Politicians, Israel and Pandering

Kevin Zeese sent a letter to Rep. Ben Cardin (D), both candidates for Senate from Maryland.  (I'm in Tennessee.)  The letter urges Cardin to speak out AGAINST Israel.  Since I didn't know anything about either person, I did my research.

Zeese served as Ralph Nader's press secretary, is registered with the Green Party,  is for marijuana, against war, ...  In Barny Fife terminology, "He's a NUT".  Cardin has been involved with fiscal issues, pension reform,  health care, the welfare-to-work program and increase the child care tax credit, co-chaired the Bipartisan Ethics Task Force in an effort to reform ethics procedures in the House of Representatives. He also holds leadership positions on the Organization, Study and Review Committee and the Steering Committee of the Democratic Caucus and serves as Senior Democratic Whip.

Having said all that, here are the highlights of the letter from Zeese to Cardin:

The violence in the Middle East, in particular the brutal terrorist attacks by Israel on civilians in Lebanon and Gaza, threatens to escalate if Israel is not told it is violating many laws, UN Resolutions and treaties and has gone too far.  The following points need to be conveyed to Israel, and a pro-Israel legislator running for the U.S. Senate, like you, would be an excellent messenger:

1.  Israel is violating the Arms Export Control Act (Public Law 90-829) which limits the use of U.S. weapons given or sold to a foreign country to “internal security” and “legitimate self-defense.”  Further, U.S. weapons may not be used against civilians. ...

2.  Israel is violating international law by its collective punishment of civilians in Lebanon and Gaza.  Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states, “No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed. ...

3.  A cease fire is needed immediately. Hopefully you at least care about the 25,000 Americans caught in the conflict. ...

4.  Finally, according to CBS News:  “There were Lebanese media reports, which could not be confirmed, that Israel had used phosphorus incendiary bombs and vacuum bombs, which suck up the air and collapse buildings.” See: http://wfrv.com/topstories/topstories_story_197091650.html.  I hope you will call for an investigation as to whether Israel is using illegal weapons of mass destruction in Lebanon.

The extreme overreaction and targeting of civilians by Israel is being deplored throughout the globe except in the United States – the only country that can stop Israel because it funds and protects Israel.

[snip]

This military assault on Lebanon – thorough and well-planned – is consistent with a plan put forward for Benjamin Netanyahu in 1996, “A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm.” See: http://www.iasps.org/strat1.htm.

“The real aim is to change the regime in Lebanon and to install a puppet government.

”That was the aim of Ariel Sharon's invasion of Lebanon in 1982. It failed. But Sharon and his pupils in the military and political leadership have never really given up on it.

”As in 1982, the present operation, too, was planned and is being carried out in full coordination with the US.”

This invasion by Israel must be viewed in the context of the long-term border issues in the areas.  source

You can go read it all, I can't stomach any more here. The letter goes on and on and on.   I would love to read Mr. Cardin's response.  What did Zeese want Cardin to do?

   1. Urge Israel to immediately enter into negotiations to trade Israeli soldiers for Palestinian and Lebanese civilians being held by Israel.

   2. Urge an immediate ceasefire so negotiations can begin, U.S. citizens and civilians can leave the area in case military action continues before Americans are killed (7 Canadians have been killed).

   3. Introduce a Resolution in Congress deploring the actions of Israel in Gaza and Lebanon and warning that a fund cut-off of U.S. aid will follow if Israel does not stop its’ illegal military actions.

I'm sure Peter Beinard was not talking about Mr. Cardin in his column "Pander and Run". 

After years of struggling to define their own approach to post-Sept. 11 foreign policy, Democrats seem finally to have hit on one. It's called pandering.  The latest example came this week when Democratic senators and House members demanded that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki either retract his criticisms of Israel or forfeit his chance to address Congress. ...

Maliki's forthright disagreement with the United States was a sign of political strength, one the Bush administration wisely indulged.  ... 

Reid's letter wasn't really about strengthening the Iraqi government at all ... It was about appearing more pro-Israel than the White House and thus pandering to Jewish voters.  [snip]

Privately, some Democrats, while admitting that they haven't exactly been taking the high road, say they have no choice, that in a competition with Karl Rove, nice guys finish last. But even politically, that's probably wrong. The Democratic Party's single biggest foreign policy liability is not that Americans think Democrats are soft. It is that Americans think Democrats stand for nothing, that they have no principles beyond political expedience. And given the party's behavior over the past several months, it is not hard to understand why.  source

Mr. Beinart gives other examples of pandering, you can go read it yourself.  You have to give Mr. Zeese some credit.  He's not pandering to anybody.  He says what he thinks and doesn't care who disagrees.  I  disagree with him, but I like his honesty.

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