Daniel Luban shows that the assault on the National Iranian-American Council by the rightwing Israel lobbies and their allies in the People’s Jihadi Organization [Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK or MKO)], a Marxist-Islamist political cult is actually an attempt to mortally wound the Obama administration. A strategist allegedly linked to the MEK, Hasan Daioleslam, wrote to uber-Neoconservative warmonger Kenneth Timmerman of the campaign against NIAC, “This is an integral part of any attack on Clinton and Obama.”
The National Iranian-American Council, headed by Trita Parsi, has emerged as among the more effective community lobbies among any hyphenated Middle Eastern-American community. It represents sensible, middle class Iranian-Americans of the new generation. Because NIAC favors cautious engagement with Iran and opposes war on it or trying to break it up, the rightwing Israel lobbies and the Chalabi wannabes among Iranian-Americans want to destroy it. Neocon hatchet man Eli Lake made a run at the organization in a muddled op-ed for the Washington Times (which has some good journalists as well, but is Moonie-owned and typically skews right). MEK has its tentacles into Congress through effective fronts like IPC.
All Americans who support an end to the Eternal War scenario of the hawks, and who want an equitable peace with Iran, should join NIAC and/or send it money. If we let the Neocons and MEK destroy it, we will have no grounds to complain when President Palin conscripts our children and sends them to die in a fruitless war on Tehran.
And remember, the attack on NIAC is explicitly intended to wound Obama and pave the way for a President Palin.
End/ (Not Continued)
I'm glad you covered this Juan. But prepare to be hit by hordes of the same sort of people to come and attack you for publicly defending NIAC. It seems like every time there is a story about NIAC, these people show up to comment attacking the group.
Haven't gotten to the point yet where you realize just about no one cares any more? that we have been acculturated to this crap? that we actually appear to crave the anger and violence and get off on it? You find anyone lately who is at all outraged, really outraged at the darkening and dimming of the species?
It's like our collective infatuation with WAR, the whole patriotism schtick, the "warriors sacrificing all to protect our way of life," the "martyrs" in uniform and just standing out in their fields. Not only without a clue that the Game of War, like the investment of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan is so fundamentally asymmetrical, what "we" say we are doing is simply on another planet from the people who suffer and become the next generation of Dragon's Teeth, that the only aims it can achieve are making more war, profitable of course for the few, until the exhaustion sets in.
Face it man, humans LOVE this stuff. Whether we are "tribes with flags" or "flags with tribes." A death wish, coupled with the comfortable affection for homicide practised on "the enemy," that mental construct that we all recognize, whatever "side" we are on, and tacitly or vocally approve whatever is done to "the enemy." Because "the enemy" is by definition "not us," is presumtively not human, and its existence defines by presumptive negative what we think we are. And that looks to be the best "we" are going to do.
I can't believe you think the Americans would elect Palin……however, just to be sure I joined NAIC….this is getting really scary and if that is what it takes to humble the warmongers…so be it!
correction:NIAC…anyway I did join!
I work on the Hill and cover related issues. MEK's (PMoI) lobbying operation is at once supremely ham-fisted and effectively persistent. It also appears very decentralized.
-Jermaine
"President Palin"–first time I've seen that phrase in print. It sends shivers down my spine and down some other places too.
What we see in NIAC story is the typical American reaction to political process involving mid-east. Time after time, US policy (government or in this case neocon faction in opposition) has been to eliminate the moderates and then wonder why the radicals are left unchallenged.
In addition to trying to promote a sensible US foreign policy with respect to Iran, NIAC focus has been to bring Iranian-Americans to participate in the political process. There were always the skeptics about its chances. Now the neocons are attempting to prove them right.
Just as warnning to the rest of us…. the neocns may get their way, and the rest of us will pay the price.
"Whatswrongwitheverything"
I wouldn't rush to judgement on the human race: I do think the critique justified when about America.
America is a militarized society: its budget, its economy, its understanding of the world and its understanding of the nature of the human.
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maybe that's the answer to the question, what to do about the MEK at Camp Ashraf ?
Maybe they could be resettled in Israel ?
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