taken on a military dimension. Iranians fear the threat of war is not baseless because Israel bombed the Iraqi reactor in Osirak in 1981…the reactor was built with the help of France…the article notes that Israel is, itself, an illegal atomic weapons state and refuses to sign the IAEA nonproliferation treaty.
The IAEA did not think that Osirak had atomic weapons production
Now it’s not clear if Iran is working on an atomic weapons program…So Iran wonders if it’s in a similar situation.
Then the article talks about Seymour Hersh’s articles…saying if Israel undertakes a military operation against Iran it will not be without a green light from the US. Cheney denies war plans but Washington has gotten bunker buster bombs to Israel…and they would penetrate underground (weapons facilities).
The article then quotes Wayne Madsen about White House plans for a secret operation to go after Iran’s nuclear facilities, which are huge and far underground and near the city of Isfahan. [That’s why it was on his site, no doubt…the article is a collection of quotes and things already discussed here re: Hersh and Ritter and the ME region]
Then the article quotes Scott Ritter about worries from one element within the CIA who thinks a war would enflame the entire region and who are opposed to a strike. The question is whether Washington can pull off another military action at this time.
The article says Israel’s move to a military operation would be a very dangerous situation because Israel has so much nuclear weapons capability. Even tho there needs to be nuclear disarmament (in the middle east) it’s nearly certain Israel would ignore any UN resolutions.
Posted by: fauxreal | Aug 20 2005 6:49 utc | 37
THANKS, fauxreal…
On a similar note, I always like reading what others think of our Great Nation. Here’s one that strikes the root:
Neocons ‘More Israeli Than American’
The recent uproar over Israeli lobbyists passing classified U.S. information to Israel is just the tip of the iceberg. According to this article from Lebanon’s Dar Al-Hayat newspaper, high-level U.S. officials have been doing it for years, and continue to do so today.
ba da bing…
Posted by: Uncle $cam | Aug 20 2005 7:58 utc | 38
“And the smart money is betting that, rather than risk seeing all the beans spill out in court, the Justice Department eventually will settle for plea bargains from Rosen and Weissman. That would leave Franklin (a bit player in a minor sideshow) to take the fall — something like 40 years worth. Maybe he and Pollard can become pen pals.”
As we’ve seen over and over again in Iraq, Afghanistan and in RNC dealings in this country, standard operating procedure for this administration is to pin the shit on the low man on the totem pole. No reason to expect their DoJ to deal with this embarrassment in any other way.
Posted by: optional | Aug 21 2005 4:12 utc | 39