There is a popular assumption on the left, and on the "realist" right, that there is an insincere underpinning to support for the mainstream Israel line — that Congress members and other elected officials, freed of their "fears" of AIPAC reprisal, would somehow be more "reasonable" when it comes to Israel.
I’m not going to embarrass anyone with links, but a lot of the arguments begin something like, "Rep. Studly Pucknuckle doesn’t really care about Israel, he just knows where his bread is buttered."
This is something of a crock. First, because, we can’t read minds. Reporting on politicians, all we have is the record. Everything else is rumor, and rumors don’t make my cut.
Not only that, but as the years of pro-Israel statements, votes and actions accumulate, you can’t help but conclude that the politician in question would have to be something of a sociopath not to believe what he or she is saying. It’s not just a matter of fooling the people — you can only fool yourself for only so long.
And yes, there are sociopaths, but they do not proliferate. The only example of outrageous Israel-related insincerity I can think of (and I’m not saying he was necessarily a sociopath, but…) was Jesse Helms who went from being a strident critic to born-again Zionist after nearly losing his 1984 reelection in part because of pro-Israel money.
My impression, otherwise, is that these feelings are sincerely held — in fact, my impression of this country is that its pro-Israelism is deep-seated, is a cultural and social anchor.
Which is not to say that it’s always right — and those who would shift that gut-based alliance have every right to attempt it, although, honestly, I think their work is cut out for them.
But that’s another blog post. Let me get back to the politicians.
Perhaps the best measure of what a politician truly thinks comes once they retire. I mean, the "Israel lobby" agonistes are happy enough to seize upon this when it confirms their views; Paul Findley, Cynthia McKinley, Charles Percy were strident critics in Congress who became vituperative out of it.
So consider, then, the case of two senators retiring this year: Evan Bayh, Democrat of Indiana and George Voinovich, Republican of Ohio.
Bayh, liberated of his Democratic constraints, is going bipartisanly ballistic on a number of issues. He’s not quite burning bridges, but he’s screaming epithets about the issues that exercise him as he crosses them — including Israel.
Except, not to criticize it — but to praise it. This transcript of his appearance at this year’s AIPAC policy conference cuts off, but this press release has a grab of what he said:
"The truth of the matter is that the Israel Defense Forces risk their lives to avoid civilian casualties." He added that a "clear moral difference" separates Israel and the United States from its adversaries, who deliberately sacrifice civilian lives in order to advance their agenda.
That doesn’t begin to capture Bayh’s insistent pro-Israelism — watch the video to get a taste. He spars with Tal Becker, a former adviser to Tzipi Livni (The panel’s single ‘leftist’ — this is after all an AIPAC conference) over the utility of testing peace offers.
So, Bayh’s young, he has other ambitions — but his pro-Israel record is strong enough that he could disappear a few years, come back, and still feel the AIPAC love. Here, he’s going the extra mile — he even flew in for the conference.
And then there’s Voinovich. He’s just about to turn 74, he’s pretty much sick of the enterprise — what’s he got to lose?
Yet his constituent newsletter today is pretty much a love letter to Israel and to Ohio’s Jews:
I led 14 Ohio companies on the state’s first trade mission to Israel in 1993 to further promote shared business opportunities. Under my leadership, we opened Ohio’s Middle East trade office to improve both Ohio’s communications and commerce in the region in 1996.
Since 1980, Janet and I have made nearly a dozen trips to Israel, and on each and every trip I see or learn something new that motivates me yet again to condemn anti-Semitism and work to eradicate it. My visits to the Garden of the Righteous Gentiles at Yad Vashem and the Diaspora Museum were moving experiences that remain in my mind today.
Janet and I have also been greatly honored by the Jewish people on our visits to Israel. The Jewish National Fund dedicated a recreational park in Israel to honor the memory of our daughter, Molly. The Molly Agnes Voinovich Memorial Forest is just 12 miles southeast of Haifa, overlooking Jezreel Valley. I was also humbled when the Negev Foundation dedicated the Voinovich Agriculture Research Center in the Negev Desert, which is pioneering agricultural advances to improve life for Israelis.
Again, no one’s going to admit at the end of their career that it’s all been a fraud — but if there was such a person, he would also not compose letters like this one if it were beside the point. Voinovich appears to be bowing out with real affection for Israel and for its Jewish supporters here.
Again, I’m not arguing that their arguments for Israel have always been correct or even sound; just that they’re sincerely stated.
Anyone who wants to change that configuration needs to understand that. Constructing imaginary towers of fraud to explain American support for Israel won’t do it.
Of course, to understand the other’s argument means — at times, not always — to be co-opted by it, to a degree.
And maybe that’s the real "fear": that Bayh and Voinovich and their like might — again, at times, not always — have a point.
Voinovich’s full letter is after the jump.
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“Voinovich’s View”
Never Forget
During World War II, millions of families were torn apart in the wake of hatred and anti-Semitism. My own family suffered; we lost touch with my father’s Serbian relatives in Croatia, and we assumed they were killed along with thousands of Jews by the Ustase – Croatian Nazis.
My family’s story and the stories of thousands of others I’ve heard throughout my career have motivated me to fight the scourge of anti-Semitism and to stand up for Israel. The Jewish people have been victims of anti-Semitism for millennia, but that hate impacts all of us in the community.
I was honored to participate last month in the 2010 Holocaust Days of Remembrance ceremony in the U.S. Capitol’s Rotunda, where members of Congress and community leaders joined together to remember and honor those lost during the Holocaust. Lighting a candle in memory of those brutally murdered during the Holocaust is a humbling and important act. We cannot overlook the importance of mourning the six million people who were sentenced to die six decades ago not for what they did, but for who they were.
I began my activism for the Jewish community as a member of the Lawyers’ Committee for Soviet Jewry while a local office holder in Cleveland. As a Cuyahoga County Commissioner we raised money for English tutors to help Soviet Jewish immigrants assimilate into our community. When I became the mayor of Cleveland, I helped organize the city’s first Anne Frank exhibit as well as the first Holocaust commemoration. I also strongly opposed our sister city relationship with the City of Volgograd, Russia due to their neglect of imprisoned Soviet Jews during the Cold War. It was my responsibility to protect the rights of my constituency, and I could not support a government that would not support its citizens.
In 1985, I was named honorary director of the National Council of the Jewish Women’s Holocaust Archives Program. The program taped Holocaust survivors telling their harrowing stories of survival and loss, and I’m pleased that we have so many stories on tape to share with future generations. For my actions as Mayor, I was awarded the Tree of Life Award from the Jewish National Fund – one of the nicest things ever to happen to Janet and me.
My role in the Jewish community continued to expand as Governor of Ohio. I led 14 Ohio companies on the state’s first trade mission to Israel in 1993 to further promote shared business opportunities. Under my leadership, we opened Ohio’s Middle East trade office to improve both Ohio’s communications and commerce in the region in 1996.
Since 1980, Janet and I have made nearly a dozen trips to Israel, and on each and every trip I see or learn something new that motivates me yet again to condemn anti-Semitism and work to eradicate it. My visits to the Garden of the Righteous Gentiles at Yad Vashem and the Diaspora Museum were moving experiences that remain in my mind today.
Janet and I have also been greatly honored by the Jewish people on our visits to Israel. The Jewish National Fund dedicated a recreational park in Israel to honor the memory of our daughter, Molly. The Molly Agnes Voinovich Memorial Forest is just 12 miles southeast of Haifa, overlooking Jezreel Valley. I was also humbled when the Negev Foundation dedicated the Voinovich Agriculture Research Center in the Negev Desert, which is pioneering agricultural advances to improve life for Israelis.
I’m also proud of my work with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and have worked with the OSCE to prioritize eliminating this cancer of hatred before it can spread any further. The 2004 OSCE Berlin Declaration to combat anti-Semitism was a landmark moment in this battle, as the declaration proclaimed that international developments or politics can never justify anti-Semitism.
In 2007, the OSCE’s Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights backed up the Berlin Declaration with $1 million in funding to fight anti-Semitism, including establishing a director of anti-Semitism. And in 2004, then-President George W. Bush signed into law a bill I introduced, the Global Anti-Semitism Review Act, which requires the State Department to monitor and combat global anti-Semitism and report annually to Congress.
Ohio and Israel share many ties that strengthen the bonds of friendship. I meet frequently with Ohioans who advocate for Israel and Jewish organizations, learning about their work and what I can do to help. I’ve also asked for the State Department’s support for a cooperative agreement between Cleveland State University and an Israeli university to create a public administrative program to teach governance in hopes of promoting peace in Palestinian territories.
As I serve out my final year in the U.S. Senate I would like to thank the Jewish community, both at home and abroad, for your kindness and support throughout my time in public service. It is vital for Americans to remember that our country’s united opposition to tyranny and discrimination is woven into every stitch of fabric in our nation’s flag. Denial and ignorance costs us all. But in telling the stories of those who’ve gone before, we recognize them and learn from their sacrifices. We do this to honor those who’ve passed, and we do this for those yet to come.
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