pbel
Gold Member
- Feb 26, 2012
- 5,653
- 449
- 130
Former Israel Prime Minister Sharon who reportedly coined the phrase in the OP knew what he was talking about: The silent cancer that pervades American Politics which have been bought by the campaign contributions of AIPAC and its many unnoticed affiliates in our body politic even against US Interests of peace in the Middle East...
We get what they pay for.
Inside AIPAC s Quiet Campaign To Blur Israeli Settlement Lines
WASHINGTON -- When the Senate passed a high-profile piece of trade legislation last Friday, lawmakers simultaneously approved a little-noticed amendment described by its authors as “pro-Israel.” In doing so, the Senate moved to protect Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories from international sanction -- directly contradicting what has been U.S. policy in the region since 1967.
The amendment, which was added to both the House and the Senate versions of a trade promotion bill, would require the U.S. Trade Representative, or USTR, to discourage European Union member countries from boycotting “Israel or persons doing business in Israel or Israeli-controlled territories” during ongoing free-trade negotiations between the U.S. and the EU.
The passage of this language out of the Senate is a major victory for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobbying group that played an advisory role in drafting the language and pushed for its unmodified passage.
The amendments are based on a stand-alone bill authored by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Cardin first unveiled his legislation at AIPAC’s annual policy conference in March before a cheering crowd of nearly 15,000.
From there, Cardin made no noticeable effort to gather co-sponsors or publicize the legislation. Rather, he, along with Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), offered the legislation as an add-on to the trade bill, where the subtle difference between opposing boycotts of businesses in “Israel” and in “territories controlled by Israel” went unnoticed by lawmakers.
We get what they pay for.
Inside AIPAC s Quiet Campaign To Blur Israeli Settlement Lines
WASHINGTON -- When the Senate passed a high-profile piece of trade legislation last Friday, lawmakers simultaneously approved a little-noticed amendment described by its authors as “pro-Israel.” In doing so, the Senate moved to protect Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories from international sanction -- directly contradicting what has been U.S. policy in the region since 1967.
The amendment, which was added to both the House and the Senate versions of a trade promotion bill, would require the U.S. Trade Representative, or USTR, to discourage European Union member countries from boycotting “Israel or persons doing business in Israel or Israeli-controlled territories” during ongoing free-trade negotiations between the U.S. and the EU.
The passage of this language out of the Senate is a major victory for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobbying group that played an advisory role in drafting the language and pushed for its unmodified passage.
The amendments are based on a stand-alone bill authored by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Cardin first unveiled his legislation at AIPAC’s annual policy conference in March before a cheering crowd of nearly 15,000.
From there, Cardin made no noticeable effort to gather co-sponsors or publicize the legislation. Rather, he, along with Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), offered the legislation as an add-on to the trade bill, where the subtle difference between opposing boycotts of businesses in “Israel” and in “territories controlled by Israel” went unnoticed by lawmakers.