Letters to the Editor
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Mearsheimer and Walt
Someone should remind Juan Cole this is not 1930s Germany. Jews will not be silent in the face of the anti-Semitic screed that is the Measheimer and Walt's paper. It is ingenious to claim that the charge of anti-Semitism is proof that your not anti-Semitic and that those who accuse you really have secret powers. That Professor Cole does not see the Papers clear anti-Semitism raises a question about Professor Cole's perceptiveness and honesty.
The Paper does not criticize "Israel's powerful U.S. Lobby" rather after making short work of Israel as a worthy and deserving ally Mearsheimer and Walt ask how is it that so many Americans and American policymakers support Israel anyway. Their answer is not AIPAC or a lobby they initially define as so broad as to include everyone, but American Jews. They try to play fancy games with their defintions but how do they say the Israeli Lobby gets its power? Jews vote and contribute money to Democratic candidates. Meirsheimers, Walt and Cole's lobby includes the well known hostile to Israel New York Times and the well know rightwing Washington Times. Think tanks as disparate as the Heritage Foundation and Brookings. What links all these groups but that American Jews work at them?
That is not enough for the authors and apparently Professor Cole. Presidents Clinton and Bush are both tools of the Israeli Lobby. How is this? They have Jewish adivisors.
When it comes to the war in Iraq and possible wars with Syria and Iran Mearsheimer and Walt revert to all the old anti-Semitic canards. The Jews are getting America to fight Israels wars. American leaders, the American people are all being fooled to do the bidding of the lobby.
Professor Coles views are often held up as an alternative to the Bush Administration's. Unfortunately as Professor Coles defense of this terrible scholarship which contains all the ancient anti-Semitic charges illustrates he is not someone who should be taken seriously.