Tikun Olam-תקון עולם: Make the World a Better Place

News reports from Pakistan claim a new audiotape from Osama bin Laden speaks favorably about a McCain presidency:

Inshallah, we’re looking forward to four more years of Bush policies with this McCain fellow.  George Bush has been good for us and we think McCain could be even better.  Imagine, he might even widen the war against us and persuade more shahids to join our cause.  McCain, we wish you well in ‘08.

Barack Obama immediately released a statement attacking the “endorsement:”

“If Senator McCain is favored by Al Qaeda, I think people can make judgements accordingly.”

John McCain complained that Senator Obama had “lost his bearings” and that he, McCain, reserved the right to jump into bed with any Christian evangelical and Islamist slimeballs crazy enough to endorse him.

On a separate tangent.  I’ve thought of some new smear names for Barack Obama: Obamasama and Obamahama[s].  Cool, no?  How long before you start seeing them in the right-wing blogosphere?  Bets anyone?

Thanks to reader SimoHurtta for the above idea.

tags mccain, obama smear, osama-bin-laden

Lions and tigers & Hamas, oh my!–to paraphrase Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. It appears that the right-wing extremists running John McCain’s national security team have outed Rob Malley because he–get this–actually spoke to Hamas:

One of Barack Obama’s Middle East policy advisers disclosed yesterday that he had held meetings with the militant Palestinian group Hamas – prompting the likely Democratic nominee to sever all links with him.

Robert Malley told The Times that he had been in regular contact with Hamas, which controls Gaza and is listed by the US State Department as a terrorist organisation. Such talks, he stressed, were related to his work for a conflict resolution think-tank and had no connection with his position on Mr Obama’s Middle East advisory council.

“I’ve never hidden the fact that in my job with the International Crisis Group I meet all kinds of people,” he added.

I should note a serious error in this report. Malley is not “one of Obama’s Middle East policy advisors.” This has been clarified hundreds of times by the Obama campaign. A really stupid error on this reporters part. Rob Malley is one of hundreds of independent foreign policy analysts campaigns talk to from time to time about various issues. He has had indirect contacts with the campaign but plays no role either formal or informal in the campaign. Not that I would care if he did. But I’m in favor of accurate journalism, which this is not.

Oooohhh! Bad boy, Rob. Don’t you know that diplomats aren’t supposed to meet with parties to disputes in which your nation has a vital interest. Nor are international NGOs like the International Crisis Group, which deals with conflict resolution, allowed to meet with a party to one of the world’s most complicated and intractable conflicts. You see, we have to pretend that Hamas is so bad that no one can touch it. Sort of like smallpox or something really, reallly icky.

It doesn’t matter than Israel is negotiating indirectly with Hamas for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange to free Gilad Shalit. It doesn’t matter that 64% of Israelis polled advocate DIRECT talks with Hamas. It doesn’t matter that senior Israeli analysts, former generals and intelligence chiefs advocate the same. What matters is that John “Same Old Bush” McCain is trying to tar a good American with the brush of being pro-terrorist.

I can’t fully blame Obama for dumping Rob:

Ben LaBolt, a spokesman for Mr Obama, responded swiftly: “Rob Malley has, like hundreds of other experts, provided informal advice to the campaign in the past. He has no formal role in the campaign and he will not play any role in the future.”

He’s gotta do what he’s gotta do. Unlike Kerry, he’s hopefully not going to lie down and take the Swift Boating. And he’s not going to make himself a sitting duck for McCain’s smears. But I’m still terribly sad that McCain has sunken the campaign into the cesspool so quickly.

I’m hoping that Ephraim Levy, David Kimche, Shlomo Brom, Shlomo Gazit (all of whom have advocated talks with Hamas) and other respected Israeli analysts will come to Rob’s defense saying he only did what they would do in his shoes–meet with a critical interlocutor to advance the cause of peace.

Another terrible falsehood implied by this attack is that by meeting with a group you endorse the group’s principles. Jimmy Carter didn’t endorse Hamas’ Islamist program for Palestine or say they should be elected to head the PA in the next elections. He merely tried to ascertain what it would take to free Gilad Shalit and secure a ceasefire. Rob Malley was doing no more nor less when he met Hamas. They both did the right thing. Let’s not forget that and let’s tell the world what they should know if they don’t already. It’s McCain that is doing wrong here, not Malley.

This is yet another attempt to drive a wedge between the Jewish community and Barack Obama and it WILL NOT WORK, just as the Jeremiah Wright brouhaha didn’t work either. But the gremlins and slimeballs will keep trying because that’s their nature.

Who do you think provided this information to the campaign? You don’t think it might be someone from a Jewish organization whose acronym starts with “A” and ends with “C,” do you?

The chief orchestrator of McCain’s attack is his foreign policy chief:

Randy Scheunemann, Mr McCain’s foreign policy chief, suggested that Mr Malley was part of an emerging pattern in which other advisers had been repudiated after throwing confusion over policies on trade and Iraq. “Perhaps because of his inexperience Senator Obama surrounds himself with advisers that contradict his stated policies,” he said.

A commenter in the Times thread for this report notes:

Randy Scheunemann is President of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq, [which is a] child of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC). He is a [PNAC] board member. He was Trent Lott’s National Security Aide and advisor to Donald Rumsfeld…I rest my case.

Do you want a neocon former aide to Don Rumsfeld and Trent Lott, and buddy of Bill Kristol, Paul Wolfowitz and Doug Feith running the next president’s national security and foreign policy agenda?

And I rest mine.

tags Barack Obama sacks adviser over talks with Hamas, malley met hamas, mccain smears, randy scheunemann

John McCain has decided: let the smears begin. And so campaign silly season has arrived with a vengeance. It seems a Hamas spokesperson told a WABC interviewer that Obama would be as a good a president as John Kennedy. That was enough for McCain to let the fur fly:

Senator John McCain…portrayed the Democratic contender as being the favorite of Hamas, the militant Palestinian group, and implied that he would also be friendly with Iran, a Hamas ally.

Speaking at a news conference in New Jersey, Mr. McCain said he believed that comments made by a Hamas leader approving Mr. Obama’s candidacy were “a legitimate point of discussion…”

Obama tried to fight fire with fire saying McCain:

was “losing his bearings” and engaging in “smear” tactics. “My policy toward Hamas has been no different than his,” Mr. Obama said in an interview on CNN.

McCain has indeed lost his bearings if he ever had any. But the true indication that he has lost either his bearings or his marbles is this:

Mr. McCain has taken pride in the enmity with which he regards Hamas. “I think that the people should understand that I will be Hamas’s worst nightmare,” he said late last month in a conference call with conservative bloggers.

Conversely, he has tried to portray Mr. Obama as sympathetic to Hamas.

“I think it is very clear who Hamas wants to be the next president of the United States,” Mr. McCain said to the bloggers. “If Senator Obama is favored by Hamas, I think people can make judgments accordingly.”

Oooohhh, I can just feel the shivers going up and down Khaled Meshal’s spine: John McCain is going to be my own worst nightmare. Who does McCain think he’s fooling? What can he possibly do to Hamas? Shut down all those fat U.S. bank accounts its leaders maintain? Turn away Meshal’s son from attending Yale? Send in commandos to liberate Gaza from the iron hand of Hamas? He reminds me of the old silverback gorilla in the zoo pounding his chest as he remembers those glory days when he could command the gorilla world’s attention. Dream on, John.

As for who Hamas is supporting for president…I didn’t know they had a say in the matter. Does Ahmed Yousef, who compared Obama to Kennedy, vote? Is he a Chicago ward heeler? Then who the f(&k cares?

The militant Israel-First wingnutosphere practically creamed in their pants when David Duke republished without my permission one of my Comment is Free essays (Duke subsequently removed it at my insistence). Only in the minds of wingnuts like the former does it signify anything that another extremist loon thinks highly enough of your work to steal it. If David Duke features my work what does that mean? That I have anything in common with David Duke? That I have anything to answer for? No. Just as Obama has nothing to answer for. And those like McCain who try to claim otherwise should be seen for the whorish smearmongers that they are.

It’s going to be a long, hot campaign. But John, we’ll be watching you every step of the way.

tags ahmed yousef, hamas supports obama, mccain smear

In taking over much of Beirut (including Sunni neighborhoods formerly controlled by pro-government forces), Hezbollah has engineered what I call a “coup on the ground.” It hasn’t touched the levers of power or elected government. But by controlling much of the territory of the capital city it has taken physical control of almost everything else. The message from Hezbollah is: “we can topple you at will.” And shows the government to be little more than a paper tiger. It reminds me in some ways (though not precisely) of Hamas’ pre-emptive Gaza coup of last June and one can certainly say that Hamas and Hezbollah have learned from each other to the detriment of their respective adversaries.

I don’t know how this will play out, but Hezbollah has clearly upped the ante which may eventually or immediately require the pro-U.S. Lebanese government to resign under duress and accede to Hezbollah political demands for veto power over most political decisions. This seems a disaster for the viability and integrity of a democratic Lebanon as a whole (if there can be said to be such a thing as “a whole”). It is a sad day.

But the main purpose of this post is to decry the bankrupt U.S. and Israeli policy toward Syria which might’ve help avoid this sorry mess. Both governments stubbornly wore ideological blinders which prevented them from embracing a Syrian track to resolve the Israeli-Syrian-Lebanese conflict. Now, the chickens are coming home to roost. Now, Syria and her Hezbollah allies sit in the cat bird seat.

Think where Israel and Lebanon could be if Ariel Sharon or Ehud Olmert had responded positively to Alon Liel’s negotiating track with Syria over the past year or so in which the latter essentially provided the outline for a negotiated settlement with Syria. Instead, Liel was met with stony silence or outright disdain. It appears that over the past few months Olmert has gradually turned the Titanic around regarding Syria negotiations. But it is too late in several senses. It is too late because his political career is almost over in light of his current bribery investigation. And it is too late because Hezbollah has pre-empted any possible future settlement in which it might’ve been neutered or moderated.

When thinking of this conflict I’m always reminded of Abba Eban’s saying intended by him to criticize the Palestinians who, he claimed: “Never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” Of course, like many who are quick with bons mot, Ebban neglected to understand that this referred to himself and his own government as well.

tags abba eban, gaza, hamas, hezbollah takes over beirut, israel syria peace negotiations, never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity

I don’t know if you could ever find a stranger conflict of interest in Israeli law and politics. Ehud Olmert’s former law partner and business associate, Uri Messer, is presently singing to Israeli police and the attorney general about his involvement in the funds Morris Talansky raised for Olmert. From what I’ve read, all funds collected were passed on to Messer who then appropriated them. That’s why Messer is such a crucial figure in the investigation.

Ynet and my blog reader Amir have noted that Messer is married to Davida Lachman-Messer, the deputy attorney general. I’ve never heard of a a chief witness in a bribery investigation being married to a senior officer in the investigating agency. Wow, is that a conflict if there ever was one! Here in the U.S. this would be a perfect opportunity to appoint a special counsel in order to remove the conflict from the AG’s office. Or else you’d have to completely quarantine the deputy AG from involvement with the case. And how could you?

I wonder how, or if Israeli law deals with such an issue. I’m hoping Shamai Leibowitz, a former Israeli lawyer and reader of this blog, can enlighten us on this.

Shamai has translated the relevant portions of Israeli penal law dealing with bribery charges:

Israeli Penal Code (1977):

Bribery Offenses:

290. (a) A public servant who receives a bribe in return for an action related to his work – is punishable by a [maximum] sentence of 7 years or 7 years and a fine of 10,000 Liras.

(b) In this section, “public servant” – including an employee of a corporation performing a public service.
…

293. In bribery offense, it is irrelevant –

(1) if it was money, or something with monetary value, or service or another benefit;

(2) if it was given for the commission or an omission of an action, delay of an action, expediting an action, slowing an action, giving preference or discrimination;

(3) if it was for a specific action or for general favoritism;

(4) if it was for an act by the receiver of the bribe or for the receiver’s influence on another person;

(5) if it was given by the giver of the bribe or by another; if it was given to the receiver or to another person on behalf of the receiver; if it was from the outset or in retrospect; or if the person benefiting from the bribe was the receiver of another person;

(6) if the receiver’s status was one of authority or service; if it was permanent or temporary or it was general or for a specific purpose; if it was for pay or without pay; if it was in volunteer work or fulfilling a legal duty;

(7) if it was received in order to stray from the obligations in fulfilling the receiver’s duties or if it was for the performance of an action that the receiver was obligated to perform according to law.

I’m a little unclear as to whether or not there’s a contradiction between sections 290 and 293 in that 290 requires “an action in return for” the bribe. While section 293 seems to say it doesn’t need to be in return for various types of actions. But other Israeli readers tell me that section 290 is more relevant and there doesn’t need to be a specific quid pro quo for a crime. However, the prosecution will have to prove that the money went directly into Olmert’s pocket rather than into his election campaign (as the statute of limitations would’ve run out on this crime). That’s why Messer is crucial to the case.

tags Attorney Messers testimony complicates matters for PM, davida lachman messer, olmert bribery case, talansky, uri messer, ynet

The Democrats may be on top of the heap politically, but when it comes to vice, Republicans have the market cornered. First, there was Jack Abramoff showering Republicans with Super Bowl tickets and free meals at his Kosher restaurant. Then there was Mark Foley IM'ing the boys a good time. Now, there's Vito Fosella who lived a double life with a wife and three children at home on Staten Island, and a second family in Washington, D.C. The N.Y. Times notes: His primary political patron was Guy V. Molinari, a former congressman and Staten Island borough president who once referred to Mr. Fossella as “my son.” I hope Molinari didn't mean that literally or he might have ...

Morris Talansky, Olmert's bag man (?), in Jerusalem Tuesday (Daniel Bar-On /Jini) The end of Ehud Olmert's prime ministership, if not his political career, is nigh. Today, the gag order was lifted on his bribery case and he told the nation that if indicted, he would resign. It seems almost impossible that Olmert will not be indicted (though it's still a slim possibility). If so, it would likely mean the end of the career of a politician who had nine lives, if not more. Haaretz reveals that Long Island Orthodox Jewish fundraiser, Morris Talansky, funneled "hundreds of thousands of dollars" into Olmert's coffers in the 1990s ...

The N.Y. Times has a new Israel correspondent, Ethan Bronner. He replaced Steven Erlanger, who I thought was a generally good reporter with a few serious blind spots when it came to dispassionate reporting on the conflict. Bronner has begun writing his first in depth reports based around Israel's 60th anniversary. Before I talk about them, I wanted to put this in some context. I read a lot of journalism about the conflict. My major source is probably the Times, since it's the newspaper I grew up on. Because I am passionate about both Israel and good journalism, and because, for better or worse the Times is our nation's newspaper of record--especially on foreign affairs, I'm ...

It's starting to feel a little like kicking a man when he's down in making fun of the Bush Administration's cluelessness in pursuing Israeli-Palestinian peace. But I just had to do it given this utterly banal comment by Stephen Hadley featured in an AP interview published in Haaretz: "This did not seem the time for a big, high-level, three-way event," Stephen Hadley, Bush's national security adviser, told reporters. "It just doesn't feel right as the best way to advance the negotiation." Clearly, the reason he won't be meeting together with Abbas and Olmert is that the two sides have made little or no progress and so such a meeting wouldn't be productive for Bush. But this also ...

As I write this at 12:50AM east coast time, 95% of Indiana is in and Obama is losing by around 16,000 votes (just over 1% margin). The remaining votes are coming from the region around Gary, IN. which heavily favors Obama. So it's likely the final margin of victory will be even closer--perhaps as low as 5,000 votes. By my calculations the primary campaign is over. Hillary has cancelled media appearances tomorrow and will be consulting with her staff, supporters and superdelegates, who I'm guessing will be giving her the bad news. She may fight on. But she's essentially broke and will have to go even deeper into hock to continue. No, I'm not gloating and not ...