« Portents: Democrats Pick Up Illinois 14 | Main | "Yes. Well. No. No. No. No." » Hill Raisers Down By One09 Mar 2008 01:11 pm A Turkish-American Hill-Raiser who "who financed a film that depicted an American Jew trading in Iraqi body parts" has been cast out of the Clinton circle of trust, according to a report by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Clinton adviser Ann Lewis told the JTA that the campaign was "unaware" of Mehmet Celebi's involvement with the film. But wait -- a Google search suggests that the campaign was contacted by the New York Post on 2/11 and declined comment... Comments (52)
Hillary Clinton, will you return the $100,000 that Mehmet Celebi has contributed to your campaign? How strongly will you denounce his endorsement of your candidacy? Will you renounce it, denounce it, and boldly reject it? Understatement of the week: "We obviously do not agree with it." That doesn't seem like a very strong denunciation of blatant anti-Semitic content, Mrs. Clinton. We fully expect Tim Russert to raise the issue repeatedly and forcefully with Mrs. Clinton the next time he questions her. 
The Clinton campaign has so MANY dodgy contributors, they're overwhelmed with the effort it takes to check out ALL these sorts of stories? And yes, she must denounce and reject him, as well as return all the money. Now.
Dishonesty from the HRC campaign. Tough to believe.
Hillary Clinton does not take responsibility for what she and her campaign has done AND tries to take responsibility for things she hasn't done. Evidently, besides taking credit for peace treaties she didn't negotiate and borders she didn't open, she's also taking credit for passing legislation as First Lady that was put on the congressional docket two weeks before Bill Clinton was sworn in. See http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/9/111930/6389/50/472849
It's not enough to denounce and reject, you must denounce and reject in a timely manner. Come on, news median and team Obama. You can keep this honest while destroying the "Hillary's been vetted; no scandals left" talking point.
Hilary doesn't need to renounce and deject. It goes without saying that she is a friend of Israel and pro-Jewish. It is laughable to assert otherwise. Barack Obama on the other hand - he has something to prove and for GOOD REASON. This isn't a double standard, its a rational standard based on facts. Hilary is pro-Jewish/Israel and Obama simply is not.
You said it Jesse, He is a MUSLIM afterall!
You said it Jesse, He is a MUSLIM afterall!
But Marc your girl is vetted. Tina Fey told you so. Do you realize how ridiculous you and other members of the press core are? Do you realize that you guys are helping spread lies, and not investigating the truth? Has that dawned on you yet?
If a pro- Israel stance consists of taking money from the Saudis, and increasing our debt burden to them then yes both the Clintons and the Bushs are very much pro-Israel It's not like the Saudis are going to want anything more than weapons for all the money they've loaned us. It's not like the Saudi's want Iran out of the way for some reason. It's not like there's a bigger picture here.
Here's another interesting Hillraiser, albeit not apparently on his level. Also includes an interesting photo of TerryMcAuliffe.
Hilary [sic] is pro-Jewish/Israel and Obama simply is not. Speaking strictly as an American taxpayer, am I to surmise that to be "pro-" one is tantamount to being "pro-" the other --and to an identical degree? Is it possible for one to be "pro-" both --but not to an identical degree and with concerns and reservations with regard to one or the other? Or is it a straightforward matter of, "Those who don't support unconditionally the State of Israel and everything that agents of its government do in the name of its people are, in a word, antiSemitic"?
Hypocrite Hillary strikes again. First, she blasts people for drinking lattes, but then it turns out she's a latte fan herself; now this. I can't stand Hypocrite Hillary!
THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS!! FOR HILLARY!!!
This needs to be e-mailed to all the major news outlets. I seriously hope the Obama campaign has done this.
Ann Lewis is another one of Hillary's crones. Every time I see that hag on TV yakking about rubbish it makes me want to head to the water closet and empty my stomach.
Ann Lewis is the sister of Barney Frank fyi
Ann Lewis is the sister of Barney Frank fyi Interesting. Think she helped in managing the gay escort service Barney used to run out of his house?
Does anyone reading this blog really believe the media will pick up on this story? If Obama was guilty of taking more than 100 grand from a guy who made films about Jews harvesting body parts from dead Arabs and then selling them to other Jews . . . just think about this for a second. What would the media reaction be to Obama's guilt by association of such a heretical thought, much less a thought broadcast into a motion picture? The media would likely eviscerate Obama and sell his body parts to its corporate sponsors. No one in the major media will bother to ask Hillary about this. She will keep this dirty anti-Semitic money and use it to smear Obama of anti-Semitism. The corporate media, and it really is a media completely controlled by corporate interests, has it out for Obama for saying he thought something had to be done about the Cayman Island tax shelters. They won't have anyone messing with their Cayman Island haven . . . and thus Hillary will keep, and use, the money from this repulsive Turk who makes anti-Semitic films.
Gee, maybe he can just switch the contribution to the Clintoon Foundation, same pot of funds as a personal PAC for the "family".
Hillary is a Methodist. The United Methodist Church (national overseeing body) has adopted policies calling for the divestment in Israel. One church committee issued a report calling Jew "monsters." Why is no one asking her to "denounce and reject" her church? And by the way, Ann Lewis has been the Clinton's garbage lady since forever. I'll never forget the day after the Monica story broke that she appeared on television with a straight face telling the world there was no truth to the rumor. How does she live with herself???
This explain why they are hiding their tax returns...so much for been vetted
Bet this doesn't make it onto Mark Halperin's site.
The media are too worried about being perceived as biased against Hillary to follow up on these things. If she manages to get the nomination -- it's her selling of this point that will turn out to be the crucial move. Hillary's woefully thin claims to foreign policy experience have been debunked in a Chicago paper, but the debunking hasn't caused a ripple in the MSM so far as I can see. I'm betting this will also not register in any important way. BTW, Hilzoy at Obsidian Wings has a great piece on Clinton's claim to have privately urged her husband to intervene in Rwanda. It's well worth reading: http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2008/03/hilary-clinton.html
Re Barney Frank: he did not run an escort service from his home or anywhere else. A live-in boyfriend ran the escort service. Barney denied any knowledge of the man's activities and no one has ever produced any evidence that Barney was involved in any way, knew about it or benefitted from it.
Ambinder's post is either inaccurate or intentionally misleading. The referenced Feb. 11th story says "Carson didn't get back to us for comment" but Ambinder's commentary frames it as "declined comment..." Which is it? (as there is a stark difference)
p.s. I don't appreciate being obligated to defend Hillary Clinton.
Yes vice versa, being pro-Israel and pro-Jewish are one and the same because Israel is the historical homeland of the Jewish people and civilization. Obama used to far more pro-palestinian than he is now - as Ralph Nader likes to point out. Hilary, on the other hand, has always stood with Israel and isn't soft on Iran (you know, the country that smuggles weapons into the gaza strip and wants Israel wiped off the map).
This is just disgusting from the Clinton campaign. How many more horrible, crazy donors does she have? Have we all forgotten Norman Hsu as well?
Oh, come on, what's a few human body parts among friends? It's not like these people are complete ghouls. The real hypocrisy, is Hillary Clinton appearing on Saturday Night Live. One would think SNL would learn after the ill-timed and irresponsible “Branch Dav-idiots” spoof, SNL made during the Waco standoff. Of course, SNL couldn’t know the Clintons would summon Attorney General Janet Reno to the White House the following day, Sunday. As you may recall, the situation ended badly. Perhaps few could grasp the thin-skinned, volatile, and incendiary nature of either Clinton, or the adverse synergy between the two. As for Hillary, “Her experience speaks for itself,” says former U.N. ambassador Richard Holbrooke, who is advising her campaign: http://theseedsof9-11.com
Jesse, for the love of Hashem, stop trying to speak for the Jews. You certainly don't speak for me. 1. You claim Hillary's "pro-Jewish/Israel" stance is beyond question? I have two words for you: Suha Arafat. 2. You suggest that being anti-Israel is being anti-Semitic. Once again, I have two words for you: Neturai Karta. 3. You suggest that being pro-two state solution is being anti-Israel. For that, I refer you to the latest polls of the Israeli citizens, of whom a staunch majority favor a two-state solution. If you think supporting a two state solution is anti-Semitism, boy are you one sheltered Jew. I was on the receiving end of my first anti-Semitic physical attack when I was eleven, and my second when I was fifteen. In between, I was forced out of a supposedly "secular" summer camp for refusing to say a grace to Jesus before meals. My own extended family members (Dad's a ger tzedek, Mom's a Jew from birth) tell me at family gatherings that I'm going to hell because my mother helped kill Jesus. If the worst you've ever had to deal with was somebody suggesting that the Israelis pull out of the West Bank, I envy you your security...but not your smugness nor your naivete. That kind of mischegaas helps nobody, least of all us Jews.
Finally, Jesse...which candidate made shock waves in the black community by calling repeatedly on blacks to abandon the anti-Semitism and homophobia that is alarmingly widespread in the black community? I'll give you a hint: Hillary Clinton couldn't be bothered. Bill Clinton was a friend to Israel and the Jews. Hillary Clinton has done bupkis for the Jewish people. Don't ever confuse the two.
Clinton SHOULD return the money. It's not because Celebi's movie is anti-American garbage or because it portrays Jews as organ harvesters, it's because her hypocrisy on anti-Semitism will remain an issues so long as she has this blood money in her campaign coffers. In the Ohio debate, she refused to relent until Obama both denounced and rejected Farrakhan's unsolicited support on the basis of Farrakhan's past anti-Semitic views. If she made such a big deal about the semantics of opposing anti-Semitism, her opponents and the press will surely make an issue of her filling her campaign coffers from the producer of one of the most virulently anti-Semitic movies of the past decade. Hillary, you're right, ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS. For the good of your campaign, GET RID OF CELEBI'S BLOOD MONEY!
Plooger, you are missing the point of Ambinder's comment. It is not whether or not Clinton got back to the inquirer or denied it. That's silly, petty detail stuff. What IS important here is the fact that Clinton spokesperson Ann Lewis said just recently that they had no knowledge of the situation when in fact they had been contacted OVER ONE MONTH AGO. Can you say "cover-up", and "lying"? I knew you could....
Blood Libel is so 12th Century. For God's sake, I'm Jewish and this is a horrifying insult. HRC's campaign is funded on anti-semitic rhetoric, giving the wink wink to jews with one eye and the nudge nudge to anti-semites with the other. This SHOULD cost her the Jewish vote. And no one tell me I don't know about Jews. I'm 2nd Generation and the daughter of a holocaust survivor. This is repulsive stereotyping and blame. Where is our apology? Why has she not returned the money? She's known about this for ONE MONTH now. And said nothing. No apology is deep enough. It's too late. I implore other Jews to not cast their ballot in her direction. I'll keep my Yiddish outbursts to myself here.
Hilary, on the other hand, has always stood with Israel and isn't soft on Iran (you know, the country that smuggles weapons into the gaza strip and wants Israel wiped off the map). You say that like "countries that want Israel wiped off the map" is an extremely limited grouping. It's a despicable sentiment, but unfortunately I don't think one can prove one's concern for Israel solely on the basis of opposing Iran -- as, embarassingly for the United States, we consider at least one of those anti-Israel countries our "ally." Fact is, I think virtually every mainstream American politician -- Hillary, Barack, and John among them -- is sufficiently supportive of Israel and certainly a friend to Jews.
Hillary Clinton. Ready To Make Excuses for giving back money from people like Mehmet Celebi, but not the friends of Tony Rezko, from DAY ONE! And only because, ONE Month Later, she got caught. Oh she was so hoping to keep the press preoccupied with hit pieces on Obama. And just now, the press realizes it's been duped. They weren't done with her at all. Not at freakin' all. I think I'll just start calling her DoubleStandardHillary from now on.
Maybe if it comes out that Celebi was a CLOSE PERSONAL FRIEND of the Clintons, and that he led them ON A GUIDED TOUR OF HIS FILM SET prior to it's release, the Obama crowd has some cause to complain about a double standard. Maybe if they KNEW CELEBI WAS BEING INVESTIGATED FOR ILLICIT ACTIVITIES at the time of accepting his support, the Clintons would deserve the same criticism as Obama. Perhaps if THEY CONTINUED TO FRATERNIZE WITH HIM after he was under FEDERAL INDICTMENT for his filmmaking investment they could be accused of double standard. However, I doubt that any of these situations will turn out to be true. But all of them ARE TRUE in regard to the Obama/Rezko relationship. Matter of fact Rezko continues to be active in the Obama campaign by providing a decade old SOUVENIER PHOTO of himself with the Clintons to major media outlets.
Since it seems we posters on this thread are all giving our Jewish bonafides, I disclose up front that I grew up in the Southwestern Desert and never met a Jew until maybe college. Other than the holocaust as a historical event, I never knew that anti-semitism still existed until I travele to the East Coast. To wit, I have spoken with many of the actual residents who live there, of all religions and backgrounds. I met with Palestinians in Ramallah and Jericho, dined with Christians in the Armenian quarter, and spent many months in West Jerusalem and Tel Aviv with some very charming people talking about the many issues that confront them. I spoke to every one I could over more than ten trips to Israel. I did not meet many ideologues. Most people simply wanted to get on with their lives and are tired of being bargaining chips for interfering parties across the oceans. I did meet a couple homesteaders, I think called them "settlers," who struck me as your typical religious nutjobs. There is no talking to them, their minds are one with God's, so what's to debate, right? But most people want some sort of compromise or deal that will let them get on with their lives. I think we should help them to do so if asked. But, Arabs in Palestine told me the same thing. They want to get on with their lives as well, but they generally would like to have a country's name to affix to their passport. How can you perpetually deny a rapidly expanding population of more than 3 million people of having a country if they want one? Even if you want to, even if your argument for doing so is sound, I don't think it is a sustainable policy. The moral high ground is going to be harder and harder to maintain. Just think what would happen if the Paleatinians put down their bombs and rockets, and decided to use the tactics of Martin Luther King and Ghandi. If they did that, Israel's case would crumble in a month. Something needs to be done Oh, and to further list my completely irrelevant qualifications to hold these opinions, I participated, as an observer, in some scuba patrols with Israeli commandos. (It was very cool, we went into the smuggler's caves under the Israel/Lebanon border looking for ammo caches.) And I also got to go into the West Bank and rescue some "settlers" who were being shot at by their neighbors who disapproved of their presence. (These were the same nutjobs I mentioned earlier. So, though I think they are nuts to take their families out there, I was willing to put my ass on the line to get them out of there, which certainly entitles me to hold any opinion about the place I damn well please.) I will include more competely irrelevant proof that I love Israel in my next post, whenever that might be.
"Since it seems we posters on this thread are all giving our Jewish bonafides..." I take it that was directed at me. Getting the sh*t kicked out of you isn't a "bonafide", it's an example of real anti-Semitism and I posted it in order to show the stark contrast between real anti-Semitism and Jesse's whiny "a two state solution is anti-Semitism" crud. As for why "Jewish bonafides" matters, it matters to Jesse because he's got a persecution complex--I've met his type before. Any Gentile who disagrees with him will get ignored and accused of bigotry, no matter how reasonable that Gentile's argument is. In no way was I suggesting that in general, Jews automatically have more authority on the subject. In fact, I'd say the opposite is closer to true (Exhibit A: Jesse, Exhibit B: you). You have more knowledge of this subject than me, because you've been to Israel and I haven't yet, and your post was a good one. I was just baffled by why you seemed to call me out, when in fact we're on the same side, and I said as much in my posts. Nor did any of my comments in any way demean your qualifications to hold an opinion.
Tzvia, I never said I was opposed to a two state solution. I'm completely fine with it, I'm even fine with all the west bank settlers going home as long as Jerusalem stays as an undivided part of Israel. Its not really about that issue at all. The issue is when people are dancing in the streets with utter joy in Gaza because of the attack the other day we need a president who will stand up to that and condemn it. I'm sick and tired of these wishy washy politicians equivocating between the attacks the Israeli army makes on militants and the attacks that terrorists make on innocent civilians. There IS a big difference. I want someone with a clear moral compass who doesn't hedge and change his positions over time. Obama recently announced that he wouldn't meet with Hamas under any circumstances because they don't recognize Israel (ok sure good) and yet he's willing to meet with Iran? Its obvious the whole Hamas announcement was blatant pandering.
Rick Beaule', no, I didn't miss the point of the article. I was simply communicating that Ambinder mischaracterized the original article, in that it may "suggest" the Clinton campaign was notified, by the article's mentioning that "Carson didn't get back to us for comment" -- but there is no actual indication that anyone was actually contacted. One could certainly believe that the Clinton campaign was aware of the issue at the time of Lewis' denials, either by inferring something from the original article, or believing that the Clinton campaign would have been made aware of the article, itself, at some point. It's the difference between a smoking gun, and video of the shooting.
I wonder how the US overthrowing the democratically-elected government of Iran in 1953 has affected the current environment. It would certainly seem to have been more influential than a butterfly flapping its wings.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/08/wuspols108.xml Hillary Clinton had no direct role in bringing peace to Northern Ireland and is a "wee bit silly" for exaggerating the part she played, according to Lord Trimble of Lisnagarvey, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and former First Minister of the province. I don’t want to rain on the thing for her but being a cheerleader for something is slightly different from being a principal player." "I helped to bring peace to Northern Ireland," she told CNN on Wednesday. But negotiators from the parties that helped broker the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 told The Daily Telegraph that her role was peripheral and that she played no part in the gruelling political talks over the years. "I remember a meeting that I pulled together in Belfast, in the town hall there, bringing together for the first time Catholics and Protestants from both traditions, having them sitting a room where they had never been before with each other because they don’t go to school together, they don’t live together and it was only in large measure because I really asked them to come that they were there. There is no record of a meeting at Belfast City Hall, though Mrs Clinton attended a ceremony there when her husband turned on the Christmas tree lights in November 1995. Steven King, a negotiator with Lord Trimble’s Ulster Unionist Party, argued that Mrs Clinton might even have helped delay the chances of peace. "She was invited along to some pre-arranged meetings but I don’t think she exactly brought anybody together that hadn’t been brought together already," he said. Mrs Clinton was "a cheerleader for the Irish republican side of the argument", he added. --
Hillary has not returned the $170,000 to IPA, a firm accused of Sexually Harassing Women and ... Saturday Night Live is unfairly trying to skew the Election in favor of Hillary. They know the powerful influence tv has on the sub consciousness of man and they are trying to influence man's consciousness that Barack is not ready and Hillary is. Certain news media put much emphasis on SNL's unfair and biased skits playing it over and over again, like it has some real value on News and more slyly, like it is news, not making the distinction that it is just comedy! They too know what they are doing in trying to influence the election in favor of Hilary. What is this reason for this undue influence? What is their purpose? What do they have to gain? If SNL must do these election skits, then in all fairness, they should try not to be so biased in one candidate over the other.
Imagine if this guy were supporting Obama, how many "questions" Hillary would have about his "judgement" in associating with such a person.
Well, they know how to play the game. Both Hillary and Mac knows the rules of the "game". It's their show. Yes, The Mac and Hillary Show offer us the same "looking back in anger" song Oasis gave us a few years back. But they forgot something - something Obama remembers. The song says "don't look back in anger". What we need is a tomorrow we can define. Not a tomorrow defined by the burdens of yesterday. Being better than yesterday is a pretty loe aim. We want a tomorrow we can build. More on this in my blog at http://angryafrican.wordpress.com/2008/03/06/dont-look-back-in-anger-a-cover-by-the-mac-and-hillary-show/
Hillary is not pro-jewish or pro-israel. She is pro-power and pro say whatever it takes to get votes. Obama is the same way.
Hillary is not pro-jewish or pro-israel. She is pro-power and pro say whatever it takes to get votes. Obama is the same way.
I have never seen so many people talking about something they know absolutely nothing about. How many of you out there that seem to have such strong opinions about this matter have actually seen the movie? The movie, albeit class C in my opinion, was the most viewed movie in the history of Turkey. And Turkey has historically been more supportive of the Jewish community over the centuries then possibly any ohter country. I personally wish that the organ harvester had been Chinese or Russian as US arch-eminies so often are. But the jewish organ donor was one small part in the movie and I could live with that.
Hypotetical question to all: What if every other group held Hollywood execs to the very high standard some of you seem to be holding this guy? What if the Arab Lobby pressured Clinton to denounce supporters of movies that portray Palestainians as terrorists, or Russian Lobby being portrayed as drug trafficers, or Chinese Lobby, or Korean Lobby,... You get the idea?
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Wow, what a monster.
Posted by Jeff Larson | March 9, 2008 1:30 PM