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Insider Report: Wesley Clark's Remarks Draw Heat from Jews Special From NewsMax's Most Informed Sources
Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories): 1. Wesley Clark's Remarks Draw Heat from Jews The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) has called on retired Gen. Wesley Clark to apologize for an allegation that "New York money people" are pushing the U.S. for a war with Iran, charging that it's a slur against Jews. In a conversation with liberal blogger Arianna Huffington, the former NATO chief who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 was quoted as saying that bombing Iran before exhausting diplomatic efforts was "outrageous."
When he was asked why he was so sure that the United States was headed in that direction, Wesley reportedly replied: "You just have to read what's in the Israeli press. The Jewish community is divided but there is so much pressure being channeled from the New York money people to the office seekers." According to the Jewish publication Forward, "the phrase New York money people' struck unpleasant chords with many pro-Israel activists. They interpreted it as referring to the Jewish community, which is known for its significant financial donations to political candidates."
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In response to Clark's comments, the RJC announced the launch of an ad campaign in Jewish newspapers nationwide charging that Clark's remarks "reinforce dangerous and harmful stereotypes of the Jewish community." RJC Executive Director Matthew Brooks said: "That kind of language, based on old stereotypes about Jews, feeds into anti-Semitic conspiracy theories about Jewish power. Clark's remarks were hurtful, damaging, and wrong, and Wesley Clark should apologize to the American Jewish community for saying them." Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, told Forward after he spoke to Clark whose father was Jewish: "He is a friend of Israel and is not an anti-Semite, but some of the things he said are very, very unfortunate." Editor's Note: 2. Howard Fineman: Mayor Daley Will Back Obama Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and his family "can't stand the Clintons" and are backing Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, Newsweek columnist Howard Fineman reports. Appearing on Don Imus' radio show on Thursday morning, Fineman who is also the magazine's senior editor said: "Back in 2004, when [Obama] was one of many candidates running in the Democratic primary for the Senate in Illinois, the Daley family backed another candidate. "Obama understood the decision and the day after the Daleys announced that they were supporting another candidate, [Mayor Daley's brother] Bill Daley got a very nice hand-written note from Obama saying he completely understood the decision and would probably do the same thing if he was in that position, but hoped they could work together if and when he eventually won the election, which he did . . . "Now the Daley family is 100 percent behind Obama . . . They have a lot of connections and a lot of skill and that will give him a lot of grounding in traditional politics that he would not have otherwise had. "And by the way, the Daleys can't stand the Clintons . . . Obama will run his campaign out of Chicago, which is very smart, and that will help." Daley's support for Obama brings back memories of another strong Chicago mayor playing a major role in a presidential election: In 1960, Daley's father Richard J. Daley and his Chicago Democratic machine were instrumental in John F. Kennedy's narrow 8,000-vote victory in Illinois. A Daley's backing of a Democratic hopeful worked for JFK and could work again for Obama. Editor's Note: 3. Iraq War to Cost $1.2 Trillion Before the U.S. invasion of Iraq five years ago, the Pentagon estimated the war would cost about $50 billion. New estimates place the figure at a mind-boggling $1.2 trillion. The war operation itself the equipment, fuel, combat pay for soldiers, salaries of reservists and contractors and reconstruction expenses costs more than $300 million a day, with an eventual total of $700 billion over the course of the war, according to an estimate by economist Scott Wallsten reported by The New York Times. Add to that the cost of replacing hardware used in Iraq, some $100 billion. Then there's the $250 billion cost of providing disability payments and medical care for veterans. Other economists also include a "gas tax" imposed on American families the increase in the price of fuel resulting from the conflict which they estimate at $150 billion. To put the $1.2 trillion total in perspective, the Times notes that implementing all of the 9/11 Commission recommendations would cost less than $50 billion, providing universal preschool would cost $35 billion, and the National Cancer Institute's annual budget is about $6 billion. When the Pentagon originally estimated the cost of the war at $50 billion, White House economic adviser Lawrence Lindsey predicted it would in fact cost as much as $200 billion. According to the Times, "President Bush fired him in part for saying so." Editor's Note: 4. Poll: Religious Right Won't Determine GOP Nominee in '08 Moderation could be the order of the day in the 2008 presidential election, according to a poll of Democratic and Republican insiders. The Atlantic magazine queried 70 insiders with ties to the GOP and asked the question: "Can someone who is opposed by the religious right win the Republican presidential nomination in 2008?" A slight majority, 53 percent, said "Yes." "Given the serious issues confronting our nation and world, and the emerging splits in the primary electorate, ideological purity will become secondary to leadership attributes," one respondent opined. Said another: "Yes. If the Democratic nominee is Senator Clinton, the religious right will vote for any decent Republican." Among the 41 percent who said "No" (6 percent said "Depends/Don't Know"), one wrote: "The religious right is the least stable part of the GOP coalition, and the coalition is not so big that any element can be jettisoned." The Atlantic also queried 68 Democratic insiders and asked: "Can someone who is not clearly identified as an antiwar candidate win the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008?" A larger majority, 71 percent, said "Yes." "Someone who favored the war, as did a majority of Americans, can bring us back together in the wake of this tragic mistake," one responded.
Another wrote: "Yes. Hillary can and probably will win." Among the 26 percent who said "No," one stated: "Every serious Democratic candidate will position themselves as strongly antiwar, including Senator Clinton. Some candidates will have more credibility as an antiwar candidate than others, but they will all be antiwar." Editor's Note: 5. Imus Supports McCain for President Presidential hopeful John McCain has won support from a surprising source radio host Don Imus, a former supporter of John Kerry. Speaking with New York Times columnist Frank Rich on Thursday morning, Imus said: "I'm with McCain right now . . . I'm down with McCain and I'm not going to change. I don't care who else runs. I like other people, but I'm voting for McCain." Imus backed Kerry during the 2004 campaign, and Kerry has often appeared on Imus' show. As recently as last November, Imus referred to Kerry as "my friend." McCain has also received the support of a conservative Christian talk-show host in Iowa, site of the nation's first Republican caucus. The endorsement came from Maxine Sieleman, founder of the Iowa chapter of Concerned Women for America, who has hosted a show on a Christian radio station in Des Moines since 1982, The New York Sun reported. In a statement, Sieleman praised McCain for his "consistent record supporting pro-life, pro-family legislation," and his commitment to appointing "strict constructionist judges." Editor's Note:
6. We Heard . . . THAT Larry King is a fan of Katie Couric and thinks her disappointing ratings as anchor of "CBS Evening News" have more to do with gender than journalism. "It might still be hard for a woman to anchor the evening news," the CNN host said. "That's sad." Couric will take over the host's chair on "Larry King Live" in April to interview King as part of a series of special shows honoring his 50th year in broadcasting. THAT Forbes magazine publisher Rich Karlgaard is chiding New York Times columnist Paul Krugman for "pundit malpractice." His remarks came in a column analyzing the divergence of views on the economic outlook from left-leaning journalists (negative) and investors (positive). "Will the journalists or the investors be proved right about the state of the world?" Karlgaard writes. "I wouldn't bet too heavily on the journalists. "My favorite example of pundit malpractice is the poor forecasting record of Paul Krugman, the Princeton economist. "You'd have no idea the American booms of 1992-2000 and 2002-2006 had occurred if you confined yourself to Krugman's columns, or worse, some of his books." Krugman's titles include "The Return of Depression Economics," published in 1999, and "Peddling Prosperity: Economic Sense and Nonsense in the Age of Diminished Expectations" (1994). THAT Monica Lewinsky of Bill Clinton impeachment notoriety won't be returning to the U.S. anytime soon she is currently looking for work in London. Lewinsky, 33, graduated with a Master of Science degree in social psychology from the London School of Economics in December. Editor's Notes:
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