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A message for the conspiracy theorists

Friday, 10th October 2008

From Jeffrey Goldberg:

I can't tell you how many e-mails I've received in the past two weeks that attempt to revive all of the absurd fears about Barack Obama... When conspiracy-theorists direct their malevolent energies at Jews, I usually try to ignore the particulars of their arguments, simply to avoid crediting them in any way. So let me do the opposite: Instead of debunking, I'll bunk: Barack Obama has called Israel America's strongest ally in the Middle East; he wants to stop Iran from getting the bomb; he is a stalwart enemy of Hamas and Hezbollah; he is the darling of Chicago Jewry; he is the protege of Sen. Dick Durbin, whose election was aided immeasurably by AIPAC; he himself is close to AIPAC; his advisers include Dennis Ross, Jim Steinberg and Richard Clarke; and on and on and on.

So, all you rumour-mongering, fever-headed Jewish conspiracists: Support McCain, if you want, and there are credible reasons for doing so, but stop smearing Obama in the face of overwhelming evidence that the man is a great friend of Jews and of Israel. After a point, it becomes obvious that what you fear is not Israel's destruction, but the presence of an African-American in the White House. And that's disgusting.

One caveat: it's not just about racism. Let's not underestimate the sheer pleasure of hunting witches.