Dissident Veteran For Peace

John Bolton, a "Defender of Israel" and recess appointee to the post of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations is back in the news. According to "Battle Over Bolton Could Be Decided by Jewish Support" by Randy Hall (July 27, 2006) of CNSNews.com:

Increased support from the Jewish community might make the difference between last year's Senate decision not to confirm John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and this year's debate on the nomination, the head of a Jewish organization told Cybercast News Service.

"I believe almost every Republican will be supporting" Bolton in the Senate, and "you're going to have a surprising number of Democrats supporting him because of his record" of "courage, intelligence and eloquence," said Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA).

Bolton is "a man who does what he believes no matter what the consequences are for himself politically, and that's really rare," Klein noted. "This man looks at what's good for our country and what's good to reflect his principles."

In addition, "the organizational Jewish leaders I've spoken to have all spoken positively to me about Bolton" because "he's shown to be an outstanding public servant both for America and those who care about strong U.S.-Israel relations," he stated.

That support could be critical if Senate Democrats decide -- as they did last year -- to filibuster Bolton's nomination. To obtain the 60 votes necessary to end debate through a cloture resolution, the 55 Republicans would need the help of at least five other senators.

Klein told Cybercast News Service that such support might come from states where the status of Israel is a significant issue, including New York, where "important friends" of Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton told him the senators are "seriously reconsidering" their position on Bolton.

"If they came out against him, I would be somewhat surprised," Klein said of Schumer and Clinton, who were outspoken in their opposition to Bolton last year but have remained silent on the nomination so far this year. "I think there's a reasonable chance they might support him this time around."

However, "with politics, you never know," he added.

Along with the ZOA, other Jewish groups endorsing Bolton so far this year include the Republican Jewish Congress and the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs.

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In "Republican Jews urge Bolton confirmation," the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, quoting from a July 24, 2006, press relase, reports:

The Republican Jewish Coalition urged the U.S. Senate to confirm John Bolton as U.N. ambassador.

"Ambassador Bolton has expressed President Bush's unwavering support of Israel in a time of crisis," the coalition said in a statement Monday.

"He has vetoed Security Council resolutions which condemned Israel and excused the terrorists Israel is fighting against."

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Here, back in December 08, 2005 , according to ZOA president Morton Klein, is why Bolton was recognized as a "Defender of Israel:"

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Ambassador Bolton’s recent efforts on the Netanya bombing and Hezbollah follow a long, principled record of support for Israel . He has been very active in recent weeks attempting to trim the wastage of the U.N. budget on propaganda efforts on behalf of the Palestinians through U.N. bodies paid for, among others, by the American taxpayer, such as the UN Division for Palestinian Rights, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices in the Occupied Territories.

It is also vital to mention in this context that it was Ambassador Bolton who piloted through the U.N. the rescission of the infamous "Zionism is Racism" resolution in 1991, something he proudly describes as a "highlight of my career" and one that removed "the greatest stain on the U.N.’s reputation."

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If Bolton is confirmed then it will be an impressive achievement for mainstream American Jews, a group that represents only 2% of the U.S. population. Here is a reflection on the influence of Jews in American society from an anti-immigration article by Dr. Stephen M. Steinlight of the Center for Immigration Studies:

... American-Jewish leadership is experiencing profound vertigo as it seeks to chart a course through circumstances that appear logical only to a schizophrenic.

On one hand, they’re leaders of a community that feels a sense of belonging unknown in the history of Diaspora Jewry. America’s Jews have attained success and acceptance beyond their forebear’s fondest dreams. They’re influential far beyond their miniscule percentage of the population. They wield significant political power and cultural influence. Nearly half the money spent in Democratic Party presidential primaries comes from Jewish contributors. In recent years, Jewish presence at the highest levels of government has become routine. A majority of Clinton’s cabinet members were Jews. Jewish advisors play key roles in the Bush administration’s national security, foreign and military affairs. Had Gore become President, an Orthodox Jew would have been a heartbeat away from the nation’s highest office. If John Kerry is elected the next President, he will be the country’s first chief executive with Jewish roots.

Among the best-known indices of its success, 10 percent of the U.S. Senate is Jewish, as is a majority of the presidents at Ivy League universities, and faculties and student bodies at elite colleges and universities are typically 30 to 40 percent Jewish. Jews form a high percentage within the learned professions and among writers, nationally syndicated journalists, and publishers of some of the nation’s leading newspapers and periodicals, and as creators and disseminators of high and popular culture. They play the predominant role in Hollywood, and thus shape much of our self-definition as Americans. Jews also hold key positions within many leading financial institutions, especially within investment banking and the brokerage industry.

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See also "Israel's Man at the UN" by Tom Barry of the International Relations Center (July 26, 2006).

Labels: Clintons, Hollywood, Israel, Jews, John Bolton, Zionism