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Jim Moran
The Aipac - Moran Face Off
Rep. Jim Moran is still feeling the heat after saying that Aipac pushed America to war in Iraq.
First it was the Jewish lawmakers’ letter denouncing him, then came the rebuke from the Democratic leadership.
Finally, Moran heard it from Aipac directly. The Washington Post reports that six Aipac members from Moran’s district met with the congressman last week and told him exactly what they think about his remarks.
More Trouble for Moran
Virginia Democrat Jim Moran is still under fire after blaming Aipac for the war in Iraq.
First it was a group of Jewish lawmakers from his own party that slammed Moran, and now it is the Speaker herself.
In a statement released Thursday Pelosi said: “I disagree with and reject Congressman Moran’s characterization of AIPAC. AIPAC did not lead us into this disastrous war in Iraq. President Bush and Vice President Cheney did.”
Jim Moran Called Out By Jewish Members of Congress
Rep. Jim Moran, Democrat from Virginia, received a sharply-worded rebuke from 16 of his Jewish colleagues yesterday for laying the blame for the Iraq War at the feet of Aipac.
“The idea that the war in Iraq began because of the influence of Jewish Americans is factually incorrect and unfortunately fits the anti-Semitic stereotypes some have used historically against Jews,” wrote the Jewish pols.
Moran has come under fire for remarks in the latest issue of Tikkun magazine, in which he said that Aipac “pushed the war from the beginning.” The controversy is a milder redux of one in 2003, when Moran said that the U.S. wouldn’t be in Iraq “if it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community,” and was booted from a leadership position by Nancy Pelosi.
Given Moran’s history of loose-canon remarks, it isn’t too surprising that he hasn’t backed down (“I regret any efforts to misconstrue my position and longstanding support for Israel,” he told the Politico).
What is perhaps surprising is that there are a bunch of Jewish reps who aren’t on the letter.
For the signatories, see the jump:
Jewish Dems Forced To Call Out One of Their Own
Jewish Democrats rushed to call out one of their own on Friday, after Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia – who has raised hackles with previous comments about the “Israel lobby” – went at it again in the latest issue of Tikkun.
In the September/October 2007 issue of the magazine, Moran is quoted as having said that “… AIPAC is the most powerful lobby and has pushed this war from the beginning … because they are so well organized, and their members are extraordinarily powerful – most of them are quite wealthy – they have been able to exert power.”
It’s not the firt time Moran has been a loose cannon: Prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq he told an antiwar audience in Reston, Virginia that “If it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq, we would not be doing this. The leaders of the Jewish community are influential enough that they could change the direction of where this is going, and I think they should.” Then, as now, the National Jewish Democratic Council led the charge against his comments, and were then joined by Democratic leaders including then-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi.
This time around, it will be interesting to see if Moran draws fire from any of the Democratic presidential candidates.
If you’re interested in a succinct rebuttal to Walt, Mearsheimer and Moran, check out NJDC Executive Director Ira Forman in the Jewish Week.
