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Moran-ic comments

In a shameful moment for his Northern Virginia constituents, Rep. James Moran (D) recently blamed America's Jewish community for the impending war with Iraq. Speaking at a gathering of anti-war advocates, Moran declared that "if it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq, we would not be doing this. The leaders of the Jewish community are influential enough that they could change the direction of where this is going, and I think they should."

For sheer ignorance and outdated bigotry, Moran's comments rival Sen. Trent Lott's recent claim that America would be better off if Strom Thurmond were elected president in 1948. Lott's comments cost him Senate leadership position and Moran's comments should cost him his job.

Blaming Jews for the outbreak of war is an old practice that is rarely justified. In 1903, the Russian government circulated a fictitious document called "The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion," in which Jewish leaders were seen to pursue world domination by sowing discord in Europe. In the 1920s, Hitler's rise to power was aided by suggestions that Jewish machinations lay behind the outbreak of World War I. And as recently as 1990, conservative commentators in the United States blamed Jewish influence for America's involvement in the Persian Gulf War.

Moran's comments reflect similar sentiments and betray an ignorance that has no place in the U.S. Congress. By suggesting that Jewish influence is the primary factor in America's decision to confront Iraq, Moran has misunderstood both the workings of American policy and the level of Jewish commitment to war.

The Bush administration has long been the loudest voice for war, and its reasons for confronting Iraq have little connection to Jewish interests. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States embarked on a global campaign against terrorist organizations and their state sponsors. Iraq is widely seen as a supporter of terrorism and the impending war will be waged to prevent Saddam Hussein from acquiring weapons of mass destruction. These weapons, brandished either by Hussein or his terrorist allies, would pose an unacceptable threat to the security of the United States. Although this logic is misguided and the Iraqi threat overstated, the administration has legitimate reasons for confronting Iraq that have nothing to do with Jewish interests.

Even a cynical assessment of the administration's motives reveals little Jewish influence. The administration's critics have posited many ulterior motives for the conflict with Iraq. These include a desire to control Iraq's oil wealth, a desire to punish Hussein for his attempt on the life of former President George H.W. Bush and a simple desire for imperial aggrandizement. But even these possible motives bear no mark of Jewish influence. Whether its true motivation is noble or cynical, the administration's desire to confront Iraq can be explained without recourse to Jew-blaming.

Moran's comments also reveal a complete misunderstanding of Jewish desire for war. Far from being uniformly supportive of the coming conflict, America's Jewish community is, in fact, deeply divided. A recent survey conducted by the American Jewish Committee found that 59 percent of Jews support a United States-led campaign to topple Hussein, compared with 58 percent of Americans in general. The notion that American Jews are universally in favor of war is patently false, and Moran was wrong to suggest otherwise.

Indeed, Jews have as much reason to fear war as other Americans. An economic downturn, an elevated risk of terrorist attack and the loss of American prestige (all of which might be results of war) will affect all Americans, regardless of religion. Even those Jews who view the conflict in terms of Israeli security are not uniformly supportive of war, since fighting in Iraq carries tremendous risks for the Jewish state. As in the Persian Gulf War, the outbreak of hostilities will mean new missile attacks on Israeli cities and a heightened risk of Palestinian terrorism. Contrary to Moran's belief, American Jews are not universally in favor of war

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