[Peace-discuss] WSJ: Hagel fight all about Schumer, Gillibrand, and New York Jews

[Carl G. Estabrook]

Think Hagel represents meaningful change for US foreign policy? Think again.

by Adam Horowitz and Alex Kane on January 11, 2013 17

The nomination of Chuck Hagel is being celebrated in some circles (including here on this site) as a strike against war with Iran and a colossal failure for the Israel lobby. But even assuming he's confirmed, there is very little evidence that Hagel will do much to shift an administration that has continued to press AIPAC-inspired pressure on Iran and maintains a foreign policy slanted heavily in favor of Israel and its interests.
On Wednesday Phil Weiss began a post celebrating the Hagel annoncement saying, "When Obama nominated Chuck Hagel Monday, I was jubilant for one reason: The military option is off the table, we will not attack Iran." That same day the Associated Press ran a story saying that Hagel was working to reassure Pentagon officials that in fact the opposite was true:

President Barack Obama's pick for defense secretary, Chuck Hagel, is meeting with senior Pentagon staff to try to set the record straight about his stand on Iran, saying he backs strong international sanctions against Tehran and believes all options, including military action, should be on the table, defense officials said Wednesday.

Of course, this may just be politicking. While it is conjecture at this point to know whether Hagel would support an attack or not, his line parrots that of the administration which continues to insist the military option is on the table. There is some daylight when it comes to sanctions, and to his credit Hagel does not support the draconian sanctions regime being supported and strengthened by the Obama administration. Although sanctions are commonly thought of as an alternative to war, here is what Obama administration policy means on the ground.

Associated Press:

For the first time in more than a decade, the black market pharmaceutical peddlers are back on Nasser Khosrow Street near Tehran's main bazaar.

"Medicine, medicine," the street dealers shout. "Any kind you want."

Business is brisk. For many Iranians, such underground channels are now the only way to get needed — or even life-saving — drugs as Western sanctions over the country's nuclear program have indirectly limited normal supplies to hospitals and pharmacies. . .

Scenes of overcrowded state hospitals are now common across Iran after fees for private health care have nearly doubled in recent months. The costs in state-run facilities are far cheaper, but that also comes with shortages and long waits.

"Sometimes we don't even have serum for dehydrated patients, said a young doctor, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was worried that comments to the media could jeopardize his job at a state-run hospital.

The prices for other items have soared in recent months: radiology film up 240 percent; helium gas for MRIs up 667 percent; filters for kidney dialysis up 325 percent. The cost of one round of chemotherapy for cancer has reached 200 million rials, or $65,000, from 800 million rials, or $25,000, last year.

The independent Hamshari daily quoted a father — who was not named in the article — as saying his child died because he couldn't afford the higher price of an artificial heart valve.

At a major pharmacy in Tehran, a 53-year-old father slumped over — his head in his hands — as he looked at the prices for medicine for his teenage daughter, who is suffering from stomach cancer.

How can I afford buying medicine as prices have doubled over a week?" said Hooshang, who gave only his first name.

And Antiwar.com:

The board of directors of the Iranian Hemophilia Society recently informed the World Federation of Hemophilia that the lives of tens of thousands of children are being endangered by the lack of proper drugs caused by international economic sanctions. According to the Society, while the export of drugs to Iran has not been  banned, the sanctions imposed on the Central Bank of Iran and the country’s other financial institutions have severely disrupted the purchase and transfer of medical goods. Describing itself as a nonpolitical organization that has been active for 45 years, the Society condemned the “inhumane and immoral” U.S. and EU sanctions and appealed to international organizations for help.

Tens of thousands of Iranian boys and men have hemophilia and need certain drugs that must be imported. Many of them need surgery for a variety of reasons, but in the absence of proper drugs for their hemophilia, the surgeries cannot be performed. In fact, several reports from Iran indicate that all surgeries for all hemophiliac patients have been canceled.

But the problem is not restricted to hemophiliacs. Reports indicate that advanced drugs for a variety of cancers (particularly leukemia), heart diseases, lung problems, multiple sclerosis, and thalassemia cannot be imported, endangering the lives of tens of thousands of people. There are about 37,000 Iranians with multiple sclerosis, a debilitating disease that can be controlled only with advanced medications; without them, the patients will die. And given that, even under the best medical conditions,40,000 Iranians lose their lives to cancer every year, and that it has been predicted by many experts that Iran will have a “cancer tsunami” by 2015, because every year 70,000–80,000 new cases of cancer are identified in Iran, the gravity of the situation becomes even more glaring. 
While a military attack may be on the back burner for now, it seems the pain is already being felt in Iran. While some view Hagel's nomination as a sign AIPAC's power has been diminished, it should be remembered that Obama's sanctions are the current centerpiece of the organization's lobbying efforts. Hagel may not have been the lobby's choice for Secretary of Defense, but its agenda moves forward regardless.

Similarly, Hagel has been busy making his position on Israel clear -- and it's nothing to be excited about. Hagel gave an interview with his hometown newspaper in which he said that his record demonstrates “unequivocal, total support for Israel.” He also added that there is “not one shred of evidence that I'm anti-Israeli, not one (Senate) vote that matters that hurt Israel.”

Hagel is speaking the truth, perhaps to the chagrin of those hoping against hope that his appointment would demonstrate a real break from the Obama administration’s deference to Israel. At every chance he had, Hagel voted in favor of providing billions of dollars in military aid to Israel. The neoconservative attacks against Hagel have been prompted by views of his that have at times struck out from the mainstream consensus on Israel in Washington, but the overall thrust of Hagel’s voting record makes clear he is a strong supporter of Israel. 

Hagel’s protestations that he is indeed pro-Israel dovetails with what administration officials told BuzzFeed earlier this week. The publication reported that, as part of the “selling” of Hagel, they circulated “talking points prepared by Hagel staffers pushing back on attacks that he isn’t committed to Israel.”

One of the talking points was that Hagel “has said that Israel’s identity as a Jewish state must be protected as a part of any peace deal.” That talking point, BuzzFeed reported, was being pushed as part of “the administration’s outreach to pro-Israel groups.” The demand to recognize Israel as a Jewish state has long been rejected by Palestinians, since it ignores the Palestinian citizens of Israel and refugees dispersed throughout the world. 

The talking point that Hagel strongly believes in Israel’s Jewish character comes from a book in which he wrote: “A comprehensive solution [to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict] should not include any compromise regarding Israel’s Jewish identity, which must be assured.”

The fact that Hagel is considered a controversial pick for the position is a clear reflection of the constrained nature of American discourse on Israel and U.S. policy in the region. Hagel represents a slight deviation from Washington orthodoxy, and while these shades of gray mean something in beltway power politics, the difference on the ground is close to meaningless. 

So if you were expecting a real debate over Israel and Iran, you might want to think again. Rather, outside of a slight disagreement over sanctions, Hagel appears to be a status quo pick for a President who may not be looking to rush to war, but isn't looking to alter U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East either.


On Jan 12, 2013, at 7:40 AM, Robert Naiman <naiman at justforeignpolicy.org> wrote:

> 
> This isn't the first article like this. This suggests that the fight is substantially coming down to New York and who speaks for Jews in New York on these issues: the Jewish Right, or the Jewish liberal/left? I wonder to what degree the Jewish left in New York will intervene to help defeat the Jewish right, and what degree they will sit on their hands and watch the Jewish Right defeat the Jewish liberals and say it doesn't matter. The latter dynamics have certainly happened before.
> 
> Updated January 11, 2013, 7:48 p.m. ET
> Democrat's Stance Key to Hagel's Fate
> By ANDREW GROSSMAN
> 
> WASHINGTON—Chuck Hagel's uncertain path to the position of defense secretary is turning in large measure on the stance of one senator, New York's Chuck Schumer, whose opinion is likely to influence a group of fellow Democrats who, like him, have remained uncommitted.
> 
> 
> The approval of Sen. Chuck Schumer will likely be crucial to the confirmation hopes of Chuck Hagel, the president's nominee for defense secretary. Andrew Grossman joins The News Hub to look at the Democratic response to Hagel's nomination. Photo: Getty Images.
> 
> Mr. Hagel, a Republican and a former senator, faces opposition from many in his own party who see him as insufficiently supportive of Israel and too skeptical of using military force to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear capabilities.
> 
> That puts more pressure on Democrats, who control the chamber, to deliver their president his nominee. But a group of Democratic senators remains publicly uncommitted amid some of the same concerns on Israel and Iran cited by Republicans.
> 
> That suggests the confirmation hearings and the personal meetings with Mr. Hagel that will likely take place later this month could be decisive. Mr. Hagel, of Nebraska, has already begun calling senators who will play a role in the confirmation process.
> 
> Looming large over the coming discussions is Mr. Schumer, the third-ranking Democrat in the chamber and one of the most prominent senators for whom strong American support for Israel is a key issue.
> 
> 
> 
> Associated Press
> Mr. Schumer hasn't endorsed Mr. Hagel as defense secretary.
> 
> Earlier
> 
> 	• Hagel, Obama Forged Bond Over Iraq1/10/2013
> It would be hard for Mr. Schumer, who is generally loyal to his party, to oppose Mr. Hagel. But the senator has won strong support among constituents and donors for being an advocate for Israel, and he has so far declined to endorse Mr. Hagel's nomination, saying only that he needs to study his former colleague's record and question him about it.
> 
> In private, Mr. Schumer has told Jewish leaders in New York he has serious concerns with the nomination, according to people familiar with the conversations.
> 
> "He is the No. 3 Democrat in the Democratic hierarchy, and the Jewish community is outraged by the Hagel nomination," said former New York City Mayor Ed Koch. "I think he should speak out more forcefully, publicly."
> 
> Some Israel advocacy groups, such as the right-leaning Emergency Committee for Israel, have opposed the nomination. Others, such as the much larger American Israel Public Affairs Committee, haven't taken a stance. The group J Street, which has backed policies opposed by Israel's conservative government, supports Mr. Hagel's nomination. Sen. Carl Levin (D., Mich.), who is Jewish and the Armed Services Committee chairman, has called Mr. Hagel "well qualified."
> 
> Politics Counts
> 
> 
> 
> The White House declined to comment. A spokesman for Mr. Schumer declined to make him available for an interview. In a Wall Street Journal interview this past week, Mr. Schumer said it was "too early to tell" whether Mr. Hagel would be confirmed.
> 
> "They know each other. I think they personally respect each other," said Sen. Jack Reed (D., R.I.), an Armed Service Committee member who supports Mr. Hagel's nomination. "So this is going to be a discussion between the two of them that will lead ultimately to the confidence that he will make a superb secretary of defense."
> 
> While nominees who draw opposition sometimes withdraw from consideration, rejection of a presidential nominee for a cabinet post is rare. The Senate has rejected cabinet nominees only twice since the end of World War II, according to the Senate Historical Office. John Tower, George H.W. Bush's nominee for defense secretary, in 1989; and Lewis Strauss, Dwight Eisenhower's nominee for commerce secretary, in 1959.
> 
> In talking with Mr. Hagel, Mr. Schumer will likely seek to address concerns from organizations such as the American Jewish Committee, a nonpartisan group that hasn't taken a stance on Mr. Hagel's nomination. but has raised issues with the pick.
> 
> Among other things, the group wants to make sure Mr. Hagel wouldn't rule out military intervention aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and won't call for direct negotiations between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian group that controls the Gaza Strip.
> 
> Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, another New York Democrat, could also present a challenge for Mr. Hagel. Because she sits on the Armed Services Committee, she will have a chance to question him publicly and vote on whether to move his nomination to the full Senate. After Mr. Hagel's nomination Monday, Mrs. Gillibrand specifically questioned his record on Iran policy.
> 
> If anything, Ms. Gillibrand's moves will be watched more closely by Israel supporters in New York City and its suburbs than will Mr. Schumer's. While Mr. Schumer is a Jewish Brooklynite who has been vocal on Israel for decades, Mrs. Gillibrand is a Catholic from upstate New York and a relative newcomer to the Senate, having arrived in 2009.
> 
> Write to Andrew Grossman at andrew.grossman at wsj.com
> 
> A version of this article appeared January 12, 2013, on page A4 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Democrat's Stance Key to Hagel's Fate.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Robert Naiman
> Policy Director
> Just Foreign Policy
> www.justforeignpolicy.org
> naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
> 
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