On Monday, I spoke with David Swanson of Talk Nation Radio about the appointment of John Bolton as Donald Trump’s new national security adviser. You can hear the interview here. Continue Reading
As the NSA, Bolton will be in a perfect position to mold the intelligence that Trump receives. To build the case for the invasion of Iraq—which Bolton still believes was the right thing to do—he cherry-picked intelligence to create the picture that he wanted to see and, more importantly, that he wanted to present. It is difficult to imagine a president more susceptible to such machinations than Donald Trump.Continue Reading
The brazen nature of Bolton’s appointment was underscored by the fact that it came the same day that news broke of Bolton having recorded a video for a Russian gun group in 2013, after being introduced to the group by the National Rifle Association (NRA). Given the scandals around Russia and the NRA of late, the indifference to the politics of this news speaks volumes about the White House’s commitment to Bolton.Continue Reading
The importance of Netanyahu’s silence must not be underestimated. He has shown, as have other Israeli leaders, that the safety and security of Jews outside of Israel is less important than what he perceives as Israeli, or even simply his own, political interests. The next time he scowls at a room full of United Nations Ambassadors, or invokes anti-Semitism to protect settlement products from being labeled truthfully, or claims that supporters of Palestinian rights (let alone Palestinians themselves) are motivated not by ethical concerns or a desire to end suffering but by antipathy towards Jews, we’d all do well to remember just how sincere his, and also more moderate Israeli leaders’, opposition to anti-Semitism really is.Continue Reading
Jews who believe that Palestinians must have the same basic rights as Israelis have a voice. And, yes, this is an outgrowth of the long-held acceptance of universalist, liberal values among Jews. That trend shows no sign of slowing, much less being reversed. As a result, we can all, left and right, look forward to growing Jewish opposition to the occupation.Continue Reading
