The Khalidi Chronicles—the McCain connection (UPDATE #2)
Republican Jews, and other McCain supporters, have been paying a lot of attention to Barack Obama's relationship with Rashid Khalidi. But John McCain has his own affiliation with the Palestinian-American academic and activist.
McCain has been chairman of the International Republican Institute since 1993, an organization which "advances freedom and democracy worldwide by developing political parties, civic institutions, open elections, good governance and the rule of law." And in 1993, the Center for Palestine Research and Studies – an organization which Khalidi co-founded and was a member of its board of directors from 1993-1998, started conducting opinion polls in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with the help of funding from IRI.
In fact, in 1998, the IRI's second largest grant of $448,873 went to CPRS for survey work in the West Bank, according to IRI's Form 990. That seems remarkably similar to a Republican Jewish Coalition criticism of Obama: The Democratic presidential nominee served on the board of the Woods Fund, which provided a $40,000 grant in 2001 and a $35,000 grant the following year to the Arab American Action Network, a group co-founded by Khalidi. The organization – whose president at the time was Khalidi's wife, Mona – "works to improve the social, economic and political conditions of Arab immigrants and Arab Americans" in the Chicago area.
What's the difference? RJC executive director Matt Brooks argued there were a couple of them. Brooks said there was nothing wrong with serving on a board that gave a Khalidi-affiliated organization funds – the issue, he said, was the type of organization being funded. He pointed to a report that the AAAN sponsored an art exhibit at DePaul University entitled "The Subject of Palestine," which featured works related to what Palestinians call the "Nakba" or "catastrophe" of Israel's founding in 1948. That exhibit took place in 2005, three years after Obama left the Woods Fund board.
Brooks further emphasized that he was more concerned about the personal relationship between Obama and Khalidi, and whether Obama agreed with Khalidi's opinions about the Middle East.
Khalidi is considered a moderate by Palestinians and many in the pro-Israel community. The L.A. Times article notes that he has called killing civilians a "war crime," although he's also long been critical of Israel and U.S. policy in the Middle East.
Obama and Khalidi became friendly as professors at the University of Chicago in the 1990s and neighbors in Hyde Park, and the Khalidis held a fundraiser for Obama's unsuccessful congressional bid. Obama also attended a farewell dinner for Khalidi in Chicago in 2003, prior to his move to Columbia University, in which he said that his conversations with the Khalidis were "consistent reminders to me of my own blind spots and my own biases," according to an April Los Angeles Times article, which obtained a video of the dinner. The paper reported back in April that the dinner also included the recital of a poem accusing the Israeli government of terrorism in its treatment of Palestinians and criticizing U.S. suppport of the Jewish state.
This week, there has been renewed interest in that videotape from certain corners of the media and blogosphere – culminating in Tuesday's demand by McCain campaign spokesman Michael Goldfarb that the L.A. Times publicly release the tape. He also charged the publication with "intentionally suppressing information." The Times responded that it obtained the tape from a source on the condition that it not be publicly shown, and the paper "keeps its promises to sources."
UPDATE: On Wednesday, Sarah Palin jumped into the fray over Khalidi. "It seems that there is yet another radical professor from the neighborhood who spent a lot of time with Barack Obama going back several years," said the Republican vice presidential nominee on Wednesday at an event in Bowling Green, Ohio.
"This is important because his associate, Rashid Khalidi … in addition to being a political ally of Barack Obama, he's a former spokesperson for the Palestinian Liberation Organization," she said.
McCain also brought up the connection in a Miami radio interview.
Khalidi has denied being a spokesperson for the PLO. He served as an adviser to the Palestinian delegation at the Madrid peace talks in 1991.
Obama has specifically addressed his relationship with Khalidi during the campaign. At an appearance at a Florida synagogue back in May, he said in response to a question: "I do know him and I have had conversations. He is not one of my advisors; he's not one of my foreign policy people. His kids went to the Lab school where my kids go as well. He is a respected scholar, although he vehemently disagrees with a lot of Israel's policy."
He continued, "To pluck out one person who I know and who I've had a conversation with who has very different views than 900 of my friends and then to suggest that somehow that shows that maybe I'm not sufficiently pro-Israel, I think, is a very problematic stand to take…So we gotta be careful about guilt by association."
UPDATE #2: Jake Tapper of ABC News has a statement from IRI confirming that it did provide money to CPRS, while saying it does not recall "any contact with Khalidi.
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How come we don’t hear from any of his 900 normal friends. College, grad school or people who knew him when he was living in Hawaii?
Frank M. Davis - Mentor - Communist
Bill Ayers - Associate - Domestic Terrorist
Bernadine Dohrn - Family Friend - Domestic Terrorist
Mike Klonsky - Associate - Communist
Tony Resko - Associate - Convicted Fixer
Alice Palmer - Political Menor - Communist
Jeremiah Wright - Mentor - Racist-Hater
Michael Pfleger - Associate - Hater
Louis Farrakhan - Associate - Racist
Rashid Khalid - Associate - PLO Terrorist
Edward Said - Associate- PLO Terrorist
Raila Odinga - Cousi- Kenyan Marxist
George Soros - Sponsor - One-Worlder
Michello Obama - Wife - Separatist
DEMAND THAT THE LA TIMES RELEASE TERRORIST PARTY TAPE!
In 2003, Barack Obama partied with Rashid Khalidi, former racist/terrorist hack for Palestinian president Yasser Arafat, along with other assorted terror nuts like Bill Ayers. The Los Angeles Times has a videotape of this event but is withholding it from the public.
Why?
Email the Times: .
Phone number is (877) 554-4000.
The Obama campaign and their supporters can’t tell the truth, much less the whole truth.
The International Republican Institute isn’t a “McCain organization”. Under Reagan, Congress authorized the National Endowment for Democracy , which essentially disburses funds, more accurately our tax dollars, through four sub groups, one Republican, one Dem, one Labor, and one private enterprise. And yes, as a Republican legislator McCain has been involved with the IRI, and whether McCain made it or not, I might support the decision to “fund” Khalid’s group. They were hired to do polling in the West Bank. The fact that the Obama campaign doesn’t understand that, when polling in a nest of terrorists, you either deal with terrorist supporters or don’t do the polling. Same goes for distributing aid. Lots of bad guys cash our checks. That’s the real world, if you want Goldilocks you need Obamaland. In his double super secret plan to take out bin Ladin, who does the Senator think he’ll be dealing with, Nancy Pelosi?
Toasting the spokesman for a terrorist and wishing him well, perhaps validating his opinion that Israel shouldn’t exist, is quite another thing.
So the question is when was it known that Rashid Khalidi was funneling the money to terrorist?
If it was known before 1998 that might explain why Rashid Khalidi had to go before the IRI gave them any money.
If it was not know till sometime after 2003 then it’s a non-issue all around.
Can’t hold anyone responsible for not knowing what wasn’t known.
If it were known sometime after 1998 but before 2003 Obama’s got some splaing to do.
BTW, with the LA times holding back on this tape and the deft silence from Obama, the “picture” presented is Obama’s hiding sumting.
“The fact that the Obama campaign doesn’t understand that, when polling in a nest of terrorists, you either deal with terrorist supporters or don’t do the polling. Same goes for distributing aid.”
Same is true with intel, your not going to find out inside info on the bad guys from the church lady.
Diane wrote, “DEMAND THAT THE LA TIMES RELEASE TERRORIST PARTY TAPE!”
If they don’t (and Obama could give them permission to do so), we can reasonably assume that the allegation about Obama’s relationship with Khalidi is true. Furthermore, the allegation is 100% consistent with his known relationships with Bill Ayers, Jeremiah Wright, Al Sharpton (Google on “Freddy’s Fashion Mart” for this individual’s track record) and similar lowlifes.
Don’t worry, though, the National “Jewish” “Democratic” Council could doubtlessly find some reason to whitewash this guy even if he posed arm in arm with Osama bin Laden.
Good day;
It is already known that Obama favours the palestenian view-point in the Israel-PLO conflict.
Now, he decived the public about funding for his political capaing among others things and on top of that, the economical views (tax-plans) are not compatible with the actual financial plateau.,....meaning RAISING TAXES IS NOT THE CORRECT WAY - and number of experts in the financial sector said that already many times .
In other words Obama had not been honest nor realistic to none of us.
Can he be trusted withthe presidency?
Consider this if you will:
I said it before and nobody believed, ...the ‘captains’ in congress ( those democrats:Pelosi, Reid,Frank and others) are giving bonuses and misusing the moneys form our savings to PERPETUATE THIER UNSCRUPULOUS PRACTICES!.
Do not you see it now happening?
Others things are going around too, SO GET ALERT!, GET CORRETLY INFORMED !.Would be real good to watch another news sources beside the TV TABLOIDS ,:CNN and MSNBC.
If you do not remember, or do not know what I said before? , here is the text:
Now I am really curious. It seems that freedom of speech is going to be down to the ground, should Obama gets the presidency.
Oh!, well, so then really we are going to become a socialist ( should I say communist ) nation. Interesting, just like in the old days in old Russia,… only the news soviet agency TASS with the two branches fussed in as doubble one:- ISVESTIA,PRAVDA, and whoever does not agree with them, is pray for the KGB!
So, no more O’reilly, Hannity, Limbaugh, the entire FOX NEWS structure for that matter!, Oh! yeah! because the TV TABLOIDS ( CNN and MSNBC) are deep in the can with the democrats not to mention number of newspapers and magazines (YELLOW PRESS JUST AS WELL )
Oh!, swell!, those clowns will definitelly survive under ‘THE NEW ORDER’!
And there is more,… we are about to deep once more into our taxpayers savings to aliviate the wounds that those crooks at WallStreet did to us.
BINGO! - THE BERNANKE SECOND INJECTION!,...correct!, wih the ‘MORE OF THE SAME CROOKS AND THIEVES FROM SHORT TIME BACK’
THIS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL OUR SAVINGS GET TOTALLY DRAINED AND THEN!,… GOOD BYE STRONG COUNTRY!,… EASY PREY FOR DESTRUCTION!
Pathetic.
Want to add an extra explanation to the scenario?
The first ‘bail-out’ served only to PERPETUATE THE UNSCRUPULOUS PRACTICES BY corps and individuals ( mostly democrats!) Fannie, Freddie, Raines, Johnson, O’Neal, ETC. and backed by Barney Frank, Pelosi and others,...well you know the story.
And also everybody knows how dilligents those crooks and thieves were, going in mini-vacation-kind-of-cellebration spending over 145 THOUSAND $$ in expensive hotels and maasages, ETC,...all that type of things.
Now they are shooting for more money !! , with new so called,...’directives’ and /or ‘concepts to furnish programs and ways to help the people,...even further’,...so they say.
Ah! mighty galaxies!, like we should believe them!. Indeed , they all are objects of art, actually they are: - CON-ARTISTS!,...that is the concept.
Well, with the first bail-out they open the doors to the SOCIALISM that Obama want to INJECT to our economic system and will definitely constitude the fall of the american power.
Picture this if you will,
1. Economic crissis is created ( let to be happened ) to help Obama, to be attractive to the masses, for ECONOMY is a big factor in our life-style, and in fact is a pillar for our national security.
NOTICE THAT ECONOMIC SANCTIONS ARE PUT INTO EFFECT TO THOSE STATES WE NEED TO BACK DOWN THEIR EMPHASIS TO DESTROY FREEDOM. It is an effective technique.
So, this was allowed to happened here in our very grounds.
2. Now, Obama comes with a plan to even further nationalization of the private assets :- ‘SPREAD THE WEALTH AROUND’- actually a SOCIALIST PRACTICE. Just get educated on this: and read THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO and other writtings by Carl Max and Fredderick Engels.
THEN, compare this kind of literature with our CONSTITUTION and wrttings by John Locke and Thomas Hobbs and you VERY CLEAR, WILL SEE THE DIFFERENCE!
My fellows american , this sounds to me like a MASTER PLAN to bring down the power of our great country.
OBAMA IS A ‘TROJAN HORSE FACTOR’ BRINGING WEAKNES TO OUR COUNTRY, OK?
A MASTER PLAN OF DESTRUCTION. VERY ELUSIVE, VERY EFFECTIVE!
Does it sound science-fiction to you?,...too speculative? Well, I have news for you : WE ARE LIVING IT! and our children will pay HIGH PRICE if we do not put the RIGHT PEOPLE in the LEADERSHIP!
We are in need,… OUR COUNTRY NEEDS NOW SOMEONES WHO ELIMINATE CORRUPTION , OVERSPENDING, AND MANTAIN NATIONAL SECURITY IN PLACE.
We need leaders that take on corruption in government and in the financial sector, WE DO NEED REAL REFORM NOT A MOCKERY AND FALSE TALKING PROMISES.
A question:
Can Obama fight and eliminate the CORRUPTION , and eliminate the absurd OVERSPENDING in Washington and in the finanacial spectrum without POLITICAL SUICIDE?
YES? or NO?
The reason I ask is because he is all the way to his eye-balls connected to corps and individuals of questionable integrity , responsible with all this economic mess,...you know ,...CONFLICT OF INTERESTS HERE!
He IS very successful in sounding CONVINCING to the masses for most out there are not informed, NO EDUCATED IN THINGS IMPORTANT TO KNOW. OBAMA DOES NEED INGNORANCE AMONG THE MASSES, SO HE CAN CONTROL AND DRIVE THEM.
This is common sense: if taxes ( all types, SPECIALLY THE CORPORATE GAIN CAPITAL TAXES are elevated) the jobs that they are OUT THERE, WILL REMAIN OUT THERE AND EVEN MORE WILL GO OUT THERE.
If actual taxes are untouched and croporate gain taxes get elilminated or reduced, JOBS FROM OUT THERE, WILL RETURN HERE TO AMERICANS AND MORE JOBS WILL BE EMERGE AS RESULT.
Is simple fouth grade arithmetic, we do not need to be a theoretical scientist in quantum physiscs to understand this one. Is very simple 1+1=2, and 2x2=4.
WE HAVE TO STOP THIS MADNES!
A ‘TROJAN HORSE FACTOR’ IS AMONG US AND NEEDS TO BE REVEALED! TOTALLY EXPOSED!
Just give some thoughts to his, will you ?,...it is worthy,OUR CHILDREN ARE IN THE LINE HERE , DO NOT FORGET THEM!
I do hope that Sen McCain or Gov Palin ( or both of them ) ask Obama openly, during one of those rallies something like this:
“SEN OBAMA, CAN YOU FIGHT THE CORRUPTION AND GREEDY IDIVIDUALS IN WAHINGTON AND IN THE FINANCIAL SPECTRUM STARTING FROM DAY ONE IN OFFICE WITHOUT GO INTO POLITICAL SUCIDE?,...WOULD YOU DO THAT FOR THIS COUNTRY?”
I would like to hear his answer!
I wander how the electorate will react.(???)
Sincerely, Daniel Cabrera
Merrillville, Indiana
PS; With Obama as president we REALLY GET MORE OF THE SAME!
Don’t you get it? MORE SAME CORRUPTION AND DEFICIENCY IN ECONOMY
JUST REMEMBER THE DEMOCRAT WERE THE ONES THAT SCREWED-UP
MEANING , FANNNIE, FREDDIE, RAINES,JOHNSON,O’NEAL,BARNEY FRANK,
PELOSI,BERANKE AND OTHERS CLOWNS THERE.
OBAMA=MORE OF THE SAME - REAL AND PRESENT DANGER!
Hey!, WAKE-UP! OBAMA IS WEAK,WEAK,WEAK,...HE IS ONLY AND ONLY,
JUST FLASHY!
If he gets elected, all those on his favour now, will be extremely sorry, wishing to
have a TIME MACHINE to go back in time and undo the voting.
But you see, TIME travels only in one direction for us humans, and once we do
ANYTHING , THERE IS POINT OF NO RETURN!
Perhaps future technology will provide otherwise ( it just might be,...not sure yet _______________________________________________ ECONOMY;
It seems that the ‘trump-card’ is economy nowadays.Ahh!!....
ECONOMY! ,...the confetti of the month! Ok, to make it short , even the high-stars business men and experts say over and over this:...”....nobody knows what to do really ......we all trying shoots in the dark,...for is an unprescedental plateau...”
In other words, do not, ...did you read well?,..DO NOT ! pretend that McCain or Obama( any of them) will shake this one, and fix it just like by magic.
ON THE OTHER HAND:- also, the top bussiness men and experts have a consensus of:- ..."if higher taxes, at the present economy status are applied the economy will definitelly plumet lower very dangerously...”
History shows that the last time encreasing of taxes were made in a similar situation, that generated THE BIG DEPRESSION in the early 30’s.
SO WOULD BE GOOD THAT EVERYONE, READ, INVESTIGATE AND GET FAMILIARIZE WITH THIS.
So, it will be INCORRECT to elevate taxes OF ANY KIND at present times. This should gives an idea wich one from the candidates is/are the let so say :,...THE LESS OR LEAST DESTRUCTIVE for our economy structure. But that is on just on ECONOMY. Make your own story, the best you can.
The next topic perhaps , could be NATIONAL SECURITY, but this is for another segment.
Oh! yes!,because if our beloved country is not secured wisely/get attacked and destroyed , we will not have any ECONOMY to worry about. So you see?,...we need a POWERFUL AND WELL SEASONED PRESIDENT for that task, CORRECT?...and lately,things around the world are not precisely the most promising ones for to be happy about!, RIGHT?
SO, THINK ABOUT THIS ONE FOR NEXT TIME!
NATIONAL SECURITY; TEST FOR OBAMA-WORLD CRISSIS
Let so make the enunciation short:
1. Powell endorses Obama .
2. Biden gave us a ‘PROPHECY’,.. a TEST for Obama (ONLY OBAMA)).
If wisdom, experience, courage, tacticals and estrategics, along with vision for global dynamics could be infused or transfused or absorbed , or CREATED BY WHATEVER UKNOWN STRANGE PROCESS , as result of POWELL’S ENDORSEMENT,...then we can be definitely sure that our NATIONAL SECURUTY, domestic and abroad, would be well set.
The scenario is however far form reality and even the fictional, does not fit the wishful thinking.
Those ‘OUTSIDER OBSERVERS’, understand, sense, and know for sure that IF the president elected is of STRONG RECORD OF STRENGH, this our great country is going to be PROTECTED AT LARGE NO MATTER WHAT for the PACKAGE will be there.
IF , ON THE OTHER HAND, WEAKNESS IS SENSED ( as our enemies are wishing for), a continuation of asaults ( 9-11 type ) is for to be experienced over and over here in main land USA grounds,...not too good scenario.
Obama said number of times, that Iran, and Venezuela are not threats for they are: ‘small countries’,...well, for the records?,...THERE IS NO SUCH A THING AS ‘SMALL ENEMY’ ,...GET THIS VERY, VERY CLEAR.
A picture in a ‘byrd-eye-view’:
Russia, is in the offense, does not stay in their word, even further is right here in our backyard in association with Venezuela ( Hugo Chavez to be exact) .
Iran continues nuclear progam and weapon enterprises, ignoring over FIVE YEARS OF ATTEMPTING DIPLOMACY from USA and Security Council at United Nations, including The European Consortium,...well my friends,… ( NOTHING WORKS WITH THOSE GUYS), and in addition , just in case is not enough?,… North Korea is in similar predicament.
Now, get it straight, OUR COUNTRY NEEDS A STRONG LEADERSHIP THAT TRANSLATE INTO : ‘DO NOT! MESS WITH USA, PERIOD!
ONLY A STRONG LEADER CAN MAKE THAT REFLECTION OUT THERE TO THE WORLD.
Omama DOES NOT HAVE THE RANKS.
Perhaps now you can think about this, or not,...and cast a logical and educated vote.
You choice.
Ultimately I woud say that a fundamental part of our success will depend greatly also in to PRESERVE OUR WAY OF LIFE WTH THE SYSTEM WHICH SHOULD FIT OUR GREAT COUNTRY :- A DEMOCRACY-CAPITALIST.
In addition to accomplish and perpetuate this, is paramount to prevent future CORRUPTION AND DESTRUCTIVE GREED IN GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS.
We do know Obama is unfited for the protection of our country, nor inclined to clean-up nor stabilize government and the financial spectrum for reasons already known.
In addition is also known that his root of afiliations and associations are not at the latitud for someone who seek the presidential rank. On that we can point out : corps and individuals of questionabel integrity such as ; Freddie, Fannie, Raines, Johnson, O’Neal, Frank, Reid, Pelosi ;- along with another anti-american characters such asACORN goup, Ayers, Wright, Alinsky.
Not to mention outsiders anti-american sympathizers like The Hamas and other terrorist gorups who they would see with good eyes, Obama as president of our country. In conclusion, Obama’s complete alure is not the bestt one.
The picture IS NOT POSITIVELY PROMISING.
In view of this scenario Obama could be branded as: ENEMY OF THE ESTATE.
Should not , and MUST NOT be elected as president of our great beloved nation.
THINK OF THIS VERY SERIOUSLY!
Sincerely,
Daniel Cabrera
Merrillvillle, Indiana
I don’t believe the polls. There are millions of people in America - very quiet people who are awake now. I think this election is going to have the biggest vote anyone has ever seen. I for one am praying that those quiet ones will make the difference. Hosea 3:6-12, reminds me of America. We will get the government we vote for. I am praying that even though America does not deserve mercy that the Lord will be merciful anyway. Woe unto America if it turns its back on Israel. I believe that Obama will not support Israel based upon all of his associations. But that wont be the only damage he causes.
Sincerely,
Mary Knight
Its actually Hosea 4:6-12. I have been up since 4:00 a.m. I brought my 28 year old daughter with me to vote. We were there by 5:36 a.m. She said “Mom, there had better be a line.” Our polls open at 6:00 a.m. There were already 10 people ahead of us. There were only three machines. When we left at 6:15 a.m., the line stretched from the cafeteria in the school all the way out the door down the sidewalk. The parking lot was so jammed with cars it was difficult to leave.
Sincerely,
Mary Knight
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Dave Weinberg
10/29/08 01:42 PM
Thanks for linking to Jewneric! Great article.