I've been blogging on Daily Kos since 2003, have never voted for a republican in my life, and attended the first Yearly Kos event in Las Vegas in 2006. I am not a "troll." I'd wager a significant amount of the liberals in this country understand that Israel must protect itself from missiles and reprehensible terrorist organizations like Hamas.

On this board, you'd think Hamas didn't exist. Even Glenn acknowledges (at least superficially) that Hamas is a terrorist threat that operates at Al Qaeda level vileness.

The cartoon Israel=invader nonsense on this board is every bit as disgraceful and cartoonish as anything out of the mouths of the Neo-Conservatives. Reducing the accomplishments of Israel to simply that of 60 year "terrorists"? Comparing the country to the Nazis? Pathetic. It is a deep injustice to history, accuracy and accomplishes nothing.

The pretend love on this board directed at the Palestinians is nothing more than the excuse to hide the pathology. Jean-Paul Sartre has written on this. George Orwell. Hannah Arendt. For hundreds of years people have tried to figure out why when Jewish people assert their distinctness, their refusal to play by the rules you want to impose on them, when they refuse to acquiesce to a Christian framework of normativity, passivity and meekness, they enrage the Christians who claim to "love" them. As Benjamin Disraeli famously said, Jews are right to be a skittish, insecure people, because 2000 years of Christian love has made them that way.

I disagree about Glenn completely. He's one of the smartest, most important civil libertarians with a voice in media today. I've bought two of his books, and they were both excellent. His critique on the systemic right wing biases and base impulses of the elite American media are indispensible.

I don't presume to theorize what motivates his pathological reaction to Israel, but his logic and arguments on the issue are pathetic, biased and predetermined at all times. He searches for polls and facts to support the narrative he wants to hear. When confronted, he has to backtrack to some totally disingenuous claim that he's only concerned because America spends "all of its resources" defending Israel. The 3 billion a year (same as Egypt + Pakistan, or two weeks of military occupation in Iraq).

And I do wish Glenn would critically examine how his writings so fire up the same old classic anti-Semitic conspiracy theories about hidden global financing networks and Jewish control of Washington among a few of his more unhinged fans (not most, just a few). The two or three anti-Semitic loons on this board haven't started to get into Jewish control of academia and Hollywood to brainwash Christian children (the old republican Joe McCarthy subtext), but I'm sure that's next.

But, as always, anti-Semites genuinely don't believe they're anti-Semitic. They just play the "some of my best friends are Jewish..." card, then play the "people play the anti-Semitism card to silence me!" card. And then, amazingly, they find the "facts" and "evidence" which lead them where they always want to go. In their world, Palestinian nail bombers are "justified" because of the occuaption. Hamas is "understandable," and a desire to wipe Israel off the face of the earth is "what oppressed people do." Even though it's not what many suffering cultures have done. Many cultures choose peace. The palestinians choose mortar fires and nail bombs and hiding terrorists in civilian neighborhoods, daring Israel to bomb them.

Are you trying to prove that you have liberal "street cred" or something?

Uhm, no. I'm explaining that I'm not a troll. People like you are why Markos avoids the issue. Because people like you rage away in the coffee shops and accomplish nothing.

And you call yourself a "liberal" all antiwar and pro civil rights and whatnot

I am anti-war. I opposed the Iraq War 100% from the start. I supported the two state solution, the right for a Palestinian homeland, the need for Israel to dismantle the settlements and the rights for Palestinians to live free and with part of Jerusalem as their capitol.

Boy, I sure am anti-war!

that is until someone brings up the Occupation and/or Israeli foreign policy, then you are no different than Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes, who were on Fox News Sunday parroting off the exact same talking points you have been parroting here over the past few days.

Why is that?

Because I'm not a reflexive follower who assumes that an issue must be wrong if it's supported by assholes. I think you're an asshole, but I'm sure we agree on many issues.