The Cry of the Anti-Semites

Although a majority of the editorials which appeared in this morning’s edition of the Marquette Tribune were complete rubbish (as they have been for the past few editions – without either Mr. Zabrowski or myself creating controversy, is the Tribune reduced to scraping the bottom of the barrel?), there were two articles at least that stood out for me. There was the staff editorial written by Salma Khaleq, which I will discuss in far greater detail later on (perhaps not this evening, but some time later this week), and then there was the one which truly caught my one, the editorial written by Nathan Zimmermann which I took to be well-spoken and brilliant in its argumentative style.

The Viewpoint by William Gartland on April 19 proclaims that the war in Iraq is merely to make the Middle East safe for Israel; also, that its main proponent Paul Wolfowitz is a tool of Israel. The idea that the war is all about Israel is certainly consistent with the anti-Semitic myth that Jews are responsible for everything and that Jews have a dual loyalty[.]

History will determine who is responsible for what has happened in Iraq. Wolfowitz will probably get his share of the credit or blame, depending on your view. However, Wolfowitz is being vilified for being a Jew by Gartland. The suggestion that Jews are behind the war is a fairy tale, which is so far removed from historical fact, that it can only be described as anti-Semitic drivel. According to polls, American Jews support the war in equivalent proportions to the American public as a whole. Among Jews in Congress, proportionally fewer voted for the war's resolution than the body as a whole.

Wolfowitz has always looked out for American interests; moreover, he has always been an ardent champion of freedom and justice. We have seen this over the course of his career, whether in the Philippines, Indonesia, Central and Eastern Europe and of course the Middle East. Gartland has given too much credit to Wolfowitz for the situation in Iraq. What about Condoleezza Rice and George Tenet? What about Donald Rumsfeld and Collin Powell? What about Dick Cheney? What about the president? How about Tony Blair for that matter? Are these people merely accessories to the so called "Wolfowitz Doctrine"?

To assert that Wolfowitz influenced the United States to war at the behest of Israel assumes the president, vice-president, secretary of state, secretary of defense, national security advisor and the director of the CIA had no better reason to go to war than to do Israel's edict.

Furthermore, I was shocked that an award winning newspaper in an academic atmosphere would publish such propaganda. In doing so, it has given some momentum to this anti-Semitic canard. Also, it trivializes what the Americans fighting for our freedom and security have sacrificed. I hope that The Marquette Tribune can better determine what is newsworthy and what is hogwash.

I apologize for the lack of commentary this evening but once I have completed these essays and exams are over with, things should begin to return to normal around here.