| April
17 , 2006
Jim Abourezk on Bush's "Unparalleled
Mendacity" and the "Complete Sell Out" of the Democrats
An Interview with
the First Arab-American Senator
By KEVIN ZEESE
James
George Abourezk (born February 24, 1931) was a Democratic United
States Representative and United States Senator, and was the first
Arab-American to serve in the Senate. He represented South Dakota
in the U.S. Senate from 1973 until 1979. Abourezk is of Lebanese
descent, and was born in Wood, South Dakota and lived in South Dakota
most of his life. He served in the United States Navy during the
Korean War. He has degrees in engineering and law. As a senator,
Abourezk earned a reputation as a maverick who questioned the political
status quo. In 1980, he founded the American-Arab Anti Discrimination
Committee, a grassroots civil rights organization committed empowering
Arab-Americans and encouraging a balanced U.S. foreign policy in
the Middle East. In 1989, he wrote Advise and Dissent: Memoirs of
South Dakota and the U.S. Senate and he is the co-author of "Through
Different Eyes: Two Leading Americans - a Jew and an Arab - Debate
U. S. Policy in the Middle East." Abourezk now works as a lawyer
and writer in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Kevin
Zeese: Regarding Iraq, this is an unusual war as it seems to be
the war nobody wants except for the president and the leaders of
the two major parties. Eight of 10 Iraqi's want us to leave, 72%
of US soldiers say get out within a year, two-thirds of Americans
say the war is a mistake, the foreign policy leadership of the United
States -- former military leaders, national security officials,
foreign service officers and intelligence officials -- say the war
was a mistake. Who do you agree with President Bush or those opposed
to the occupation? With all this opposition why are we in Iraq?
Do you think the United States should get out? If so, how?
James
Abourezk: I am opposed to the war in Iraq, and have been opposed
since the beginning. In September, 2002, I traveled to Iraq with
the express purpose of convincing the Iraqis to allow the weapons
inspectors back into the country (Clinton kicked them out in 1998
so he could bomb Iraq). I told the Iraq government that George Bush
was bound to invade, that I was opposed to such an invasion, and
that in order to remove Bush's excuses, they should immediately
allow the inspectors back in. The Iraqis did so, the day after my
request. But during my discussions with Tariq Aziz, the told the
that he felt they were “doomed if they do, and doomed if they
don't.” He said that the first group of inspectors, whom he
believed were spies, wanted access to the palaces. They resisted,
but finally agreed to do so, and they brought with them GPS systems,
he thought, for targeting purposes. In any event, they were very
upset about the outcome. And, his prediction that they were doomed
if they did proved to be correct. George W. Bush wanted to invade
no matter what. In fact, I just saw a film clip on television in
which George W. Bush was saying that Saddam was not disarming, so
we were going in to disarm him.
The
mendacity of Bush and his people is unparalleled in our history.
KZ:.
You've written and spoken on U.S. policy in the Middle East. What
would be your recommendations for changes in U.S. policy toward
that region of the world?
JA:
The central problem is the illegal occupation of the Palestinians
by the Israel's army. The occupation is the driving force behind
all of the violence in Israel and the Occupied Territories. The
Palestinians are resisting, as most people under occupation would
do.
To
stop the occupation, one must put an end to the incentives provided
to Israel that keep them occupying. Those incentives are the financial
and political support provided to that occupation by the United
States Congress and president, and the radical Zionists throughout
the country. When American taxpayers' money stops flowing to Israel,
Israel will stop the occupation and pull back inside the 1967 borders,
which will put an end to the conflict there. I am realistic enough
to know that, because the Congress is pretty much reliant on money
from radical Zionists, stopping the flow of American taxpayers'
money to Israel will not come soon. But the sooner it does end,
the sooner the violence will stop.
KZ:
As the founder of the American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee
you must be concerned with the rising anti-Arab views in the United
States. What can be done to stem the increased prejudice and create
an environment that allows for better relations between Arabs and
other Americans?
JA:
Racism against people of Arab descent is getting worse, the fires
of which are being fanned by the President and by Congress and the
media. We continually hear about “radical Islamists”
performing acts of terrorism, but did we ever hear Adolf Hitler
called a “Christian terrorist,” or a “Christian
Dictator?” Or did anyone ever refer to Timothy McVeigh as
a “Christian terrorist?”
The
rhetoric of George W. Bush has fanned the flames of Anti-Arab and
Anti-Muslim hatred by lumping all Arabs together as terrorists.
But he hoisted himself on his own petard which resulted in aborting
the Dubai Ports deal. When he finally said, “these Arabs are
OK” no one believed him because he had been so anti-Arab up
to the point.
When
anti-black racism was toned down, it was done so by the national
political leadership, the media, and regular citizens denouncing
those who talked racist talk. That's not happening with respect
to Anti-Arab and Anti-Muslim racism, so it goes on and on, with
American people being frightened to death with the word, “Arab,”
or “Muslim.” When opinion leaders begin to lead in the
right direction, that is when the racial hatred will come to an
end.
KZ:
Concerns over Arab and Muslim-based terrorism is at high levels.
How do you see that threat? What would you recommend to combat it?
JA:
Terrorism does not exist in a vacuum. It does not come from thin
air. It is a result of people who believe that their lives cannot
be improved by occupation and that there is nothing left for them
to do except to commit acts of terrorism. Professor Robert Pape
has written a book, “Dying to Win,” in which he displays
the results of his study of suicide bombing. It is driven, not by
religion, but by the presence of occupation troops in their lands.
The
original terrorist groups in the Middle East were the Jewish terrorist
groups, principally the Irgun and the Stern Gang. Interesting, the
leaders of those groups, Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir, were
elected as Prime Ministers of Israel. That proves that it all depends
on who the terrorists are if we are to approve or disapprove of
terrorism. Further, the U.S. government designates resistance fighters
– such as Hizbollah and Hamas – in the Middle East as
terrorists if Israel asks us to do so. That makes it easier to propagandize
against the resistance when they are labeled as such. In the Arab
world such groups are seen as freedom fighters, resisting an illegal
occupation.
Similarly,
the insurgents in Iraq are driven by the presence of the American
occupation there. The talk about foreign fighters constituting the
bulk of the insurgency is a flat out lie. Even the U.S. Army has
said that foreign fighters comprise no more than 4 or 5% of the
insurgency.
To
put an end to terrorism, one must put an end to illegal occupations.
KZ:
How do you view your old place of employment, the U.S. Senate, is
it responding to the needs of the American people? If not, why not?
JA:
It is not. There are only three or so U.S. Senators who are really
performing the job as Senators – Ted Kennedy, Russell Feingold
and Bob Byrd. Occasionally we hear good things coming from Richard
Durbin, but beyond those, there is nothing but ditto to whatever
the Bush Administration wants. It is shameful watching so called
leading Democrats supporting Bush in the Iraq War, or moving themselves
so far to the center that they tilt rightward. There is a complete
sell out to the corporations and to the Bush Administration, which
is why the Democrats can get no traction nationally. The public
can smell a sell out. As comedian Jackie Mason once said, “If
I want to vote Republican, I don't need a middle man. I can do it
directly by myself.”
Kevin
Zeese is Director of DemocracyRising.US and a candidate
for U.S. Senate, www.ZeeseForSenate.org.
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