What power (foreign) lobbyists?

Earlier this month Charles Freeman, once the ambassador to Saudi Arabia, after being rumored to be nominated to the Chairman of the National Intelligence Council, was attacked by many pro-Israeli groups for his outspoken views on Israel and alleged ties to Saudi Arabia and China. On his way out he claimed that pro-Israeli groups have a stronghold on US politics:

"The tactics of the Israel Lobby plumb the depths of dishonor and indecency and include character assassination, selective misquotation, the willful distortion of the record, the fabrication of falsehoods, and an utter disregard for the truth. The aim of this Lobby is control of the policy process through the exercise of a veto over the appointment of people who dispute the wisdom of its views, the substitution of political correctness for analysis, and the exclusion of any and all options for decision by Americans and our government other than those that it favors.

There is a special irony in having been accused of improper regard for the opinions of foreign governments and societies (re: his alleged influence by Saudi Arabia and China) by a group so clearly intent on enforcing adherence to the policies of a foreign government – in this case, the government of Israel. I believe that the inability of the American public to discuss, or the government to consider, any option for US policies in the Middle East opposed by the ruling faction in Israeli politics has allowed that faction to adopt and sustain policies that ultimately threaten the existence of the state of Israel. It is not permitted for anyone in the United States to say so. This is not just a tragedy for Israelis and their neighbors in the Middle East; it is doing widening damage to the national security of the United States. "

"The libels on me and their easily traceable email trails show conclusively that there is a powerful lobby determined to prevent any view other than its own from being aired. The tactics of the Israel lobby plumb the depths of dishonour and indecency and include character assassination, selective misquotation, the wilful distortion of the record, the fabrication of falsehoods, and an utter disregard for the truth."

"The aim of this lobby is control of the policy process through the exercise of a veto over the appointment of people who dispute the wisdom of its views, the substitution of political correctness for analysis, and the exclusion of any and all options for decision by Americans and our government other than those that it favours."

In the New York Times Freeman had said “Israel is driving itself toward a cliff, and it is irresponsible not to question Israeli policy and to decide what is best for the American people.”



Debate over Freeman himself aside, this raises a few questions which beg discussion where discussion seems taboo. Two of them are:

1 - Do foreign lobbies have too much power over the US political process? Who has more power, the US citizen or Saudi Arabia? At the time of the Katrina hurricane, more US money was being spent on displaced settlers in Israel than displaced New Orleans residents. On one hand, character assassination has indeed been used to stifle discussion, but on the other hand, many critics are bigots that have stereotyped entire populations based on religion -- the result is that most people simply don't want to talk about any of this. It's too controversial. How do we get past that? Regardless of how much power various foreign lobbies have, or who has the most or the second most, etc, foreign lobbies certainly have power. Whenever discussing power is taboo we have a problem, as citizens of a country that need it's government to prioritize us as #1.

2 - Are the foreign lobbies helping themselves? Is US foreign policy helping the US, Saudi Arabia or Israel? (or China, etc)Specific hard-right policies have been espoused by foreign lobbies in the name of the foreign entities that they represent. Have those actually been helpful or hurtful to their causes? Foreign nations have a problem when narrow-minded or radical groups wholly represent them. For instance, the occupation of Iraq has empowered Iran. That hasn't helped Saudi Arabia or Israel. Right-wing radicalism, from any nation, seems to encourage more right-wing radicalism. Barack Obama seems to get this, but what's he going to do in Afghanistan and Pakistan?

My goal here is not to condemn foreign (or domestic) lobbies but to encourage discussion about them. Lobbying of all kinds continues to dramatically increase, meaning money & power continue to increase their hold on whoever we vote in.

Your Job:
Break a taboo. Discuss openly the above issues, either here or in everyday life, with an open-mind and without bigotry.

Happy Monday!