AIPAC Kills Anti-War Effort

AIPAC has successfully derailed the anti-war movement in the Democratic party.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of the leadership had decided to strip from a major military spending bill a requirement for Bush to gain approval from Congress before moving against Iran.

Conservative Democrats as well as lawmakers concerned about the possible impact on
Israel had argued for the change in strategy.

The interesting thing is that someone has decided that this can no longer be done below the radar. Congressmen and women are openly stating that they oppose the provision out of a direct concern for Israel with little discussion of US interests.

Rep. Shelley Berkley (news, bio, voting record), D-Nev., said in an interview there is widespread fear in Israel about Iran, which is believed to be seeking nuclear weapons and has expressed unremitting hostility about the Jewish state.

"It would take away perhaps the most important negotiating tool that the U.S. has when it comes to Iran," she said of the now-abandoned provision.

"I didn't think it was a very wise idea to take things off the table if you're trying to get people to modify their behavior and normalize it in a civilized way," said Rep. Gary Ackerman (news, bio, voting record) of New York.

...

"This supplemental should be about supporting the troops and providing what they need," said Rep. Dan Boren D-Okla., on Monday upon returning from a trip to Iraq. Boren said he plans to oppose any legislation setting a clear deadline for troops to leave.

All the hand wringing about old "canards" seem to have been thrown out the window. Pat Buchanan has been proven correct, again. I wouldn't, however, hold my breath for any apologies if I were Pat.

AP