Washington Post on Khalidi
Perhaps unsurprising for a member of academia, Mr. Khalidi holds complex views. In an article published this year in the Nation magazine, he scathingly denounced Israeli practices in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and U.S. Middle East policy but also condemned Palestinians for failing to embrace a nonviolent strategy. He said that the two-state solution favored by the Bush administration (and Mr. Obama) was “deeply flawed” but conceded there were also “flaws in the alternatives.” Listening to Mr. Khalidi can be challenging — as Mr. Obama put it in the dinner toast recorded on the 2003 tape and reported by the Times in a detailed account of the event last April, he “offers constant reminders to me of my own blind spots and my own biases.”
It’s fair to question why Mr. Obama felt as comfortable as he apparently did during his Chicago days in the company of men whose views diverge sharply from what the presidential candidate espouses. Our sense is that Mr. Obama is a man of considerable intellectual curiosity who can hear out a smart, if militant, advocate for the Palestinians without compromising his own position. To suggest, as Mr. McCain has, that there is something reprehensible about associating with Mr. Khalidi is itself condemnable — especially during a campaign in which Arab ancestry has been the subject of insults. To further argue that the Times, which obtained the tape from a source in exchange for a promise not to publicly release it, is trying to hide something is simply ludicrous, as Mr. McCain surely knows.
The specifics of the Khalidi case and the sleazy racism of the whole affair aside, there’s something very disturbing to me about the broader implications of the sort of guilt by association tactics that the McCain campaign has used over and over again this year. I expect the merits of my political views to be judged based on my writing and other statements and my actions. Like anyone who’s interested in politics and interested in learning, I have cordial relationships with lots of people who have lots of opinions. And that’s how the world ought to work. It would be a disaster if someone everyone who wanted to operate in mainstream politics had to spend his entire life in a hermetically sealed bubble in which he never meets or talks to anyone with unpopular views on any subject.
For example, on the subject at hand, would it really make sense for a U.S. President to wade into the Israeli-Arab conflict without ever having spoken to an intelligent, articulate defender of the Palestinian side of the argument? Precisely because the United States tries to pull off the difficult trick of both being Israel’s friend and also being a mediator, it seems to me that it’s vitally important our that our leaders really understand different perspectives and be in the habit of listening to a wide range of smart people. Look back at American policies toward the whole region — and especially Iraq, obviously — during 2002-2004 and you see the wages of a policy elite that’s determined to cocoon itself off from any engagement with widely held views.
50 Responses to “Washington Post on Khalidi”
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November 1st, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Listening to someone who disgrees with you just gives credability to their argument. At least that seems to be the modern conservative opinion.
Personally I think the refusal to debate other viewpoints shows how uncomfortable certain people are with their dogma.
November 1st, 2008 at 3:41 pm
That’s just pathetically rational. You should find another line of work.
November 1st, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Hope your argument is influential, and it won’t be the kiss of death for some politician to hang out with a utilitarian moral philosopher (like myself).
November 1st, 2008 at 3:47 pm
I’m really shocked that the U.S. right wing would attempt to smear people for insinuated allegiance with presumed enemies of the State. Surely this is new in the right wing genre of political attacks.
November 1st, 2008 at 3:52 pm
I’ll stipulate that the McCain campaign might have handled Khalidi incorrectly, if MattY will stipulate that it’s curious that BHO – er, I mean the LAT – doesn’t want the tape released for some odd reason. Could it have something to do with the wonderful entertainment that was provided?
Or, perhaps it was because Khalidi of a re-reading of “Obama Friend Khalidi Praised Palestinian Terrorist Behind Munich Olympics Attack”.
Note: that same terrorist was mentioned in the Khalidi book MattY was pimping a couple days ago, complete with his Amazon affiliate code.
November 1st, 2008 at 3:58 pm
It’s fair to question why Mr. Obama felt as comfortable as he apparently did during his Chicago days in the company of men whose views diverge sharply from what the presidential candidate espouses.
This, however, is quite stupid.
November 1st, 2008 at 4:00 pm
And we’ve seen, over the last 8 years, how well NOT talking to people with views different from ours has worked out, haven’t we?
I am, of course, one of those librul academics, and I have to say, over my career, I’ve learned more from the people I have not agreed with than I have from those I have agreed with.
Or as my man J. M. Keynes is reputed to have said, “If someone convinces me I am wrong, I change my mind. What do you do?”
But no one can ever convince me I’m wrong if I only talk with (or read, or…) people I already agree with.
November 1st, 2008 at 4:01 pm
I’ll stipulate that the McCain campaign might have handled Khalidi incorrectly, if MattY will stipulate that it’s curious that BHO – er, I mean the LAT – doesn’t want the tape released for some odd reason.
The only thing that is curious is why you keep coming around here to peddle your transparent lies, shithead. Why don’t you read the LA Times:
November 1st, 2008 at 4:01 pm
This kind of intellectual isolation is the reason the Republicans are getting demolished in this election. They just use the argument from 1980 over and over again.
November 1st, 2008 at 4:03 pm
According to the Post:
It’s fair to question why Mr. Obama felt as comfortable as he apparently did during his Chicago days in the company of men whose views diverge sharply from what the presidential candidate espouses.
To their credit they do come back and suggest this means SEn. Obama is a man of considerable curiosity. But really, please, anyone who can’t do this, and do it regularly, is a person of no intellectual curiosity; that’s a criticism.
November 1st, 2008 at 4:18 pm
I heard that if you don’t like the genocidal neo-European state transplanted into the Middle East, you’re a anti-Semite. Confirm or deny, anti-Semites?
November 1st, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Lincoln is rolling in his grave.
November 1st, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Embracing for a moment the McCain/Palin/GOP view that you’re only supposed to associate with people you agree with, who is more to be condemned for their friendship: Orrin Hatch or Ted Kennedy?
Just wondering if their friendship means that Hatch is a liberal or Kennedy is a right-wing hack.
November 1st, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Clearly this proves — at least to Kelly the delusionist — that the LAT’s source was the OhNoesMexicanGovernment.
November 1st, 2008 at 4:33 pm
McCain does go after Obama on the issues. It just doesn’t get much press. For example, yesterday he hit Obama’s claim that the agriculture industry in the U.S. should be blamed for obesity, type II diabetes, etc.. Then Obama’s campaign tried to explain that wasn’t what Obama really meant.
McCain has also been talking a lot about Obama’s tax plan lately.
Unfortunately, I think the press does a disservice by gravitating toward stories like Palin’s wardrobe, etc.
November 1st, 2008 at 4:39 pm
#8: Great to see that the main TP site is helping MattY out by sending some of their brightest commenters here, the ones who’ve completely mastered crayons and who are now ready for the keyboard.
However, considering that the LAT has engaged in a long-term cover-up for political reasons, it’s a bit difficult to believe what they say. (See also the recent JohnEdwards episode for another cover-up).
November 1st, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Matt has repeated blogged about Alaska being a weird state. Many Americans also may think it is weird to go to an unrepentant terrorist’s house for a political coffee event.
Regarding Khalidi, I’m not sure associating with him is a problem, but people are interested in the LA Times tape to see what Obama himself have said.
November 1st, 2008 at 4:46 pm
8: Great to see that the main TP site is helping MattY out by sending some of their brightest commenters here, the ones who’ve completely mastered crayons and who are now ready for the keyboard.
Great to see you still acting like a stupid shithead after I exposed your pathetic lie.
November 1st, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Yeah, it is weird that someone would eagerly accept the support of a terrorist. Weirder still one whose criminal actions landed him in federal prison and who has, in the past decade or so, advocated murdering federal agents – even going so far as to provide advice on how to be sure to actually kill them.
I’m sure VA Voter, last night’s paid operative under the slightly different name Virginia Voter, is pretty unhappy with McCain for having taken G. Gordon Liddy’s money and calling him an “old friend”. He’s just too embarrassed to mention McCain’s terrorist pal by name.
November 1st, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Many Americans also may think it is weird to go to an unrepentant terrorist’s house for a political coffee event.
As they think it strange for a VP nominee to have belonged to a secessionist group.
As they think it strange for a Presidential nominee to have his 70th birthday on a gangster’s yacht.
Lots of directly “strange” behavior on the GOP ledger. No need to imagine the 3 cushion shots of Obama.
November 1st, 2008 at 5:15 pm
I think it’s really bizarre that one of our major party’s vice-presidential candidates, Sarah Palin, pals around with anti-American secessionists, sends them messages of praise and effusive welcome, and apparently thinks we’d be better off if we started breaking up the Union.
It sure is strange what Republicans put up with these days, including a Presidential candidate who tried to keep bank regulators from doing their job and thus helping destroy an entire sector of our financial system — thanks John McCain, we didn’t need that $250 billion of taxpayer money anyway.
November 1st, 2008 at 5:22 pm
The McCain people want to play guilt by association? As John Cleese said on Keith Olbermann’s show last night, McCain spent an awful lot of time in the 60s and 70s palling around with known communists in Vietnam. How’s that for guilt by association?
November 1st, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Sounds like. . .
(beat)
A conspiracy!
Better get on this, LoneWacko. The new world orders going to round up your guns – and the only thing that can stop them is a 10,000 word essay on a blog no one reads.
November 1st, 2008 at 6:46 pm
It’s not exactly a ringing endorsement of political discourse in the US that this is considered “complex” rather than common sense.
November 1st, 2008 at 7:04 pm
I look forward to Matthew running for office 20 years hence and his Republican opponent digging up/quoting my posts here.
And Richard’s.
$20 says SLC will be the snitch.
November 1st, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Seriously now, if MattY wrote better posts dumb commenters, like #18 above, would be intimidated and wouldn’t bother. And, that would save me time, since I wouldn’t have to point out that #18 didn’t expose a “lie”. The LAT says one thing, and based on their history I don’t believe them. Since I’m familiar with their past history of covering things up, distrusting their explanation is greatly warranted.
November 1st, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Seriously, if http://www.idiot.whacko.moron.com ever contributed a post that wasn’t stupid and/or racist it would be totally empty.
November 2nd, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Having watched the American involvement in the I/P process from Canada over the past years, it seems incomprehensible how little of the desperate Palestinian plight appears to be taken into account by the US as opposed to the unconditional support of Israel. Surely an authoritative Palestinian voice would be of great benefit in considering factors underlying a realistic peace agreement.
The obvious impediment to the publicizing of the horror of the Palestinian circumstances has been AIPAC. One reads that AIPAC represents the views of about 20% of American Jews who in turn represent 1.7% of the US population – if my poor math is accurate, AIPAC advances the views of 0.34% of American Jews. It is astounding that this nefarious organization can wield so much influence with such a small constituency.
Apart from exercising undue influence over congressmen and senators in absolute support of Israel, AIPAC has been the prime mover in stifling the voices of influential critics of Israeli policies – Professors Finkelstein, Walt, Mearshimer, etc., etc. If these voices had been heard and given wide circulation, there is no question in my mind the the American public would have a completely different and more sympathetic view of the Palestinians.
When will the American public say enough is enough ?
November 2nd, 2008 at 1:13 pm
So the mainstream media not publicizing the stories that ran in the National Enquirer about John Edwards’ affair is a sign of a coverup, but the mainstream media not publicizing the rumors about Sarah Palin’s affair that ran in the National Enquirer is right and moral?
November 2nd, 2008 at 5:02 pm
The LAT says one thing, and based on their history I don’t believe them.
The LA Times offered a perfectly reasonable explanation but but don’t believe it because you are a whack job. The LA Times is the paper that broke the story, but you think they are covering something up. The LA Times promised its source that it would not release the tape, but you think they should release it anyway because your tinfoil mind is busy concocting all sorts of damning things that might have been said. But you have absolutely no evidence that anything damning was said or that the LA Times is not being perefectly straightforward in its explanation for why it won’t release the tape.
Go away you stupid shithead.
November 2nd, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Thanks
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