Bush II managed to spare some time from his busy schedule of dog walking, fishing and bird hunting – or whatever the Bushes do after hanging their boots – to bat for Bush III.
And incredible as it may seem, W still appears hung up on the idea that the invasion of Iraq and removal of Saddam Hussain in the name of excavating the Weapons of Mass Destruction that never existed, unleashing chaos across the region, was the right thing to do. Indeed, speaking at the Republican Jewish Coalition event hosted by the Jewish casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson, the former president slammed his successor for pulling the US troops out of Iraq “too early” and apparently paving the way for the rise of Isis. Accusing Obama of putting the US in “retreat” around the globe, Bush was predictably also critical of the nuclear talks and the much hyped deal with Iran.
The Bush jibe drew strong response from the Obama administration with the White House spokesperson rightly pointing out that both Al-Qaeda and Isis did not exist in Iraq before the US invasion. White House spokesperson Josh Earnest also chided Bush by suggesting that Obama had been elected largely as a result of the American public rebuking the Bush administration’s foreign policy decisions: “The fact that President Bush has a different perspective and a different philosophy when it comes to foreign policy, isn’t just a well-known difference; it’s the principal reason that President Obama is sitting in the Oval Office right now.”
That Bush was speaking at an event hosted by the casino billionaire, who has regularly financed and hosted Republican and Democratic politicians, arranged their junkets to Israel and is known for his fierce loyalty to the Zionist cause, may somewhat explain the barbs against Obama. It’s hardly a secret that the incumbent is increasingly loathed and targeted by the powerful Israeli lobby even as it is shamelessly wooed and courted by the lawmakers on both sides of the isle.
Interestingly, the Republican Jewish Coalition event was held in Sin City Las Vegas at the Venetian hotel-casino and home of Adelson. And it was graced not just by the Bushes but by all Republican presidential hopefuls who never tire of flaunting their Judeo-Christian heritage and values and would go to any length to ‘protect Israel’ as if it needs anyone’s protection.
With a fortune of $37 billion amassed from gambling dens in Macau and Vegas, the 81-year-old Adelson is supposed to be the 10th richest man on earth. No wonder, according to the Washington Post, “in Vegas, a crop of White House aspirants sought to outdo each other in opposition” to the Iran nuclear deal. “Ted Cruz declared that he ‘intends to do everything possible to stop a bad Iran deal.’ Indiana Gov. Mike Pence pledged that ‘Israel’s enemies are our enemies. Israel’s cause is our cause.’”
But, as an acerbic former Republican presidential hopeful Patrick Buchanan pointedly asks, “What are candidates who profess Christian values doing in Sin City courting a casino mogul for millions in contributions, when that mogul compiled his immense fortune by exploiting the moral weakness of Christians and non-Christians alike? Does not the Bible condemn gambling?”
But, hey, the politicians also need money to win elections and Adelson and other Jewish moneybags have lots and lots of it. Apparently, Adelson alone contributed $92 million in 2012, to the campaigns of Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and other Republicans and to prevent the reelection of a certain Barack Hussain Obama. And he is once again poised to spend more to see a more pliable and favorable (to Israel) politician in White House in 2016.
And by the way, he is the same gent who has financed Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign in the past couple of Israeli elections despite the latter’s not being an American citizen. But then Adelson, married to an Israeli woman, is more than a citizen to the Zionist state. Veteran Israeli peace activist and journalist Uri Avnery calls the Casino King the ‘Real Ruler of Israel’ as he owns Netanyahu himself.
And it is not just Adelson, according to a report in Israeli newspaper Haaretz last week; several other Jewish donors are the biggest financiers of both Republican and Democratic politicians in the upcoming US elections. (See ‘Who are the 2016 Republican presidential candidates’ Jewish donors?’http: //www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-features/1.652798)
Haaretz clearly identifies the key Jewish donors and their favoured candidates in the upcoming race by name. Is it any surprise then potential candidates from both sides of the political divide are falling over themselves to reaffirm their fealty to Israel and Israeli interests all over again?
And then Arabs and Muslims cry about the bias of the US political establishment and media for Israel and indifference and downright hostility to their own interests and concerns. Well, you know what they say, money talks. And the Jewish money has been talking loud and clear in successive US elections with stunning results.
While the Arab and Muslim world is forced to spend its resources and energy in firefighting and chasing mirages in sand, our friends on the other side have for years been investing their hard-earned dollars in making friends and influencing powerful people in high places. And it goes without saying they deliver when the time comes to extract that pound of flesh. Is it not about time the Arabs and Muslims picked a lesson or two from their distant cousins in this respect?
I am not suggesting bankrolling US politicians as the Israeli lobby has been doing for years but it wouldn’t hurt to cultivate promising politicians and media in the land of the free to protect the region’s long-term interests.
The writer is a Middle East based columnist.
Email: aijaz.syedhotmail.com