While Dersh Lies About J St, Schumer Bashes Obama

By M.J. Rosenberg - April 23, 2010, 9:04AM

A few weeks ago, an Arab-American, active in efforts to achieve the two-state solution, told me was upset by the occasional appearancse on cable of some obscure professor who, he said, "makes all Arabs look bad."

I told him that I had to agree about this particular fellow. He is, I said, pretty obnoxious but. I added that I didn't think he is viewed as representing the opinions of Arab-Americans.

He disagreed: "No, people don't know one Arab from another. So when they see this guy spewing this hateful stuff, people just have their worst prejudices confirmed. He's our Alan Dershowitz, except he's not on every other day."

He had me there. Pro-Israel people - and many Jews in general - feel like running from their televisions or computer screens when Dershowitz appears. On the other hand, Israel's real enemies cheer.

Dershowitz is the opposite of Israel's Ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren. Even when Oren is wrong, he looks and sounds reasonable. But Dershowitz sounds like he's jamming propaganda points down your throat even when he is telling the truth. Every time he appears he scores points for the other team (whichever "other team" he's playing against that day).

The good news is that few people take him seriously anymore. The bad news is that the people who do take him seriously are filling my in-box (and maybe yours) with anonymous screeds about Barack Obama, the "selling out" of Israel, Iranians who happily die in order to kill Jews, and the imminent loss of Jerusalem to Hamas. .

Today I received a new one in which Dershowitz blasts J Street -- the pro-peace, pro-Israel lobby - as an enemy of the Jewish people.

remainder: http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/04/23/dersh_bashes_j_st_while_schumer_bashes_obama_for_m/#more

Time was when you'd get an op-ed once a week at the most.

This guy seems to manage to put one out almost daily!

Also, there was once a time when articles wouldn't be published until they were checked for typos:

"by the occasional appearancse on cable..."

The internet really has changed the game in so many ways.

When you write a new op-ed piece every day and you don't bother to edit them before publication that ought to signify something.

Not much to say in response to that.

He actually has very little to say of note on that subject. He presents a longish excerpt of Schumer's remarks and responds with a "wow" and little else.

The majority of the article is on the "Dershowitz is a dufus" topic.

"There is nothing wrong with criticizing a President's foreign policy (although Schumer went out of his way to support former President George W. Bush on Iraq), but the words he uses in talking about Obama's policies are utterly inappropriate.

I am not saying that Schumer, in any way, puts Israel's interests above those of his own country. On the contrary, his main concerns are domestic and, with a few notable exceptions, he has been a strong progressive force.

Given the nature of American politics and the need to fill one's political war chest, a certain amount of pandering is to be expected. But this time he went too far. Does he really believe that what happens in Brooklyn stays in Brooklyn? He owes the President an apology. And, by undermining an effort that could bring security to Israel, he owes the Israeli people an apology too."

Calling for a senior Senator to apologize to President Obama is more than just his stating, Wow!

Give or take.

illustrates, quite well.

M.J. Rosenberg is Senior Foreign Policy Fellow at Media Matters Action Network. Previously, he worked on Capitol Hill for various Democratic members of the House and Senate for 15 years. He was also a Clinton political appointee at USAID. In the early 1980s, he was editor of AIPACs weekly newsletter Near East Report. From 1998-2009, he was director of policy at Israel Policy Forum.


I guess some people might consider him a turncoat.

I know some who consider him a self-important blogger.

I would argue that 99 percent of Americans have no idea who he is.

If that were true, I imagine that is comforting for those who oppose his viewpoint and his work at Media Matters.

I could be wrong - he may be more widely known than that.

I don't know anyone who opposes his viewpoint or his work at Media Matters.

"I would argue that 99 percent of Americans have no idea who he is."

That's a strong statement, and nothing to substantiate the argument. Considering his past work experience going back decades, I'm
not sure I understand why you believe that.

I don't know - I could be wrong about how well-known he is, but I get the sense that he isn't known at all.

IPF Friday by MJ Rosenberg is distributed nationally and in the Middle East. It is regularly reprinted online and in major publications, such as the Jerusalem Post.<9>

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Policy_Forum

Mr. Rosenberg is the former Director of Policy Analysis for Israel Policy Forum, not the current one.

I just don't think his opinions are particularly well founded.