By now, no one has any doubt that John McCain’s campaign is in direst of straits. If you didn’t know this, you would after hearing him utter the words in the title of this post. Even stranger, McCain indirectly likened the Chicago dinner that Obama attended to honor Rashid Khalidi to a “neo-Nazi” gathering. In addition, McCain gets a terror twofer with this one because Bill Ayers, that master criminal 9/11-supporting terrorist (meant ironically), attended the same event. I wouldn’t believe this if I hadn’t read it with my own eyes:
“We should know about their relationship, including, apparently, information that is held by the Los Angeles Times concerning an event that Mr. Ayers attended with a PLO spokesman. The Los Angeles Times refuses to make that videotape public,” McCain said. “I’m not in the business of talking about media bias, but what if there was a tape with John McCain with a neo-Nazi outfit being held by some media outlet? I think the treatment of the issue would be slightly different.”
Now, why did John have to go and forever spoil America’s image of him by making us imagine him goosestepping with a swastika on his arm. Yuck!
Rashid Khalidi, by the way, is not and never was a “PLO spokesperson.” In fact, he’s a respected professor of Middle Eastern politics at Columbia University. And even if he was, has McCain forgotten that the PLO is our supposed ally in Palestine against Hamas? Returning to Khalidi, as an academic, he’s a critical observer of events in the Middle East and is able to be critical of each side including the Palestinian. And since when is being a Palestinian academic in this country a criminal offense? This is the rankest Islamophobia and I’d like to see some sensible Republicans step forward and tell McCain to knock it off. If anyone thinks this will motivate a single American to vote for McCain, they all need to have their heads examined. In fact, it may do just the opposite. Certainly, McCain has lost every possible Arab-American Republican who might have voted for him. Not to mention independents who will be disgusted by this smearmongering.
I’m happy to say that after this election Rashid Khalidi will have his reputation intact, while John McCain’s will be in tatters. I keep saying this every day, but the depths to which his campaign sinks gets lower every time he opens his mouth.
“I’d like to see some sensible Republicans step forward and tell McCain to knock it off.”
Do they still exist?
Zhu Bajie, alive in the bitter sea
Are there any sensible Republicans left? Haven’t they all jumped ship by now?
Zhu Bajie
“Rashid Khalidi, by the way, is not and never was a “PLO spokesperson.” In fact, he’s a respected professor of Middle Eastern politics at Columbia University. And even if he was, has McCain forgotten that the PLO is our supposed ally in Palestine against Hamas? ”
All ey-rabs are the same and we needs to kill’em.
Praise Jaysis!
Vote Palin 2012!
McCain’s hypocracy knows no bounds. SO much for the “Straight Talk Express”
From: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/28/mccain-funded-work-of-pal_n_138606.html
During the 1990s, while he served as chairman of the International Republican Institute (IRI), McCain distributed several grants to the Palestinian research center co-founded by Khalidi, including one worth half a million dollars.
A 1998 tax filing for the McCain-led group shows a $448,873 grant to Khalidi’s Center for Palestine Research and Studies for work in the West Bank. (See grant number 5180, “West Bank: CPRS” on page 14 of this PDF.)
Not that Juan Cole needs any plugging from me, anyway:
http://www.juancole.com/2008/10/mccain-racism-hypocrisy-on-khalidi.html
See especially his half-hour interview with Charlie Rose for some insights into the mind of this “neo-Nazi”.
As usual, Larry of Cyberia has it exactly right:
It’s the same issue as with the “Obama is a Muslim” slurs, to which Colin Powell gave the only possible answer. While he’s at it atoning for past sins, perhaps he can do it again?
Oops – “his interview” = Khalidi’s interview, not Cole’s. Sorry if that was misleading.
Islamophobia? Khalidi’s Christian. Not that the McCain Smear Machine would take that into account, anyway.
First – it appears Khalidi was a spokesperson for the PLO in the 70’s and early 80’s and possibly thereafter… 3 articles mentioning him as a PLO spokesperson have been uncovered… from the LA and NY Times.
Second – for me the fact that he was a spokesperson for the PLO in the Lebanon days is not as of concern to me as that he wrote a glowing tribute in the early 90’s to the mastermind of the Munich massacre.
Third – of course in newsbite simplistic presentation the value of this in a Presidential race is a simplistic guilt by association that is dangerous and concerning…. but nonetheless probably worthy of reporting for an election to President… I might add that the ‘progressive’ left is as guilty of this ‘guilt by association’ and assassination of character.
As far as the neo nazi reference – yes that was a poor overbeaten dead horse reference… as we see Richard Silverstein use this reference to pugilistically batter th0ose with whom he disagrees with… not that it matters but a more intelligent choice of comparison (and McCain Palin campaign has not been very intelligent by anyone’s accounting) John McCain eating dinner at the home of an ardent pro life supporter who had strong ties to terrorists who had attempted to or blown up abortion clinics….
http://sandbox.blog-city.com/khalidi_of_the_plo.htm
somehow gives exact references to the proofs that Khalidi was indeed spokesman of PLO. You know, LAT, NYT of the relevant period. Enlightened Dems come wth very artistic and nuanced rage, and all GOPs can offer are some stupid facts? It’s like “to come with knifes to a gunfight”.
@Avi Benson: No, it appears that the Republican party and right-wing pro-Israel Jews believe that he was. But that doesn’t make it so. Besides, the PLO has been at peace with Israel since 1988 & Fatah is now a U.S. ally. Or have you forgotten that.
Besides, I’m at a loss to understand why Barack Obama is not allowed to break bread with a Palestinian professor who never harmed a person in his life, while Avi no doubt has no problem with the fact that at least two Israeli prime ministers planned and executed terror attacks that killed not only combatants, but civilians. Do I not hear you denounce the acts of Shamir and Begin as fulsomely as you denounce Rashid Khalidi, that dangerous PLO terrorist?