Excellent commentary by Ralph Nader (especially the bolded part):
AMY GOODMAN: We're talking to independent presidential candidate, Ralph Nader, who has written a new book that has just been published this week, "The Good Fight -- Declare Your Independence and Close the Democracy Gap." I wanted to ask you about questions, comments of the head of the anti-defamation league, objecting to what you have said about the white house and congress. You were speaking to a gathering of Muslim activists Capitol Hill at a hearing entitled, "the Muslim vote -- election in 2004." you said, "I don't think there's any prospect of the two parties differing in any significant way on the middle east. The Israeli puppeteer travels so Washington, meets with the puppet in the white house and goes down Pennsylvania avenue and meets with the puppets in congress. The Israeli leader, quote, then, brings back millions of dollars in aid to Israel. It's time for the united states government to stand up and think for itself. You said, Abraham Foxman, the ADL National said we write to object to your characterization of the white house and congress as puppets of the Israeli government. Reasonable people can and do disagree with u.s. policy related to the middle east, specifically U.S. support for Israel, however there's a line between thoughtful reason, constructive disagreements and offensive hyperbole," your response.
RALPH NADER: I have said that on more than one occasion. In Washington, it's the old roman saying, res ipsa loquitur or the thing speaks for itself. Of course it's offensive. They passed these because APAC wants them to. There's no independent thinking there. In response to Mr. Foxman, I will quote him tom Friedman on the February 5 column in "the new York times" when he said the following -- this is Thomas Friedman, Pulitzer prize winner, author of books on the middle east. Quote, Mr. Sharon has Yasser Arafat under house arrest in are a Ramallah, and he has had George Bush under arrest in the oval office. There is a vice president, dick Cheney, who is ready to do whatever Mr. Sharon dictates and by political handlers telling the president not to put any pressure on Israel on the election year, all conspiring to make sure that the president does nothing. That's end quote, those are the words of Thomas Friedman. So, maybe Mr. Foxman wants to take it up with Thomas Friedman. The truth here is that -- there's no balanced determination. The U.S. government never connects with the deep and broad Israeli peace movement that represents members and former members of the Knesset, former military people, former intelligence people, former mayors, existing mayors, professors, rabbis. They put 120,000 people in the square in Tel Aviv recently. You would think that the U.S. government was not a puppet. It would support the deep Israeli peace movement, which has been in touch with the Palestinian peace advocates and has worked out more than one accord where there could be a two-state solution living in peace with a viable and independent Palestinian state. So, there should be a debate. The two candidates Kerry, and Bush, are both pro-Israeli military government. They do not connect with the Israeli peace movement or peace now or Jewish voice for peace or Michael Lerner's Tikkun group. Both Kerry and Bush are pro-war. Our candidacy with Peter Comejo is the only anti-war candidacy. We have a proposal to engage in a responsible six-month withdrawal from Iraq. They will pull out the military and corporate occupation of that country, having internationally supervised elections so there's no puppet government. And those policies will separate the mainstream Iraqis from supporting or sympathizing with the insurgency, which is spreading. That's the only way to do it. You do not say that the mainstream Iraqis that they're going to be faced with an endless, if not permanent military and corporate occupation by the u.s. With the puppet regime, and get peace and stability in that war-torn nation.
AMY GOODMAN: Ralph Nader, the "Boston Globe" is reporting senator John Kerry has released a new policy paper on Israel, in which he fully supports Israel's construction of the 425-mile wall through the West Bank. Last year, senator Kerry said that the wall was a barrier to peace. But in the new policy paper, Kerry writes, "The security fence is a legitimate act of self-defense. The tight of the paper is, "strengthening Israel security and bolstering the special u.s.-Israel relationship." in one part of the paper, Kerry concludes that Israel's cause must be America's cause. Your response.
RALPH NADER: That's an example of a puppet. A puppet politician who does not think in the best interests of the American people and the Israeli and Palestinian people. The majority of the people in Israel and the majority of Americans of Jewish faith in this country support an independent Palestinian state, as a solution -- peaceful solution to that long-drawn-out conflict. It's really interesting. John Kerry on the wall is now not even up to the Israeli supreme court, which has issued a decision quite critical of the way that the wall is being built to take existing Palestinian land, separate peasants from their farms or children from their schools. So, he ought to read the latest decision by the Israeli supreme court.
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