Sparky55: Yeah, the whole thing shows just how screwed up this really is. Note the 60 minutes piece at te start of the video. That's the crap journalism that's fed to us the consumers. One would think at least those journalists would consider the source of the information but then again, very few people really do.
patmac: Sadly it will be like this Ginni, until S B comes back and gets his thread back on the subject.
Zionist Occupied AmericaNow S B has been asked how many questions?.
How many answers?As it is supposed to be his thread why is he not controlling the content.
He so far has not done so. Also by refusing to answer questions on the point of the thread folk will take the thread the way they want.
If you start a thread are you not obliged to answer questions on your point?.
Provide REAL information to prove your point.
So far S B has done neither to any degree that satisfies folk.
All the links came from Paldi not S B and the very fact S B has done his usual says a lot.
As always JMO
I kept looking at Al's 3 questions scratching my head. He sure seems to need answers and no one has done a good enough job in debating him, sooooooooo
last night, after drinking some great scoth I zipped over to a Republican caucus at the local high school. They were selecting candidates to run in the next election. A buddy wants me to run for an elected position on the school board. Amusing thought that.
Anyway I wanted Al to clarify his questions to help him get his answers. Just the first one of his three. And he very graciously made clarifications. That's very helpful. Lots to think about. I would like to hear answers too. I'll try to answer them one way of the other, when time permits. I'm really late for work! c ya l8r
Wow_FactorLondon, Greater London, England UK3,698 posts
patmac: Nice but totally refutable.
And I still want answers on the Numbers.
Preferably from the OP
It is my guess that the original poster is wanting this thread to run its course and reach the 50 page/1000 post mark in his absence so he can get back to starting another thread as this one is dying a death.
Excerpt from the LATimes and John Mearsheimer above:
"There's no question that American assistance has made Israel more powerful, relative to its neighbors, than it was before that aid started flowing. But the fact is Israel would still be much more powerful than its neighbors even without that assistance. The real problem here is when you give a country, no matter whether it's Israel or any other country, unconditional support, and you allow them to pretty much do anything they want without any real costs associated with their actions because the United States is there to bail them out, you in a sense allow them to pursue foolish policies. And this we believe is what happened with regard to the settlements, and we believe it's what happened with regard to Lebanon. The thing you want to remember about Israel is that, like the United States and like any country in the world, it occasionally does things that are foolish. States do that; it's part of the warp and woof of daily life in the international system. And if you have a policy of unconditional aid, if you have a policy where you can't criticize Israel in the United States without getting smeared, you're going to give that state a lot of room to get itself in trouble. And our argument again is that it would be better if that aid were conditional and we were allowed to have an open debate about Israeli policy and the Israeli-U.S." relationship.
#4) Walt & Mearsheimer vindicated By AuthorIssandr El Amrani DateFebruary 10, 2010 at 3:08 PM Share ArticleShare
I can't help but share in Stephen Walt's self-satisfaction over Tony Blair's testimony to the Chilcot Inquiry, in which he recognized that Israeli officials were consulted about the decision to invade Iraq and were a major part of the run-up to the war:
In his testimony to the Iraq war commission in the U.K., former Prime Minister Tony Blair offered the following account of his discussions with Bush in Crawford, Texas in April 2002. Blair reveals that concerns about Israel were part of the equation and that Israel officials were involved in those discussions.
Take it away, Tony:
As I recall that discussion, it was less to do with specifics about what we were going to do on Iraq or, indeed, the Middle East, because the Israel issue was a big, big issue at the time. I think, in fact, I remember, actually, there may have been conversations that we had even with Israelis, the two of us, whilst we were there. So that was a major part of all this."
con't.. Notice that Blair is not saying that Israel dreamed up the idea of attacking Iraq or that Bush was bent on war solely to benefit Israel or even to appease the Israel lobby here at home. But Blair is acknowledging that concerns about Israel were part of the equation, and that the Israeli government was being actively consulted in the planning for the war.
Blair's comments fit neatly with the argument we make about the lobby and Iraq. Specifically, Professor Mearsheimer and I made it clear in our article and especially in our book that the idea of invading Iraq originated in the United States with the neoconservatives, and not with the Israeli government. But as the neoconservative pundit Max Boot once put it, steadfast support for Israel is "a key tenet of neoconservatism." Prominent neo-conservatives occupied important positions in the Bush administration, and in the aftermath of 9/11, they played a major role in persuading Bush and Cheney to back a war against Iraq, which they had been advocating since the late 1990s. We also pointed out that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and other Israeli officials were initially skeptical of this scheme, because they wanted the U.S. to focus on Iran, not Iraq. However, they became enthusiastic supporters of the idea of invading Iraq once the Bush administration made it clear to them that Iraq was just the first step in a broader campaign of "regional transformation" that would eventually include Iran.
Israelis themselves were divided about the war, from what I remember of the Israeli press in the 2002-2003 period, although Ariel Sharon wasn't. This is only natural since the last time Iraq had been invaded, Scud missiles rained on Tel Aviv. Even though the scare about the Scuds proved to be disproportionate to the reality of the damage they inflicted, people were scared of the possible consequences.
The neoconservatives, though, had no such qualms. I've been ranting for a while that, as far as I can see, not only support for a territorially maximalist and aggressive Israel is a key tenet of neoconservatism, it may be its central tenet. I see little consistent in the ideology otherwise, apart perhaps for an spirited embrace of American imperialism — but even then, outside the Middle East, there is no consistency: the neocons were not so gung-ho about Russia, North Korea, China, or Latin America after all.
Walt ventures to suggest that Israeli political leaders, left and right, unequivocally began to support the war as a reaction to the American neocons' push in Washington and all quickly lined up to active the formal lobby (AIPAC, etc.) to push for war. Do read his lengthly explanation of how that worked. So in other words, the most controversial argument in Walt and Mearsheimer's book — that the lobby played a significant, and perhaps decisive, role in driving US policy on Iraq — is pretty much unassailably correct.
Ok none of these people are Palestinians or uneducated idiots. But hey, if the Rights best repost is more jokes on Pallywood... I'd find that a pretty weak argument in their favor.
Excerpt from the LATimes and John Mearsheimer above:
"There's no question that American assistance has made Israel more powerful, relative to its neighbors, than it was before that aid started flowing. But the fact is Israel would still be much more powerful than its neighbors even without that assistance. The real problem here is when you give a country, no matter whether it's Israel or any other country, unconditional support, and you allow them to pretty much do anything they want without any real costs associated with their actions because the United States is there to bail them out, you in a sense allow them to pursue foolish policies. And this we believe is what happened with regard to the settlements, and we believe it's what happened with regard to Lebanon. The thing you want to remember about Israel is that, like the United States and like any country in the world, it occasionally does things that are foolish. States do that; it's part of the warp and woof of daily life in the international system. And if you have a policy of unconditional aid, if you have a policy where you can't criticize Israel in the United States without getting smeared, you're going to give that state a lot of room to get itself in trouble. And our argument again is that it would be better if that aid were conditional and we were allowed to have an open debate about Israeli policy and the Israeli-U.S." relationship.
#4) Walt & Mearsheimer vindicated By AuthorIssandr El Amrani DateFebruary 10, 2010 at 3:08 PM Share ArticleShare
I can't help but share in Stephen Walt's self-satisfaction over Tony Blair's testimony to the Chilcot Inquiry, in which he recognized that Israeli officials were consulted about the decision to invade Iraq and were a major part of the run-up to the war:
In his testimony to the Iraq war commission in the U.K., former Prime Minister Tony Blair offered the following account of his discussions with Bush in Crawford, Texas in April 2002. Blair reveals that concerns about Israel were part of the equation and that Israel officials were involved in those discussions.
Take it away, Tony:
As I recall that discussion, it was less to do with specifics about what we were going to do on Iraq or, indeed, the Middle East, because the Israel issue was a big, big issue at the time. I think, in fact, I remember, actually, there may have been conversations that we had even with Israelis, the two of us, whilst we were there. So that was a major part of all this."
wonder who else they MAY have talked to?And what "Concerns"? You usually talk to an Ally!
gininitaly: con't.. Notice that Blair is not saying that Israel dreamed up the idea of attacking Iraq or that Bush was bent on war solely to benefit Israel or even to appease the Israel lobby here at home. But Blair is acknowledging that concerns about Israel were part of the equation, and that the Israeli government was being actively consulted in the planning for the war.
Blair's comments fit neatly with the argument we make about the lobby and Iraq. Specifically, Professor Mearsheimer and I made it clear in our article and especially in our book that the idea of invading Iraq originated in the United States with the neoconservatives, and not with the Israeli government. But as the neoconservative pundit Max Boot once put it, steadfast support for Israel is "a key tenet of neoconservatism." Prominent neo-conservatives occupied important positions in the Bush administration, and in the aftermath of 9/11, they played a major role in persuading Bush and Cheney to back a war against Iraq, which they had been advocating since the late 1990s. We also pointed out that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and other Israeli officials were initially skeptical of this scheme, because they wanted the U.S. to focus on Iran, not Iraq. However, they became enthusiastic supporters of the idea of invading Iraq once the Bush administration made it clear to them that Iraq was just the first step in a broader campaign of "regional transformation" that would eventually include Iran.
Israelis themselves were divided about the war, from what I remember of the Israeli press in the 2002-2003 period, although Ariel Sharon wasn't. This is only natural since the last time Iraq had been invaded, Scud missiles rained on Tel Aviv. Even though the scare about the Scuds proved to be disproportionate to the reality of the damage they inflicted, people were scared of the possible consequences.
The neoconservatives, though, had no such qualms. I've been ranting for a while that, as far as I can see, not only support for a territorially maximalist and aggressive Israel is a key tenet of neoconservatism, it may be its central tenet. I see little consistent in the ideology otherwise, apart perhaps for an spirited embrace of American imperialism — but even then, outside the Middle East, there is no consistency: the neocons were not so gung-ho about Russia, North Korea, China, or Latin America after all.
Walt ventures to suggest that Israeli political leaders, left and right, unequivocally began to support the war as a reaction to the American neocons' push in Washington and all quickly lined up to active the formal lobby (AIPAC, etc.) to push for war. Do read his lengthly explanation of how that worked. So in other words, the most controversial argument in Walt and Mearsheimer's book — that the lobby played a significant, and perhaps decisive, role in driving US policy on Iraq — is pretty much unassailably correct.
Ok none of these people are Palestinians or uneducated idiots. But hey, if the Rights best repost is more jokes on Pallywood... I'd find that a pretty weak argument in their favor.
Wow_Factor: It is my guess that the original poster is wanting this thread to run its course and reach the 50 page/1000 post mark in his absence so he can get back to starting another thread as this one is dying a death.
Oddly enough some do get out into the real world on occasion... still 20 pages to go Wow.
btw I think something got lost up there between articles in my pastes... which I did because no one seems to want to click on links that are in proof or support of a position... especially if they already have preconceived notions closed minds.
... and not all Jews are in support of all Jews positions Wow.. isn't that a right too?
gininitaly: con't.. Notice that Blair is not saying that Israel dreamed up the idea of attacking Iraq or that Bush was bent on war solely to benefit Israel or even to appease the Israel lobby here at home. But Blair is acknowledging that concerns about Israel were part of the equation, and that the Israeli government was being actively consulted in the planning for the war.
Blair's comments fit neatly with the argument we make about the lobby and Iraq. Specifically, Professor Mearsheimer and I made it clear in our article and especially in our book that the idea of invading Iraq originated in the United States with the neoconservatives, and not with the Israeli government. But as the neoconservative pundit Max Boot once put it, steadfast support for Israel is "a key tenet of neoconservatism." Prominent neo-conservatives occupied important positions in the Bush administration, and in the aftermath of 9/11, they played a major role in persuading Bush and Cheney to back a war against Iraq, which they had been advocating since the late 1990s. We also pointed out that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and other Israeli officials were initially skeptical of this scheme, because they wanted the U.S. to focus on Iran, not Iraq. However, they became enthusiastic supporters of the idea of invading Iraq once the Bush administration made it clear to them that Iraq was just the first step in a broader campaign of "regional transformation" that would eventually include Iran.
Israelis themselves were divided about the war, from what I remember of the Israeli press in the 2002-2003 period, although Ariel Sharon wasn't. This is only natural since the last time Iraq had been invaded, Scud missiles rained on Tel Aviv. Even though the scare about the Scuds proved to be disproportionate to the reality of the damage they inflicted, people were scared of the possible consequences.
The neoconservatives, though, had no such qualms. I've been ranting for a while that, as far as I can see, not only support for a territorially maximalist and aggressive Israel is a key tenet of neoconservatism, it may be its central tenet. I see little consistent in the ideology otherwise, apart perhaps for an spirited embrace of American imperialism — but even then, outside the Middle East, there is no consistency: the neocons were not so gung-ho about Russia, North Korea, China, or Latin America after all.
Walt ventures to suggest that Israeli political leaders, left and right, unequivocally began to support the war as a reaction to the American neocons' push in Washington and all quickly lined up to active the formal lobby (AIPAC, etc.) to push for war. Do read his lengthly explanation of how that worked. So in other words, the most controversial argument in Walt and Mearsheimer's book — that the lobby played a significant, and perhaps decisive, role in driving US policy on Iraq — is pretty much unassailably correct.
Ok none of these people are Palestinians or uneducated idiots. But hey, if the Rights best repost is more jokes on Pallywood... I'd find that a pretty weak argument in their favor.
Lots of good comments, but all about Israel and the war not on the SUBJECT. Zionist Occupied America.
Anyone who thinks the allies did not consult and keep Israel informed off all events during GW1 is not only stupid but not facing reality.
Israel was consulted throughout. It supplied information and promised to stay out of the war and did so even when attacked.
I fail to see what that has to do with America being controlled by Zionists.The OP has yet to prove his point and will not answer questions. All this reference to Blair and wars is muddying the discussion. Let us discuss (take note S B) THE REAL POINT OF THE THREAD.
So we need to get back to discussing America not Israel and the War
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thanks fred
wouldn't want to upset anyone by agreeing with someone. how stupid of me