>I dont understand why you get quite so worked up about
>this. I am of Jewish origin and really dont see why
>every statement about the Jews must be examined in
>this way when almost no effort is ever expended on
>anti-Arab or Muslim sentiment which isnt even
>debatable but rather plainly stated. I certainly didnt
>take the phrase to be racist.
No effort expended by whom? Not me, not most members of this list, and certainly not AC.
Why get worked up? For the thirteenth time: 1) the phrasing itself is ugly and redolent of a long tradition of bigotry, 2) it alienates potential supporters, 3) it could attract some of the wrong people, 4) it stokes black-Jewish tensions, 5) it promotes the notion that the U.S. is manipulated by Israel, thereby obscuring U.S. imperial interests (which might appeal to some reactionary American nationalists, who like to believe in our superior virtue).
But there were several things I objected to besides this particular phrase - like the odious use of "killing fetuses."
Taken all together, along with routine praise for Ron Paul and suchlike, and it suggests a rightward march by the guy who used to be the best left polemicist in the U.S.
Doug