Secret Anti-Israeli American Contacts with Iran?

The White House denies disturbing reports out of Israel that the U. S. has told Iran it won’t support an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities if Iran doesn’t attack our military installations in the Persian Gulf.

From “U. S. denies Israeli newspaper report of secret Iran contacts,” Mark Felsenthal, Reuters:

“The White House on Monday denied an Israeli newspaper report that accused Washington of secretly negotiating with Tehran to keep the United States out of a future Israel-Iran war.

“The Jewish state also played down the front-page report n its biggest-selling daily, Yedioth Ahronoth, which followed unusually publican disagreement between the allies about how to tackle Iran’s controversial nuclear program.

“Without naming its sources, Yedioth said Washington had approached Tehran through two unidentified European countries [if true, one would be Switzerland] to convey the message that the United States would not be dragged into fighting if Israel carried out threats to attack Iran.

“Yedioth said the United States told Iran it should in return refrain from retaliating against U. S. interests, including its military in the Gulf.

“In Jerusalem, an Israeli official, who asked not to be identified, described the report as illogical.

“‘It doesn’t make sense, ‘ the official said.  ‘There would be no need to make such a promise to the Iranians because they realize the last thing they need is to attack U. S. targets and draw massive U. S. bombing raids.”

Where’s this coming from?  I don’t know.  Sheldon Adelson and the Romney campaign?

I hate the way this is framed as Israel’s problem.  The Saudis are as freaked out about Iran’s getting the bomb as the Israelis.  Even if Israel didn’t exist, you’d still have the Sunni-Shiite fight destabilizing the region.  Even if the Jewish religion didn’t exist, you’d still have plenty of other religions for radical Islamists to go after — they hate Christians and Buddhists and Hindus and atheists as much as they hate Jews.  They want everybody to be a devout Muslim.  An Iranian bomb will set off a scramble in the Middle East among Sunnis to get nuclear weapons.  And does anybody think India likes the prospect of two Muslim counties with the bomb? 

Our home-grown Christian Dinosaur Riders may be crazy, but the Muslim extremists are barbarians, all too ready to stone or behead or mutilate people, especially women.

“Get Off Your Asses”

From “Ryan-Akin, Romney-Trump,” Brent Budowsky,  The Hill:

“This column is an expression of contempt toward some of the wealthiest Democrats in America, who fail to understand the consequences if the forces I describe here take power in America.

“On almost all matters of high policy, the Republican ticket might well be called the Ryan-Akin team. Ryan and Akin agree on almost every major issue.

“The Republican campaign might well be called the politics of Romney-Trump. Voters might ask why Donald Trump, the standard-bearer of a campaign of nut-case birtherism to advance bigot-based politics, will be showcased at the Republican convention while the last Republican president, George W. Bush, will be hidden from public view.

“Romney-Ryan, Ryan-Akin and Romney-Trump share a vision of politics that gives extremism and hate a privileged seat at the table of GOP power.

“Romney, Ryan, Akin and Trump agree on almost every issue. Wealthy Democrats suffering a life crisis about whether they should enter the arena against mega-donations by the Adelsons and Koches might ponder why they make their mega-donations, why Romney and Ryan fall to their knees paying homage to them, and what kind of America we get if they buy the power of the presidency, the House, the Senate and the Supreme Court for a generation.

“The GOP wages war against Medicare and Social Security because they despise what they consider evil liberal programs. Their extremist platform before the election doesn’t scratch the surface of what they will try to do if they win the election, especially if they control Congress and courts. They know most voters disagree with them, so they lie about the president’s Medicare position and try to hide their extremism as Romney and Ryan hide their tax returns.

“When Republicans say they want to ‘take back America’ they are dog-whistling that they want to take back America from seniors who benefit from Medicare and Social Security, from uppity women who seek fair pay and freedom of choice, from uppity blacks they demonize in dishonest Trump-style welfare ads, from Hispanics they picture as climbing over walls to immigrate here and against whom they employ the shameless pandering Mitt Romney employed demonizing Hispanics even against other Republicans in Republican primaries.

“To wealthy Democrats having difficulty deciding whether they should enter the arena with their fists flying against the shared vision of Ryan, Akin, Romney and Trump I propose:

“Get off your asses, before it is too late.”  Emphasis added.

Quote of the Day

“Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) is now Exhibit A for the fact that the Republican Party has been taken over by radicals, extremists, ignoramuses and nuts. Not every Republican is as tactless as Akin, who publicly says what many Republicans privately believe and who publicly votes almost exactly the way Paul Ryan votes and the way a large majority of House Republicans vote. I dare any Republican to list the issues where Paul Ryan and Todd Akin disagree. All of Romney’s money, Rove’s machinations, the Koches’ cash and Adelson’s dough cannot hide the fact that on matters of major policy, Paul Ryan and Todd Akin are in nearly 100 percent agreement. Along with a majority of House and Senate Republicans.

“The resonating power of the Akin fiasco is that it strips the Republicans of any remaining mask of moderation and dramatizes the fact of Republican extremism.”  Emphasis added.

Brent Budowsky, “Akin=Ryan=Palin=Cantor=McConnell=poison tea,” The Hill

Sheldon Adelson Has a Super PAC

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s YG Action Super PAC raised $5.3 million last quarter.  YG stands for “Young Guns,” but $5 million of that came from a rather Old Gun, Sheldon Adelson, the Las Vegas casino billionaire who financed Newtie’s presidential run.

Doesn’t that really make it Adelson’s Super PAC rather than Cantor’s?

If you look in the dictionary under “lean and hungry look,” there’s a grinning picture of Cantor.  I bet John Boehner has a food taster.

 

 

Our Electoral Votes in Merkel’s Handbag

The Greek election reminds me of the cartoons where a character falls off a cliff, and at first falls very slowly and gently, like a leaf in a breeze, but then gravity catches up with him, and he lands with a thud.  Greece is falling in slow motion, but it will land with a thud.  A thud we will hear in this country.

The question, if you’re the White House/Chicago, is how long will it take?  I’m reading predictions of three to six months.  The shorter time frame is a disaster for Obama, the longer time frame gets him past the election.

Merkel ultimately isn’t going to save Greece, but she could certainly slow things down.  If you’re the German Chancellor, it’s not a bad thing to make the President of the United States your bitch.  So she can help Obama stay in the Oval Office — or she can help Mitt get there.

I know we’re all focused on the Koch Brothers and Sheldon Adelson, but probably the single individual with the most power over this election is Angela Merkel.  And you thought we won WWI and WWII.

Sheldon Adelson’s Check Book Is Open

Having just given $10 million to Mitt’s SuperPAC, Adelson has promised another $35 million to conservatives.

He’s giving $5 million to Eric Cantor’s Young Guns Network.  He’s giving $10 million to one of the Koch Brothers’ groups.

And the biggest share, $20 million, is going to Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS.

We’re in uncharted territory, people.  Never have so many in this country had their government controlled by so few.

He Must Make Mitt Feel Poor

Sheldon Adelson, who single-handedly bankrolled Newtie’s campaign, has now turned his affections to Mitt.  Adelson is determined to do what it takes to defeat President Obama.  And when you’re worth $25 billion, “what it takes” isn’t just some empty boast.

He’s already given $10 million to Mitt’s SuperPAC, but Adelson’s “people” are saying we ain’t seen nothin’ yet.  They say he’s planning “limitless” donations.  Limitless here might mean more than $100 million.

I like the First Amendment as much as the next person, but this is seriously messed up.

A little irony here — Mormons are opposed to gambling, but Mitt might get to the White House thanks to casino money.

Walker’s Flood of Money Water-Boarded Barrett

From “How Walker Won,” William Finnegan, The New Yorker:

“But the ocean of campaign money that drowned Wisconsin was definitely something new.  More than sixty-three million dollars poured in….  According to the Center for Public Integrity, Walker outspent Barrett by seven and a half to one.  Barrett raised four million dollars in campaign donations, roughly a million of that from out of state.  Walker, meanwhile, raised more than thirty million, with twenty million of that from out of state.  Four of Walker’s top seven donors were out-of-state billionaires.  Many of these overfed cats are becoming familiar figures in our democracy:  Sheldon Adelson, the anti-union casino magnate; the brothers Koch, who bow to no man in their anti-unionism.

“The state-level equivalent of SuperPACs slopped another thirty million into the mix, three-quarters of that to Walker, nearly all of it from out of state.  The Walker campaign had so much cash, it seemed drunk.  After saturating the airwaves and wallpapering America’s dairyland with ad buys, it started running commercials on Madison’s favorite left-wing radio station, apparently just to show that it could.”  Emphasis added.

Now the GOP is emboldened, thinking it can do for Mitt what it did for Walker.  Wake up, Chicago, they’re coming for you.