There has been a major clarifying development concerning the ‘End Iranian Peace Talks Bill’, S-1881. And the bringer of focus to this pathetic mishegas is non other than Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California. She stood on the floor of the Senate yesterday (Tuesday, Jan 14, 2014 Mark your calendars-this is big!) and gave a definitive account of the folly and nonsense involved in thwarting peace with Iran. This is very significant. DiFi has always been identified as the MIC/NSA’s gal in the Senate. We hear about “no daylight” between a certain ally and the US but we can certainly say there was never daylight between DiFi and the Pentagon. She really is the Big Mama Bear of the government. (I know, I know, Hillary, also). So what this means is that the Real, Raw American Power has decided to continue to turn away from military campaigns where we are increasingly guaranteed to come up short and impoverished. This is the dynamic that I have been calling the Peace Train.
I first saw it at Mondoweiss.net, who picked it up from Lobelog.com…..
Feinstein’s Denunciation of Kirk-Menendez Iran Act May Be Decisive…
Tuesday’s floor speech by Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein could bury AIPAC’s hopes of winning passage of what I have called the Kirk-Menendez Wag the Dog Act of 2013…at least for the next month or so. The speech, which was remarkably comprehensive in rebutting virtually every argument made by AIPAC and the 59 co-sponsors in favor of the bill, comes amid a surprising spate of newspaper editorials against the bill, particularly given the dearth of actual news coverage about it. Newspapers that have taken position against the legislation in just the last few days include the Minneapolis Star Tribune, USA Today, the New York Times, and the often-neoconservative-leaning Washington Post. As cash-poor as they are, newspapers are still less susceptible to the kind of pressure exerted by AIPAC and its associated PACs that are able to provide — or deny — substantial cash for political campaigns.
While the speech is worth reading in full — precisely because it is so thorough — it’s worth highlighting its explicit concern about the possibility of a “wag the dog” scenario. “While I recognize and share Israel’s concern,” she said, “we cannot let Israel determine when and where the U.S. goes to war. By stating that the U.S. should provide military support to Israel should it attack Iran, I fear that is exactly what this bill will do.” This is a remarkable and courageous statement. So is her characterization of the bill’s likely impact of undermining negotiations as a “march to war.”
My Bold Above
Both those links above have the CSPAN video and the transcribed remarks. It really is worth it to hear her words, this is the real American Mama Bear saying enough of this nonsense to her fractious charges. The comments in the Mondoweiss coverage point to how big a speech this was. They live to chronicle the unfolding of the hasbara web of lies. Mondoweiss has more involving the backpedaling that has begun now that folks who had made it to the AIPAC list of supporters are starting to talk a little differently now that people are noticing. At the first link above.
Really, check it out. This is a case where ‘Stateswoman’ is a moniker well deserved, imo.
Thanks for bringing this up!
There was a lot of hand wringing going around about this bill, and it really would be devastating, but I never knew how serious the backing of it went in the Dem caucus. It looks like Feinstein is tamping it down, and we can actually move forward with significant negotiations with Iran that may finally reduce the nuclear tension(sans Israel) in the area.
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Are we seeing pay-back time for the AIPAC lobbyists messing up our nation, especially during Obama’s first term? The Israel lobby defying Obama on settlement building, 1967 boundaries, candidacy of Charles Freeman, Senate hearing of many appointees, I can think of Chuck Hagel, Samantha Power, bashing of Hillary Clinton’s assistant Ms Huma Abedin, etc. and policy issues on Syria and especially Iran.
○ House Newcomer Defies GOP Leaders on Israel, From the Right April 18, 2011
○ A Defeat for All-Powerful Aipac? by J.J. Goldberg
○ AIPAC fail: Goldberg leads, and Sen. Blumenthal climbs off the war bus by Philip Weiss
Watch this high stakes case explode in rivalry between stakeholders: Israel’s PM Netanyahu plus cronies vs. President Obama and FBI sting-op. The highest police commander stationed at Israel’s Embassy in Washington DC, Menashe Arviv [bio], caught in a FBI sting operation. Since October he was the head of the FBI equivalent in Israel, national police unit for international and serious crimes, known as “Lahav 433”. He was involved in Rabbi Pinto’s bribery case …
○ Israeli Miracle Rabbi Turns State’s Witness Against Both Rep. Grimm and Senior Israeli Police Commander
○ My posts as the gag order ended – FBI Investigation Into Mike Grimm (R) Fundraising
I think that much of Obama’s first term appointment strategy involved letting the old responsible hands carry on while he watched and learned what the points of power were that he needed to deal with to move his agenda forward. He’ll take a lot of hits and be accused of saying ‘may I have another’, as if it’s not a manly way to proceed, but functioning beyond self and playing it by the book (Art of War by Sun Tzu) is a very valid and successful way to proceed.
Guerilla war with the zionist lobby? He and Biden have done everything to keep in good graces at the PR level with the lobby. Maybe a little scuffling in the trenches sends another little message that things are changing and daylight is beginning to break out between the bestest allies ever.
Obama’s not particularly vindictive, so the fact that he has already defeated the lobby has not been trumpeted. He’s not a gloater. But he certainly has exposed the lobby in ways it never was before.
RE: Grimm and Pinto
I want to see a panel discussion about all this with Richard Silverstein, at Tikun Olam; Howie Klein, at DownWithTyranny; Shmarya Rosenberg, at FailedMessiah, and Oui, of BooManTribune.
I would pay to see that.
Well that is awesome! I am doubly pleased because on the 14th of January I called her office to find out her position and then asked her to take a more public stance (she is my senator). It’s almost as if that call put her over the top!
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○ The Hill: AIPAC’s legislative agenda dividing members of Congress
○ US House spending bill includes full $3.1 billion for Israel
○ U.S., Israel Discuss Triggers for Bombing Iran’s Nuclear Infrastructure Dec. 29, 2011
What happens when there are no more ‘others’ for enemies? And all your storylines turn to shit. They need a really BIG cup of Non-Identity. Too bad, I’ve never seen much talk of there being many Buddhists in Israel to explain to them how that works.
Or beats a hasty retreat to the real Di-Fi
“Dishonor” really Di-Fi? Sayeth the woman that voted to dismantle Iraq. Horrid woman.