Comments on: Elliott Abrams: ‘Hagel will be confirmed, but he will be a weaker secretary of defense’

By: Paul

Paul — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 07:26:50 +0000

Yes, yes. Haters and anti-Semites. Anyone who doesn’t love Israel with their whole heart and soul is a Hater and an Anti-Semite. Phew. That makes life so much easier without all that pesky thinking.

By: Alan

Alan — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:44:24 +0000

Asterisk– “Israel-firster” is a term based on anti-Semitic mythologies; for a prime example, look at the post by Joseph Tillotson. He references every anti-Semitic canard implied by the term Israel-firster: “dual citizen, dual loyalist–doing his part to interfere and meddle in U.S. politics to perpetuate the evil influence of the Jewish lobby.” I actually think Abrams is a moral moron and I’d like to see Hagel become Secretary of Defense, but, as usually happens on 972, the rhetoric of the Israel haters and anti-Semites derail any opportunity for meaningful discourse. That’s why you and Abrams are two sides of the same coin. You’re both haters who move the discussion beyond the margins of reasonable discourse.

By: Kiwi

Kiwi — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:41:36 +0000

“Kiwi, like most internet posters, does not know the meaning of an “ad hominem attack.”

I don’t? Well then here is a definition of it:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem

“An ad hominem (Latin for “to the man” or “to the person”[1]), short for argumentum ad hominem, is an argument made personally against an opponent instead of against their argument.[2]Ad hominem reasoning is normally described as an informal fallacy,[3][4][5] more precisely an irrelevance.[6]”

The very exact thing that you did in your post to Alan about Abrams.

By: aristeides

aristeides — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:13:50 +0000

Kiwi, like most internet posters, does not know the meaning of an “ad hominem attack.”

By: Kiwi

Kiwi — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 08:37:44 +0000

“Don’t be even more of an ass.

Abrams is worth a dozen dirty names even worse than Israel-firster.”

A meaningless post. No substance or logic, just an ad hominem attack.

By: aristeides

aristeides — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 03:01:03 +0000

Don’t be even more of an ass.

Abrams is worth a dozen dirty names even worse than Israel-firster.

By: Alan

Alan — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 01:13:34 +0000

No one called Abrams a “Nicuragua-Firster” when he was arming the Contras. But when he lobbies hard for Israel the Israel-haters call him an “Israel-Firster.” Of course the Israel-haters would deny any connection between the label “Israel-Firster” and the fact that Abrams is Jewish.

By: Kiwi

Kiwi — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 20:56:29 +0000

Here, read what Abrams himself says what he meant when he was challenged about that sentence of his …

http://thinkprogress.org/security/2013/01/14/1441891/abrams-hagel-anti-semitic/?mobile=wp

“What, then, is the meaning of his reply if not this: that he is loyal to the United States, and his oath is to the Constitution of the United States only, “not to Israel,” unlike some people, who put Israel’s interests first. This remark seems to me more than merely irascible; it suggests that those who challenged his views have different loyalties. Can such a statement really be left unexamined and unchallenged? [...]”

His explanation is the only one that makes sense irrespective of whether he is right or wrong about Hagel.

I mean any Jew who would openly EXPECT a US official to swear an oath of loyalty to Israel rather than the US, and say so on US media, would be a lunatic. And whether you like Abrams or hate him, he does not strike me as a lunatic.
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By: Kiwi

Kiwi — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 19:50:51 +0000

Words are normally read in context. And context offers meaning.

Yes Abrams uttered those words in the context of objecting to Hagel’s implication that Jews are a fifth column.

Had he meant what you claim he meant then he truly would be a stupid man. And he does not sound to me to be stupid.

By: Mikesailor

Mikesailor — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 17:38:01 +0000

I wonder why those who “support” Israel also support a convicted liar such as Abrams, holding him up as a ‘patriot’? Abrams was scum when he lied to Congress and he hasn’t changed his spots. Kiwi, look up Iran-Contra and you will realize Abrams’ true worth. As to the Israel-firsters: The one thing you haven’t heard is any poll asking the American public their opinion of this Israel-centric loyalty professed by Republicans which even led to an chickenhawk American junior senator (Cruz) to question the loyalty of a decorated American veteran. As far as I can tell, the pro-Israel faction has ‘jumped the shark’ and if it thinks the American public is itching to go to war with Iran for Israel’s sake, they are sadly mistaken.