Lest we forget that war with Iran still hovers on the horizon, here is an essay in Salon arguing that the same people and similar arguments that led to Iraq are still on mission--their names will be familiar. It's headlined "The boys who cry 'Holocaust,'" and worth a read for those willing to consider the hard thinking that goes with its tough talk.Sample: "If American politics did not contain an enormous blind spot, no one would pay any attention to what these discredited ideologues have to say. The Iraq war they championed turned out to be one of the biggest foreign-policy disasters in U.S. history. Their ignorant and Islamophobic view of the Middle East is as breathtaking as their bland willingness to commit America to yet another ruinous war against a Muslim country, this time one four times larger than Iraq and with more than twice as many people. They have a demonstrated track record of complete failure."Yet these incompetent militarists are still taken seriously. And the reason is simple: They purport to be supporters of Israel. In American politics, you can get away with even the most cracked war-mongering as long as you claim to be 'pro-Israel.' And the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card for anything having to do with Israel is the Holocaust."Black Friday, indeed.

Margaret O’Brien Steinfels is a former editor of Commonweal. 

Also by this author
© 2024 Commonweal Magazine. All rights reserved. Design by Point Five. Site by Deck Fifty.