Cole on Franklin

[arisbe]

"Here is my take on the Lawrence Franklin espionage scandal in the Pentagon.

"It is an echo of the one-two punch secretly planned by the pro-Likud faction in the Department of Defense. First, Iraq would be taken out by the United States, and then Iran. David Wurmser, a key member of the group, also wanted Syria included. These pro-Likud intellectuals concluded that 9/11 would give them carte blanche to use the Pentagon as Israel's Gurkha regiment, fighting elective wars on behalf of Tel Aviv (not wars that really needed to be fought, but wars that the Likud coalition thought it would be nice to see fought so as to increase Israel's ability to annex land and act aggressively, especially if someone else's boys did the dying)."

Comments

I don't understand your comment.

[rawmr.livejournal.com]

I assume you do not agree with the writer, whose article essentially states that Israel's Likud party is running our Pentagon, from what I gathered of a quick read. Hence, conspiracy theory entertainment. You come up with a lot of similar articles.

Re: I don't understand your comment.

[arisbe.livejournal.com]

I don't have any specialized knowledge, so my agreement or disagreement doesn't matter so much. Professor Cole is highly regarded by other ME scholars, according to a neighbor who is one.

Some of these neocon fellows were certainly working for (paid consultants to) Likud before the Bush people brought them into power.

While the Pentagon seems to be running itself for better or worse, it is certainly infiltrated by agents of influence who sincerely believe that the world would be better off with the ME under Israeli-US hegemony. Just as the American government was once infiltrated by agents of influence who sincerely believed that the Soviet Union under Stalin was the hope of humanity.

The Communist movement and its numerous sympathizers were wrong then. The Israel lobby and its numerous sympathizers are wrong now.

Article still over the top

[rawmr.livejournal.com]

Again, I do not believe that Israel dictates US ME policy. As for Israeli policy, I have far more disagrements with Palestinian policy than that of the Israelis. Palestinians had the opportunity to aquire virtually the entire West bank and Gaza disputed lands. They chose terrorism instead. Terrorism cannot be rewarded. There are still significant Palistinian factions who continue to observe the policy of NPR (No Negotiation, No Peace, No Recognition), and the Palestinian Authority has continued to refuse to disarm them. They continue to fire rockets, and try to get suicide bombers into Israel, though not so successfully these days thanks to constant, and yes brutal, military pressure. With all due respect, unless you can come up with viable alternative solutions for Israeli policy, don't condemn it.

Re: Article still over the top

[arisbe.livejournal.com]

If anyone claiming to represent me or paid by my taxes were encouraging the PA in their idiocy, I would excoriate them in no uncertain terms as well.

You are avoiding the issue

[rawmr.livejournal.com]

Not to be hard on you, but you offer no alternatives. To easy just implying that US/Israeli policy is idiotic. You don't have to answer here, but you should seriously ask yourself how the ME would be a kinder, gentler place if you were dictating policy.

Re: You are avoiding the issue

[arisbe.livejournal.com]

It may never be a kinder, gentler place, nor is it our job to make it so, and our attempts have only brought that war home to us.

Are you safer than you were three years ago today?

I watched thousands of Americans die for Israel.

Is Israel any better off for it?

Re: You are avoiding the issue

[rawmr.livejournal.com]

Do you also believe that Hilter and the Japanese should have been allowed to go uncontested? If no, then your point about the ME is extremely moot, and obvoious things could be far worse. If yes, then I will know better than to ever bring this up again.