Huffpo: Lieberman teaching Palin foreign policy, introduces her to AIPAC

surprise, surprise....



Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman is among several national security experts helping brief Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin on foreign policy issues as she prepares to hit the campaign trail while cramming for a debate with her Democratic opponent, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.), in less than a month, according to officials from Sen. John McCain's campaign.

Lieberman, who was the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee but is now an independent, has helped introduce Palin to officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the leading pro-Israel lobby. In a meeting Tuesday, the day before she delivered her prime-time address at the Republican National Convention here, Palin assured the group of her strong support for Israel, of her desire to see the United States move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and of her opposition to Iran's aspirations to become a nuclear power, according to sources familiar with the meeting.

Read the whole story here.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/05/joe-lieberman-helping-pal_n_124190.html

opening the AIPAC pocket so Palin could jump in.

We don't even allow Great Britain to have a British/American political action committee, and AFAIC, Britain has been a much better ally and friend of American than Israel. Why is Israel the only country allow to direct buy influence with American lawmakers? Why are American lawmakers allowed to accept contributions from foreign agents, whose first loyalty is to Israel rather than America?

Both parties take in large amounts of money from AIPAC, and to me, it's not a coincidence that our foreign policy is so heavily skewed towards supporting Israel.

If China or Russia was giving millions of dollars to elected officials, there would be an uproar.

That said it certainly influences individual donors and PAC's sympathetic to AIPAC. And the donors it influences are Americans. Quite simply, it's illegal for elected officials to accept campaign donations from foreign sources?

I think AIPAC is much too powerful. I disagree with their aims. I think the power they have is dangerous, but please, educate yourself.

In their 2006 working paper The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, University of Chicago professor John Mearsheimer and Harvard University Kennedy School of Government professor Stephen Walt accuse AIPAC of being "the most powerful and best known" component of a larger pro-Israel lobby that, they say, distorts American foreign policy. They write: "AIPAC's success is due to its ability to reward legislators and congressional candidates who support its agenda, and to punish those who challenge it. ... AIPAC makes sure that its friends get strong financial support from the myriad pro-Israel PACs. Those seen as hostile to Israel, on the other hand, can be sure that AIPAC will direct campaign contributions to their political opponents. ... The bottom line is that AIPAC, which is a de facto agent for a foreign government, has a stranglehold on the U.S. Congress. Open debate about U.S. policy towards Israel does not occur there, even though that policy has important consequences for the entire world."

but, they're hardly so powerful that they can defeat anyone in the Congress who disagrees with them. My Senator, Leahy is a case in point. Look, AIPAC is shady. There are enough scandals to warrent great scrutiny, and it's among the most powerful lobbies in D.C. If you think there aren't other lobbies wielding equal power as regards both foreign and domestic policy, you're being naive. Big Oil has every bit as much influence when it comes to foreign policy. If it can be proved that AIPAC is being directed from Israel, it should indeed be treated as a foreign entity. And that means it has to be proved in a court of law.

and actually AIPAC, much as I detest it, is not a foreign lobbying group.

..from its website..
As America's leading pro-Israel lobby, AIPAC works with both Democratic and Republican political leaders to enact public policy that strengthens the vital U.S.-Israel relationship

but their loyalty is in no way to this country. Not even in the slightest.

from wikipedia:

AIPAC has been connected to many controversial events—particularly matters concerning its relationship with Israel as a Zogby poll conducted revealed that 61% of Americans "strongly or somewhat agree" that AIPAC should be asked to register as a foreign agent and lose its tax exempt status.

a poll think it should be registered as a foreign agent doesn't alter the fact that it's not.

charged with espionage and treason?

Israel will always and forever act in its own self-interest. Sometimes that intersects with U.S. foreign policy.

Many times it doesn't.

Um...am I the only noticing that?