Senate Aide: 'Send Us Hagel and We Will Make Sure Every American Knows He Is an Anti-Semite'

[Purveyor]

In response to reports that Barack Obama is likely to choose Chuck Hagel to be the next secretary of defense, a top Republican Senate aide emails, "Send us Hagel and we will make sure every American knows he is an anti-Semite."

When asked to elaborate, the aide writes, "Hagel has made clear he believes in the existence of a nefarious Jewish lobby that secretly controls U.S. foreign policy. This is the worst kind of anti-Semitism there is."

The top aide Republican Senate aide passes along this quotation from Hagel: “The political reality is that … the Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here.”

The quotation attributed to Hagel appeared in Aaron David Miller's 2008 book The Too Much Promised Land.

The Washington Examiner, however, reports that Hagel (and John Kerry, if he's nominated to be secretary of state) will breeze through the nominating process:

MORE tripe complements of the Weekly Standard...bring your own barf bag!

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/senate-aide-send-us-hagel-and-we-will-make-sure-every-american-knows-he-anti-semite_666460.html

[defacto7]

1. When asked to elaborate, the aide writes,

"Hagel has made clear he believes in the existence of a nefarious Jewish lobby that secretly controls U.S. foreign policy. This is the worst kind of anti-Semitism there is."

You have to be kidding. The worst? Overstatement much?

[thucythucy]

2. And yet the GOP supported him as a candidate

in election after election after election.

Go figure.

[WhoIsNumberNone]

3. No Jewish lobby? Ever hear of AIPAC?

Ever see how American politicians cower before them?

Now to be fair, I understand what "Jewish lobby" means in this context, but I don't consider AIPAC a "Jewish lobby". It's a Zionist lobby, and many Jews aren't Zionists. Furthermore, there are a substantial number of fundamentalist Christians who are members and supporters of AIPAC.

I can't tell you how much it offends me as an American that a less-than-fanatical support of Zionism should be equated with anti-Semitism. I'm sick of my country being Israel's lap dog, and that doesn't make me a Nazi.

[Indykatie]

4. Well Said WhoIsNumber One

I too am sick of what is in my opinion unquestioning support for Israel. Among my cadre of liberal friends this is not a minority opinion. Bibi's attempt to influence the election was the last straw for me. I certainly hopes PBO moves forward with the nomination. I can't stand to see another nomination scuttled because of noise from the various peanut galleries. It's unusual that a nominee is taking hits from the right and left. With no obvious constituency supporting him he will not feel he owes any favors so to speak.