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12 September 2012 By
Franklin Lamb As
a former law professor
President Obama knows something about international
law and US constitutional law which he taught at the
University of Chicago. But he besmirched his academic
bona fides, violated Democratic Party rules and hurt
his campaign on 12/5/12 by ordering the Democratic
Party to summarily change earlier a twice debated and
unanimously adopted plank of the Democratic Platform
on the subject of the status of Jerusalem. The
reason this observer even took the time to read the
26,56l word, 37 page 2012 Democratic Party Platform
which guides every Democratic candidate for both
Houses of Congress and the party's Presidential
candidate, and to a lesser degree, thousands of
Democratic Party candidates across the USA is, well,
nostalgia. And I
read every word from my preferred relaxation spot
which is on the top of my fine new14 story Waad
apartment building in the Hezbollah security zone of
Dahiyeh, South Beirut. The high-rise was rebuilt,
(Israel bombed it and 251 other residential buildings
during the July 2006 33-day aggression, reducing it to
rubble and dust with two US gifted MK-83 1000 lb.
bombs) and my perch has a wonderful view of the
mountains to the east and the Mediterranean to the
west. As I studied the platform, among my ducks and
chickens that I raise on the roof, I couldn't help
thinking of my own experience, now more than a quarter
century ago from my time representing Oregon as
Democratic National Committeeman under Jimmy Carter
and being a member of the 1980 DNC Platform Committee
while working in Washington on Ted Kennedy's issues
staff as he tried to wrest our party's nomination from
our incumbent President. It was not easy for the
Kennedy campaign to do and as history records our
campaign petered out. But not before and not too
unlike what occurred this week, a Middle East issue
caused some sparks over whether to recognize the PLO
and support calls for a State of Palestine in the 1980
Platform. The
decision made by the DNC Platform committee this year
cut the 2004 and 2008 Platform sentence "Jerusalem
is and will remain the capital of Israel" and was
the result of several months of work by the platform
committee analyzing written submissions, receiving
oral presentations, and participating in discussions
and debate sessions around the country. To the party's
credit, removing the earlier language reflected
international law, both UN Resolution and
international customary law based on the overwhelming
consensus of more than 188 member countries of the
United Nations with very few exceptions being Israel.
All of which assert that the status of Jerusalem,
whether it's to be the capital of Palestine, Israel,
both or internationalized, is to be left to final
status negotiations between the native Palestinians
and their colonial occupiers. Nor did the expunged
language reflect Obama's personal views.
Following reports that the Romney campaign was going
to run ads asking where is God and support for Israel
in the Democrats platform, Obama hastily and
ill-advisedly, in this observers view, ordered the
Platform Committee to restore the language of both.
At the same time, the American Israeli Public Affairs
Committee, the nation's most powerful pro-Israel
lobbying group, which had urged including language
about Jerusalem's status as the Israeli capital in
written testimony to the platform drafting committee,
made clear that they were troubled by the omission of
their favor Jerusalem language. As
required by Democratic Party rules, the language
change needs to be approved by a 2/3 floor vote called
by Platform Committee Chairman, Los Angeles Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa. He did put the vote at the
beginning of the 9/5/12 Convention session. However
since video/audio reports, including C-Span, make
plain the delegates voted roughly 50/50, well shy of
required 2/3's , Villaraigosa called for a second and
then a third vote which produced the same result. Each
time there was a cacophony of "No's'! from the
assembled delegates which were ignored. Mayor
Villaraigosa violated Party rules again when he
rejected motions for a roll-call vote and repeated
‘points of order" from the floor. He then falsely
announced that 2/3's had agreed to the language
change. He then abruptly walked off the podium thereby
profoundly disrespecting the party stalwarts who
support it with their hard work and organizational
skills. The stunned stare on Villaraigosa's face
suggested how deep in denial the Democratic Party has
been about the anti-Zionist and pro-Palestinian
sentiment growing among the party rank and file. The
widely claimed bipartisan support for the Zionist
occupation of Palestine is receding. The
Party now faces the prospect of a full convention vote
on the issue or a court challenge if delegates choose
not to let Obama's betrayal stand. The
reason the 2012 Platform Committee Members changed the
former language is that the old position was ludicrous
according to expert testimony presented at the
Platform hearings, does not reflect US policy as
reiterated on 9/6/12 by State Department spokesman
Patrick Ventrell, and because this year's platform
reflected, to a modest degree at least, the overdue
and increasing political power of Arab and Muslim
Americans who, often as small business people have
largely heretofore considered themselves Republicans.
But more are becoming active in the Democratic Party.
These new party activists are informed about the issue
of Palestine and take the status of Jerusalem
seriously. Either
way the Romney campaign was sure to claim, as they are
doing right now that: "Mr. Obama has refused to state
his position on Jerusalem and Israel." Andrea Saul, a
Romney spokeswoman, is telling the media: "Now is the
time for President Obama to state in unequivocal terms
whether or not he believes Jerusalem is Israel's
capital." Obama
erred politically and humiliated himself and his
partly needlessly with his sell-out in Charlotte. He
gained nothing in the way of Zionist support because
the lobby has made clear form Tel Aviv to New York
that it will never trust him on Israel as they
increasingly coalesce around the Romney-Ryan ticket. The
whole spectacle also damaged the Democratic Party
which since the 1960's has championed voter's rights.
Bill Clinton touted this important legacy in his
speech. He also focused on the Republicans' disrespect
for voter's rights: "If you want every American to
vote and you think it's wrong to change voting
procedures just to reduce the turnout of younger,
poorer, minority and disabled voters, you should
support Barack Obama." One
wonders what the delegates were thinking having just
experience disrespect for voting rights within their
own party. Tom
Hayden once described the difference between the
Republican and Democratic parties as the difference
between Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola. The
same applies to both parties Platform language on
Palestine. The Washington Report on Middle East
Affairs illustrates the differences if the reader can
find them: GOP:
The U.S. and Israel "speak the same language of
freedom and justice" DEMS:
The U.S. and Israel "share common values" GOP:
"The security of Israel is in the vital national
security interest of the United States" DEMS:
"A strong and secure Israel is vital to the
United States" GOP:
"Ensure that [Israel] maintains a qualitative edge in
military technology" DEMS:
"Ensure Israel's qualitative military edge"
GOP:
"We envision two democratic states" DEMS:
"Seek peace between Israelis and
Palestinians….producing two states for two peoples"
GOP:
"Palestinian people must support leaders who reject
terror, embrace the institutions and ethos of
democracy, and respect the rule of law." DEMS:
Palestinians must "recognize Israel's right to exist,
reject violence, and adhere to existing agreements" GOP:
"We call on the new government in Egypt to fully
uphold its peace treaty with Israel" DEMS:
"We will continue to support Israel's peace treaties
with Egypt and Jordan" GOP:
"We call on Arab governments throughout the region to
help advance [the] goal [of peace]" DEMS:
"President Obama will continue to press Arab states to
reach out to Israel" GOP:
"We support Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state
with secure, defensible borders; and we envision two
democratic states—Israel with Jerusalem as its capital
and Palestine—living in peace and security"
Dems:
"Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of
Israel…The parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a
matter for final status negotiations. It should remain
an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths"
Neither the Republican nor the Democratic Platforms
make any reference to Israeli settlements, increasing
violence carried out by Israeli government and
settlers or provides even a faint hint of any Israeli
wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, AIPAC released a statement on 9/6/12: "We
welcome reinstatement to the Democratic platform of
the language reaffirming Jerusalem as Israel's
capital. One imagines that Obama's nemeses, Israel's
Prime Minister Netanyahu is chortling.
Franklin Lamb is doing research in Lebanon and can be
reached c/o
fplamb@gmail.com |
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