Agorism
07-17-2010, 11:33 AM
New Astroturf organization formed (click link) (http://thinkprogress.org/2010/07/16/israel-iraq-committee/#comments)
In a nice catch, Eli Clifton reports that the Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI), the latest neocon astroturf pro-war outfit, is based out of the same office as a previous neocon astroturf pro-war outfit, the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq (CLI):
The evidence lies in a a letter from ECI’s executive director (pdf), Noah Pollak, to Comcast regarding the attack ad the group has been running in Pennsylvania. The letterhead bears the following address: “918 Pennsylvania Ave., SE · Washington, D.C. 20003.”
That address happens to be the same as that of Orion Strategies, a public-relations consultancy owned and operated by renowned GOP lobbyist Randy Scheunemann, who, in addition to serving as president of the CLI, has been retained since the 2008 elections as Sarah Palin’s personal — and Bill Kristol-approved — foreign-policy trainer.
The connection to Orion Strategies comes through former Weekly Standard web editor and regrettable McCain campaign spokesman Michael Goldfarb, who joined Scheunemann’s firm last January, and serves as an adviser to the Emergency Committee for Israel. In addition to his work with ECI, Goldfarb also advises the Liz Cheney/Bill Kristol-led Keep America Safe, and was a research associate at the Project for the New American Century, which served as the mothership for various neocon enterprises in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, most notably the invasion of Iraq.
In addition to serving as president of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq, Scheunemann served as PNAC’s director, and was a key ally of Iran-connected con-man Ahmad Chalabi.
Considering how disastrous the Iraq invasion was, not only for U.S. security but also for Israel’s — driving radicalism and sectarianism in the region, vastly increasing Iranian influence in the region and allowing it to advance its nuclear program — it is deeply ironic that the people operating the “Emergency Committee for Israel” are among those most responsible for creating that “emergency” in the first place.
In the comments section this is interesting "Scheunemann also the guy who told the georgian president he should go ahead and invade south ossetia so that the mccain campaign could take a stand on it? and then got a $200,000 contract from georgia for his lobbying firm?"
Emergency Committee for Israel's First Target: Joe Sestak (click link) (http://wwwwakeupamericans-spree.blogspot.com/2010/07/video-emergency-committee-for-israels.html)
The ad starts with a picture of Congressman Joe Sestak and the question "Does Congressman Joe Sestak understand Israel is America’s ally?"
The ad narrator continues by stating "Sestak raised money for an anti-Israel organization the FBI called a front group for Hamas. Sestak signed a letter accusing Israel for collective punishment for blockading Hamas in Gaza. Sestak refused to sign a bipartisan letter affirming US support for Israel. Call Joe Sestak and ask him to stand with Israel."
YouTube - Sestak's Record (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIuiqho44I8)
In a nice catch, Eli Clifton reports that the Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI), the latest neocon astroturf pro-war outfit, is based out of the same office as a previous neocon astroturf pro-war outfit, the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq (CLI):
The evidence lies in a a letter from ECI’s executive director (pdf), Noah Pollak, to Comcast regarding the attack ad the group has been running in Pennsylvania. The letterhead bears the following address: “918 Pennsylvania Ave., SE · Washington, D.C. 20003.”
That address happens to be the same as that of Orion Strategies, a public-relations consultancy owned and operated by renowned GOP lobbyist Randy Scheunemann, who, in addition to serving as president of the CLI, has been retained since the 2008 elections as Sarah Palin’s personal — and Bill Kristol-approved — foreign-policy trainer.
The connection to Orion Strategies comes through former Weekly Standard web editor and regrettable McCain campaign spokesman Michael Goldfarb, who joined Scheunemann’s firm last January, and serves as an adviser to the Emergency Committee for Israel. In addition to his work with ECI, Goldfarb also advises the Liz Cheney/Bill Kristol-led Keep America Safe, and was a research associate at the Project for the New American Century, which served as the mothership for various neocon enterprises in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, most notably the invasion of Iraq.
In addition to serving as president of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq, Scheunemann served as PNAC’s director, and was a key ally of Iran-connected con-man Ahmad Chalabi.
Considering how disastrous the Iraq invasion was, not only for U.S. security but also for Israel’s — driving radicalism and sectarianism in the region, vastly increasing Iranian influence in the region and allowing it to advance its nuclear program — it is deeply ironic that the people operating the “Emergency Committee for Israel” are among those most responsible for creating that “emergency” in the first place.
In the comments section this is interesting "Scheunemann also the guy who told the georgian president he should go ahead and invade south ossetia so that the mccain campaign could take a stand on it? and then got a $200,000 contract from georgia for his lobbying firm?"
Emergency Committee for Israel's First Target: Joe Sestak (click link) (http://wwwwakeupamericans-spree.blogspot.com/2010/07/video-emergency-committee-for-israels.html)
The ad starts with a picture of Congressman Joe Sestak and the question "Does Congressman Joe Sestak understand Israel is America’s ally?"
The ad narrator continues by stating "Sestak raised money for an anti-Israel organization the FBI called a front group for Hamas. Sestak signed a letter accusing Israel for collective punishment for blockading Hamas in Gaza. Sestak refused to sign a bipartisan letter affirming US support for Israel. Call Joe Sestak and ask him to stand with Israel."
YouTube - Sestak's Record (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIuiqho44I8)