Jews and the war
Moran and Buchanan have implied that this is a war for Israel, pushed by American Jews. Both of them go too far, but there's a grain of truth in what they're saying. It's not enough to damn them, and anyone else who raises this issue, as an anti-semite; by failing to engage with the argument, one simply confirms the Buchananite paranoia about the Jews in the shadows.
The real argument, again, all in one place. Saddam's weapons of mass destruction are a threat, not directly to the United States, but to the region and, above all, to Israel, the closest ally of the US in the Middle East. The Bush administration can't say this, in part because it needs Arab acquiescence, and it doesn't even want to be seen at home as fighting a Jewish war. American Jews care about Israel and they know that the removal of Saddam is in Israel's interest. American Jews are generally doveish, but they're more supportive of military action than one would expect, when such a war would take out one of Israel's most dangerous enemies. Because American Jews are well-educated, and well-represented in the media, their support for the Bush administration has a powerful influence on the debate.
None of the above should be all that surprising or controversial. American foreign policy has always represented the pursuit of the national interest, leavened by the influence of the ethnic lobbies. American policy toward Ireland and Cuba, as much as its backing for Israel in its conflict with the Arab world, has been driven by those domestic constituencies that actually care about the issue. And there's nothing wrong with a passionate minority trumping an indifferent majority. Happens all the time. It's not even as if it's the only factor in American foreign policy, or its proposed war on Iraq. But it is one factor, and to pretend otherwise is obtuse, and leaves an intellectual vacuum filled by the wilder fantasies of Pat Buchanan.
Instead of speaking honestly of their concern for Israel, too many American Jewish commentators have responded to Buchanan with casuistry, feigned ignorance, or reflexive self-pity. Jonah Goldberg says that there were Jewish conservatives before and Judith Weiss says there still are Jewish doves now, which is about as relevant as saying that some Arabs love America. Exceptions that prove the rule: the fact remains that America's Jews are a famously liberal voting bloc, and the level of their support for the war can only be explained by its relevance to Israel. And that is one reason why domestic opposition to Bush, in the polls and the media, has remained relatively muted.
So why the big fuss? The problem is that American Jews, despite the wealth and power of the community, still have the age-old tribal insecurity. Jewish influence isn't something to celebrate, or even publicize; it's a augury that has predated every expulsion, pogrom, and genocide. Better to keep a low profile. It's fine for Jews, within the community, to count the Hollywood moguls, the tech billionaires, and the newspaper columnists. My grandma always used count which of the major parties had the most Jews in its leadership, and vote accordingly. But heaven forbid any goy should recognize Jewish influence.
As if it helps for America's Jews to live in denial. All it does is to distort the argument for war, insult philosemites, and feed the paranoid fantasies of people like Pat Buchanan, who probably thinks by now he is surrounded by a vast Jewish conspiracy. It's time for America's Jewish community to be a bit more relaxed about its position, and a bit more honest about its influence and interests. And be careful who you call an anti-semite. At the rate that term is being thrown around, it will soon have about as much credibility as a stock analyst's buy recommendation. · Some self-pity from Judith Weiss: whatever we do, they hate us · Ineffective sarcasm from Gary Farber ·Max Sawicky: "All neocons are pro-Israel or Zionist, but not all neocons are Jewish" ·Jewish conservatives are conservatives first [Jonah Goldberg] ...and some of my earlier posts and articles, on this and related subjects... ·Jewish conservatives ·In defense of Moran ·Pat Buchanan ·The Irish conspiracy ·Why The Pianist is better than Schindler's List ·The real argument against war ·Why make war on Iraq ·Not that the status quo is so great ·The bankruptcy of the left ·The Saudis -- a reminder ·Letting go of America's Arab "friends" ·The case for war ·Nation-building in Iraq: let's not ·Bush exploited fear and anger ·The Al-Qaeda connection: give it up ·Jews abandoning the Left ·Jews for Allah ·What if Israel was a terrible mistake [Management Today] ·European anti-semitism ·Not the first traitors ·The wall#
