Revolution #56, August 13, 2006
Democrats Defend U.S. Attack Dog Israel
The Democratic Party, as a whole, and as a political force, has vehemently and vociferously joined in giving Israel unqualified support—all in the context of Israel’s latest outrageous crimes in Lebanon.
On July 17, at a rally in New York City, Israel’s UN ambassador Dan Gillerman said: “To those countries who claim that we are using disproportionate force, I have only this to say: You’re damn right we are!”
Next to him were two prominent Democratic senators, Hillary Clinton of New York and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey.
Lautenberg said: “It’s up to Israel to design how strong her response ought to be.”
Clinton added: “We will support [Israel’s] efforts to send a message to Hamas, Hezbollah, to the Syrians, to the Iranians… We will take whatever steps are necessary.”
That same day, Israeli warplanes set Beirut’s harbor ablaze, pounded villages, neighborhoods, and highways across Lebanon, and flattened the Palestinian foreign ministry in Gaza City along with surrounding homes.
Then Nouri al-Maliki, the “Prime Minister of Iraq” came to the United States and the Democrats went into a frenzy after this U.S. puppet felt constrained to denounce Israel’s actions and would not “recant” these remarks during his July 25 meeting with Bush.
At a July 19 press conference, Nouri al-Maliki said: “The Israeli attacks and air strikes are completely destroying Lebanon’s infrastructure. I condemn these aggressions and call on the Arab League foreign ministers’ meeting in Cairo to take quick action to stop these aggressions. We call on the world to take quick stands to stop the Israeli aggression.”
Immediately the Democratic Party, spearheaded by its congressional representatives, demanded that al-Maliki be dis-invited from his scheduled July 26 address to Congress.
Senator Hillary Clinton called al-Maliki’s statement “outrageous.” House Democrats called al-Maliki’s statement “shocking,” “abhorrent,” and “offensive in the extreme.”
“Which side is he on when it comes to the war on terror?” the Democratic senator Charles Schumer demanded to know—using his own version of Bush’s “You are either with us or with the terrorists.”
The Democrats threatened that al-Maliki should not expect U.S. support, if he continued to criticize Israel’s attack on Lebanon.
The Democrats have now made this part of their criticism of Bush and the Republicans—saying they weren’t hard enough on al-Maliki.
In Connecticut, Democrat Ned Lamont is portrayed as the”antiwar candidate” challenging the pro-Bush Democrat Joe Lieberman. Lamont’s statement on Israel’s attacks, posted on his website, says: “At this critical time in the Middle East, I believe that when Israel’s security is threatened, the United States must unambiguously stand with our ally to be sure that it is safe and secure. On this principle, Americans are united.”
This self-exposing behavior by the Democrats is a glaring example of the fact that they are a U.S. ruling class party. That they are themselves sharply and repeatedly, bloodthirsty defenders and instruments of U.S. imperialism, and its attack dog Israel. And how, as such, they champion—and viciously attack any criticism of—the most bloody and horrendous crimes being committed by Israel, with the full backing and support of U.S. imperialism.
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