The Dutch Jimmy Carter

The "Dutch Jimmy Carter" tells a story of his conversion:

"In one of my visits to Bethlehem I heard a story, which now I know is just one of many," Van Agt recalls. "It was a story horrendous humiliation of a Palestinian student trying to get to university for a collective exam. His story, which the university president told me, struck me like lightning."

At the last IDF checkpoint on the way, according to the story which Van Agt says he heard from the university president, the student was pulled over and ordered to climb out of the window. "Then the humiliation began. He fell down and was then ordered to walk on hands and feet and bark. Then the soldiers laughed about the Palestinians all being dogs."

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The Benign Domino Theory

This is some of the most direct evidence that the well being of Israel was on the minds of the neocons during the Iraq war build up.

"Then, what can one say about Jennifer Rubin, who accuses me of antisemitism? I must say that's rather thrilling coming from the Commentary crowd. You want evidence of divided loyalties? How about the 'benign domino theory' that so many Jewish neoconservatives talked to me about--off the record, of course--in the runup to the Iraq war, the idea that Israel's security could be won by taking out Saddam, which would set off a cascade of disaster for Israel's enemies in the region? As my grandmother would say, feh! Do you actually deny that the casus belli that dare not speak its name wasn't, as I wrote in February 2003, a desire to make the world safe for Israel?"

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We have a mountain of circumstantial evidence that we went to war for Israel. However, these statements from Joe Klein are direct evidence that Israel was a major consideration for those pushing for the invasion of Iraq.

Time

Israel´s Full Court Press

There was some argument that while the Neocons wanted the US to attack Iraq, Israel only came on board reluctantly.

This argument cannot be made with regard to Iran.

(CBS) Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen leaves Tuesday night on an overseas trip that will take him to Israel, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin. The trip has been scheduled for some time but U.S. officials say it comes just as the Israelis are mounting a full court press to get the Bush administration to strike Iran's nuclear complex.

CBS consultant Michael Oren says Israel doesn't want to wait for a new administration.

"The Israelis have been assured by the Bush administration that the Bush administration will not allow Iran to nuclearize," Oren said. "Israelis are uncertain about what would be the policies of the next administration vis-à-vis Iran."

Note that whenever oil prices rise, or the stock market falls, on news of potential conflict with Iran, people's pensions and college funds are affected, not to mention their ability to buy food and fuel.

Israel's actions, and the actions of its supporters, affect you.

CBS News

The AIPAC Backed Iran War Resolution

While there have been countless public and private pushes for war with Iran by the Israel Lobby there is nothing like open legislation to demonstrate who is driving the country to further conflict.

Introduced less than a month ago, Resolution 362, also known as the Iran War Resolution, could be passed by the House as early as next week.

The bill is the chief legislative priority of AIPAC. On its Web site, AIPAC endorses the resolutions as a way to ”Stop Iran’s Nuclear Program” and tells readers to lobby Congress to pass the bill.

The bill contains some very serious measures.

The bill’s key section “demands that the president initiate an international effort to immediately and dramatically increase the economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Iran to verifiably suspend its nuclear enrichment activities by, inter alia, prohibiting the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran; and prohibiting the international movement of all Iranian officials not involved in negotiating the suspension of Iran’s nuclear program [This is very drastic].”

An analysis of this states it very well:

“Imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran” can be read to mean that the president should initiate a naval blockade of Iran. A unilateral naval blockade without UN sanction is an act of war.

This is a big step on the path to war with Iran. And remember who was pushing for it.

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From AIPAC web site:

Stop Iran’s Nuclear Program

Members of the House and Senate have introduced resolutions (H. Con. Res. 362 and S. Res. 580) calling on the administration to focus on the urgency of the Iranian nuclear threat and to impose tougher sanctions on Tehran. The resolutions, introduced in the House by Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) and Mike Pence (R-IN) and in the Senate by Sens. Evan Bayh (D-IN) and John Thune (R-SD), urge the president to sanction Iran’s Central Bank and other international banks and energy companies investing in the country. They also demand that the United States lead an international effort to increase pressure on Iran by curtailing Iran’s ability to import refined petroleum products. Please urge your representatives to cosponsor this critical resolution.

AIPAC