The Specialization of Politics

To be successful, politicians must become specialized, that is, specialized in raising campaign money. This means, of course, that they must cozy up to the special interests, particularly the well-heeled Israel Lobby. The result is is that with regard to our foreign policy, which is destroying the country, there is no significant difference between the parties. It is the Republican whores vs. the Democrat prostitutes. One group wants to stay in Iraq on behalf of Israel, the other group, realizing that Israel's goal of trashing Iraq has been accomplished, wants to leave Iraq and attack Iran.

In his recent book, "Second Chance," former National Security Advisor Zbigniev Brzezinski grades the past three presidents. He notes that "only those in a state of self-serving denial" can claim that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict doesn't ignite "widespread Arab hostility toward America." (p.191) With regard to Middle East policy he gives President Clinton a "D" (p.185), saying he "left office with Israeli/Palestinian relations in a worse condition," and that his policy was "contaminated by a domestic political calculus." (p.130) At Camp David II, Clinton's negotiating team was biased towards Israel. With upcoming elections, including that of Clinton's wife Hillary, Israel-Lobby-generated campaign funds were essential. (See previous blog "The Myth of the Generous Offer" 5-13-07.) Yet Clinton did better than President George W. Bush, who received an "F" on Brzezinski's presidential report card.

In my view, if one were to go back further, however, and grade presidents by their long-term legacies, President Harry S. Truman surely would rank near the bottom. The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, (dropped unnecessarily in the view of many), killed hundreds of thousand of innocent civilians. This was indeed terrorism on a grand scale. Then in 1948, with a tough presidential election coming up against Gov. Thomas E. Dewey, Truman aligned himself with the Zionist cause. "More important even than Jewish votes to the destitute Democrat party could be Jewish campaign contributions." (David McCullough's "Truman" p. 596) Secretary of State George Marshall and Secretary of Defense James Forrestal opposed this alignment foreseeing Middle East problems down the road. Indeed alternative plans involving UN peacekeepers were proposed to avoid war between Jews and Arabs in Palestine. Although Truman defeated Dewey in '48, his legacy is a Middle East in flames complicated by nuclear proliferation.