Leaked Emails From Pro-Clinton Group Reveal Censorship of Staff on Israel, AIPAC Pandering, Warped M

[geek tragedy]

ilitarism.

(I am not known as a Greenwald fan, but he's right on the money here)

https://theintercept.com/2015/11/05/leaked-emails-from-pro-clinton-group-reveal-censorship-of-staff-on-israel-aipac-pandering-warped-militarism/

LEAKED INTERNAL EMAILS from the powerful Democratic think tank Center for American Progress (CAP) shed light on several public controversies involving the organization, particularly in regard to its positioning on Israel. They reveal the lengths to which the group has gone in order to placate AIPAC and long-time Clinton operative and Israel activist Ann Lewis — including censoring its own writers on the topic of Israel.

The emails also provide crucial context for understanding CAP’s controversial decision to host an event next week for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. That event, billed by CAP as “A Conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” will feature CAP President Neera Tanden and Netanyahu together in a Q&A session as they explore “ways to strengthen the partnership between Israel and the United States.” That a group whose core mission is loyalty to the White House and the Democratic Party would roll out the red carpet for a hostile Obama nemesis is bizarre, for reasons the Huffington Post laid out when it reported on the controversy provoked by CAP’s invitation.

...

THESE NEWLY PUBLISHED EMAILS reveal AIPAC-pleasing efforts far more heavy-handed than previously known. On January 20, 2012 — at the height of the controversy over ThinkProgress’ publications on Israel — Tanden wrote an email to CAP founder John Podesta and several of her top aides, including ThinkProgress editor Judd Legum. In that email, Tanden recounted an angry call she received from Ann Lewis who, among other D.C. roles, served as the representative of Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign on Jewish matters and is also a board member of Block’s hard-line group The Israel Project. The email reflects the censorship demands being imposed on CAP over Israel and how seriously Tanden was taking those demands:

Clinton must be disappointed that Bibi can't be her runningmate.

[jfern]

1. Hillary said we should become better pals with Netanyahu

And this was after he blamed the Holocaust on the Palestinians.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=767791

[geek tragedy]

4. Here's a gem from very senior Clintonite Ann Lewis, the one trying to censor criticism of Israel:

Next question to Kurtzer: Obama's assertion that he needn't have a "Likud view" -- that of Israel's right-wing party -- to be pro-Israel. Kurtzer explained that Obama wanted to see a "plurality of views." Silence in the room.

To that, Lewis retorted: "The role of the president of the United States is to support the decisions that are made by the people of Israel. It is not up to us to pick and choose from among the political parties." The audience members applauded.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/17/AR2008031702440_pf.html

[Autumn]

20. "The role of the president of the United States is to support the decisions that are made by

the people of Israel. Is that for fucking real? Hell the president of the United States often doesn't support the decisions that are made by the people of the US.

[Truprogressive85]

2. Reading this now

this popped out ot me

"Other emails show Tanden arguing that Libyans should be forced to turn over large portions of their oil revenues to repay the U.S. for the costs incurred in bombing Libya, on the grounds that Americans will support future wars only if they see that the countries attacked by the U.S. pay for the invasions"

CAP is suppose to be liberal think tank ?

In that quote if you replace Libya with Iraq you would have they same thing neo-cons were saying

[geek tragedy]

3. CAP is a third way website. It's Hillaryland. nt

[VanillaRhapsody]

5. Of course it is....

Why Socialists are even becoming Democrats today! Whats next?

[geek tragedy]

7. so you maintain that people on the left should support Bernie instead?

Okay, done!

[VanillaRhapsody]

8. As long as its a Democrat I'm cool

[Truprogressive85]

6. Amazing

I just read the whole thing and its baffling still trying to wrap my head around this

the blatant censorship of writers
the share neo-con vaules

I will not vist thinkprogress or any CAP affiliate site ever again

[jkbRN]

9. Same here

[Bread and Circus]

10. I am telling you guys Clinton is a trojan horse for war.

[geek tragedy]

11. maybe a cellophane horse, she's pretty transparent

[malokvale77]

12. As are her supporters. nt

[riderinthestorm]

13. Agreed. She's now at the bottom of my list

still torn between supporting Sanders and O'Malley but am dead certain Hillary Clinton is a war hawk.

[tritsofme]

14. She is entitled to her opinion. If I was part of a group I perceived to be taking anti-Israel stands

I would also ask them to change, and if they were not amenable, withdraw my support and ask others to join me.

No one is obligated support work that they bitterly oppose.

[geek tragedy]

15. Who is entitled to her opinion? Everyone is entitled to have an opinion, though

the Hillaryland folks don't think that applies to Israel.

[tritsofme]

16. If the writers don't like the editorial direction they should resign.

Just as supporters who disagree can either make their case to the organizational leadership or withdraw their support.

I don't see an issue here. There is no shortage of anti-Israel garbage on the internet, I don't blame these folks for being upset that they are offering it their implicit support.

[geek tragedy]

17. Yes, because all criticism of Benjamin Netanyahu is "anti-Israel garbage."

Thanks for clearing that up for us.

Hey, maybe CAP should put a picture of Bibi on its masthead. Because Israel is alone in being above criticism.

[tritsofme]

18. Swell idea.

[geek tragedy]

19. Awesome. Maybe we can make Naftali Bennett head of Code Pink nt

[tritsofme]

21. I would guess their backers wouldn't be too supportive of that decision

So it isn't likely to happen. See how that works?

[geek tragedy]

22. Well, sure, so long as we understand that CAP is a third way, corporate owned think tank dominated

by milquetoast centrists rather than some kind of liberal policy nerve center.

More Lieberman than Obama.

[tritsofme]

24. Feel free to use whichever adjectives make you happy.

[Aerows]

23. That takes class

and you have more than your share of it in my book by posting this.

I'm going to delve into the article, but GT, you absolutely knocked it out of the park with regard to ethics.

Not something I will forget, my friend.