Former '60 Minutes' Star Joins List of Those Alleging Dual Loyalty Re Israel

Former CIA agent Michael Scheuer is not only a smart guy, he's legit. He was on '60 Minutes' three years back talking about the hunt for bin Laden. Well, now Scheuer is out of the closet, on antiwar.com, with accusations of dual loyalty! He angrily describes Commentary's Gabriel Schoenfeld and others as "Israel-firsters," Americans who claim that Israeli and American interests are identical. This is of course, crazy. Well, let Scheuer say it:

The nation-state of Israel is an intolerable burden to the treasury and security of the United States, and Washington's current relationship with Israel – sanctioned by the AIPAC-funded political leaders of both parties – is one of several factors that are leading to full-scale American participation in other peoples' religious wars...

Amen. I keep a little list of journalists who have brought up the dual-loyalty issue in challenging the promotion of Israel's interests in the U.S. They include John Judis and Eric Alterman (and me too!). The ranks are growing. As I've often pointed out, American Jewish anti- and non-Zionists in the first half of the 20th century invariably cited concerns about challenges to their American loyalty as reason to oppose the formation of a Jewish state. Their concerns have now become real, as Israeli conduct and U.S. interests sharply diverge, while American Jewish organizations, on whom Israel has become dependent for support, insist that the nations have a total congruence of interest... More...