Originally posted at Liberal Street Fighter
REP. JANE HARMAN (D), CALIFORNIA: Oh, I think the Israelis are very clear-eyed about this, Wolf. First of all, they say and Prime Minister Olmert said this to us this morning, that they are not at war with the Lebanese people. They’re not at war with the Lebanese government. What they are fighting is a proxy for Iran and Syria, which is like a cancer in the south of Lebanon.
And if they don’t degrade this threat and if they don’t degrade the Hamas threat in Gaza — both of these places are places where they have withdrawn; they are not occupiers in these areas — if they don’t degrade these threats, they’ll just get stronger. And Israel and the entire neighborhood will continue to be at risk. And I think they’re trying to minimize casualties in every way that they can, based on the conversations we’ve had. — CNN – Late Edition
Have a clear-eyed look at this, Representative:
What’s clear is, yet again, that the Democrats in Congress are overwhelmingly JUST FINE with the United States and Israel continuing to endanger world peace.
From the Nation, John Nichols points out what’s at stake, and how few Democrats actually GET it:
Most Congressional Democrats have been the president’s willing accomplices in this neglect of duty. But a handful of House members, led by Ohio Democrat Dennis Kucinich, have stepped up. A House resolution, sponsored by Kucinich and cosponsored by close to two dozen other representatives urges “the President to appeal to all sides in the current crisis in the Middle East for an immediate cessation of violence and to commit the United States diplomats to multi-party negotiations with no preconditions.”
“The continuing violence in the Middle East is spiraling out of control and is on the verge of being full-out regional war in which there will be no winners,” says Kucinich. “The US has a moral obligation to become immediately engaged and to try to seek a peaceful resolution to the situation. This Administration must seek an immediate cease-fire and return all sides to the negotiating table.”
“The region urgently needs diplomatic assistance,” the congressman adds. “The only way the US can reclaim its role, as a mediator is to speak and act like a mediator. Unfortunately, the Administration is making statements that only will contribute to escalation.”
Kucinich is right. This is a testing time for members of Congress. Those who join Kucinich in calling for action to ease the conflict will be remembered as leaders – and as the true friends of Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and a battered peace process. Those who fail to do so will deserve to be remembered – and vilified — for their failure to act when a humanitarian crisis unfolded before the eyes of the world.
Only a couple of dozen will speak out against fresh war crimes.
Supporters and representatives increasingly use the language of genocide, making sick calculations that Israeli lives are worth more the Palestinian or Lebanese lives, using words like “blitzkrieg” (heard this morning on some of the war porn coverage, some retired IDF “expert”) and “cleansing” to describe Israeli actions over the last several days. CLEANSING. Descendents of the prey of monsters now roar like monsters, and WE SUPPORT THEM. Even Russ Feingold blindly supports Israel’s war crimes.
Betray the American people, betray the rule of law here, betray any thought of common human decency or the idea that TALKING should be pursued fervently BEFORE YOU LEVEL A COUNTRY … the Democrats show once again that most of them are unwilling to take positions that are risky, positions that go all but unrepresented in the public discourse. Kucinich can’t do it on his own, any more than Feingold can resist the security state on his own.
Stand for something Democrats, especially when lives are at stake. Our government and its allies in Israel cover us all innocent blood. Who will speak against it?
Hat tip to inkadu for the heads up on Harmon.