Doug Henwood wrote:
>
>
>
> Gee, that Zionist lobby is pretty damned clever! They've really put
> one over on the US bourgeoisie, haven't they?
>
> How can people believe this nonsense? How can you argue that the US
> elite has systematically and persistently misunderstood its interests
> for almost 40 years? That makes sense if you believe in the sinister
> conspiratorial effectiveness of The Jews; otherwise, it makes none.
I would agree. But I would like to point out that this is what I said a few days ago that got Joanna and others all excited and triggered the thread on the "Ruling Class."
*******
Julio Huato wrote:
>
>
> Massad's critique of M&W's paper misses the main points: that the
> policies the U.S. follows in the Middle East, whether or not
> determined by the influence of the Israel lobby, *contradict* the
> interest of the U.S. capitalists taken as a whole,
This is little short of a claim to divine inspiration. Neither let critics nor ruling class intellectuals can reach any consensus whatever on what is "the interest of the u.s. capitalists." It is unbelievable arrogance for any one person to claim that he KNOWS what that interest is.
No intelligent debate can be formulated around claims to such mystical perfect knowledge.
I don't know and you don't know what "THE INTEREST" of u.s. capitalism is. ********
Tone and some wording were wrong on that, but I stick to the main point. Anyone that argues that _they_ know the true interest of the u.s. ruling class and can judge u.s. actions by measuring them against that "true interest" is sending discussion on a deadend path.
A consensus within the u.s. ruling class (exhibited especially in all the ruling-class controlled media) clearly holds that supporting Israel is in their class interest. They may be right or wrong, but it is arrogant for anyone pundit to set up his/her individual judgment against that consensus.
Carrol