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WHAT'S THE POINT?
I can't really tell what exactly is supposed to be frightening about Rashid Khalidi or his relationship with Barack Obama, but it's very clear the McCain campaign is doing a successful job of keeping his name in the news. From what I can tell, Khalidi is a Palestinian academic who has been critical of Israel and has done work trying to promote democracy in the West Bank, and was trustworthy enough for McCain to have given Khalidi's group nearly a half a million dollars in grants while McCain chaired the International Republican Institute.
So I basically have two observations: the bony finger of right wing McCarthyism now extends itself to Israel, so that any and all criticism of Israeli policy is suspect and potentially anti-American. Not only that, but anyone who knows or is friends with a Palestinian, or a critic of Israel, is potentially disloyal to Israel and therefore the United States. In fact, if you are Palestinian, I would suggest that you stay away from other Palestinians so no one thinks that you're doing something suspicious. Don't bunch up in a group or anything. The second is that McCain knows that there is nothing particularly dangerous about this guy, that being a Palestinian critic of Israeli policy is about as dog-bites-man as it gets, and that Khalidi was never in fact, a "spokesman" for the PLO as I erroneously blogged yesterday.
But with the Republican Party releasing web ads and sending out mailers with Obama's face superimposed over maps of the Middle East, I suppose that getting the media to repeat Obama's name alongside Khalidi's every five minutes reflects a perverse kind of message discipline. It was less than two weeks ago that Colin Powell was asking "is there something wrong with being a Muslim in America?"
Clearly, the McCain campaign hopes you think so.
--A. Serwer
COMMENTS (8)
Where to begin:
1) No one running for president should be this close to anyone who has anything nice to say about the Palestinians. The palestinians are a terrorist society. They have no legitimate grievances.
2) Criticism of Israeli policy does not make one suspect. Lebanon should have been flattened in 2006. Death to Olmert!!!
3) Vote Likud.
Posted by: Cahnman | October 30, 2008 12:53 PM
I first met Rashid Khalidi while I was a student at Columbia Law School during the 1984-85 school year. (He was at Columbia until he moved to Chicago. He later returned to Columbia.) One thing that became apparent to me is that Rashid and Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg were very friendly. (Hertzberg also taught at Columbia during the same period.) Hertzberg would not have been friendly with an anti-semite. By coEdward Said was not an anti-semite. However, in contrast, he and Hertzberg could not stand each other.
Posted by: Bill | October 30, 2008 2:18 PM
Someone really needs to tell the TAPPED trolls that they really don't need to comment on every fucking post.
Eat shit and die, Chanman. I'm already tired of your drivel, and I've been on this site for less than fifteen minutes.
Posted by: brewmn | October 30, 2008 2:18 PM
I can't really tell what exactly is supposed to be frightening about Rashid Khalidi
Well, for the voters McCain's aiming for at this stage, the name "Rashid Khalidi" is frightening enough in and of itself. Oh, and have you heard that Obama's middle name is Hussein?
Posted by: The October Fool | October 30, 2008 2:46 PM
McCain Funds PLO?
See http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/mccain-funds-plo/
Posted by: Mike Licht | October 30, 2008 10:23 PM
Dear Mr. Serwer,
I wanted to express my gratitude for your defense of Professor Rashid Khalidi and his work. This country could certainly benefit from more writers who are as knowledgeable as you are on such issues. Please, for the benefit of this country, keep writing...
Thank you again!
Posted by: Amra | October 31, 2008 9:02 PM
I'm an Arab American and a Decent woman, who's been targeted by all kinds of hate crimes!
I ran three times for public offices: In 2003 I ran for Lane Community College. In 2005 I ran for the 4J School Board.I was going to be killed! www.nadiasindi.blogspot.com.
Now I'm running for Lane County Commissioner as a "WRITE IN". Because I was cheated in the primary. My name was not on the Ballots!! www.nadiasindi.110mb.com.
On Oct. 23 I got a death threat by the same person who was stalking me for my campaign 2005. He told me if he ever saw me again. He will raped me, and I'll never be able to breath again!!
This person I filed a stalking order against him on 2005. But the Judge did not honored my request!!
--
Salaam. nadia
I'm running as a write in for Lane County: Because I was cheated in the primary. My name was not on the ballots!?! It happened under the watch of "Mayor for all" & the "progressive" elected officials.
I'll appreciate your help, financial support, endorsement, VOTES.
www.nadiasindi.110mb.com
http://nadiasindi.blogspot.com/
www.studentloanjustice.Org
Posted by: County Commissioner Candidate Nadia Sindi | November 1, 2008 12:54 AM
I admire Rashid Khalidi, but he was indeed at one time a spokesman -- in fact, THE spokesman -- for the PLO. This was during the early years of the Lebanese civil war, when Mr. Khalidi -- and the PLO -- were based in Beirut.
Posted by: Thomas W. Lippman | November 1, 2008 9:49 AM