The Politics of Calling Someone a Racist

I don't think this weird strategy by Howard Dean and others, condemning the Iraqi Prime Minister for his failure to condemn Hezbollah and give a wet kiss to Israel, makes for great politics. But it does certainly put Republicans in a bit of a box, as Roy Edroso explains:

Since the start of the World War Whatever: Return to Lebanon, conservative bloggers have been busting leftist chops over their less-than-total-and-unqualified support of Israel -- often in the "I don't think criticizing Israel is anti-Semitic, but..." manner. In fact, Althouse herself was giving the folks at Daily Kos a hard time about that just a few days ago.

Now our Government brings in for a speech to Congress Nouri al-Maliki, the PM of our other best friends in the Middle East, and al-Maliki says not one word about how much he supports the plucky little Israelis -- certainly because he doesn't support them, and because our Government let him get away with it. (I'd love to have seen those negotitations: "And we would like you to express your support for Israel." "Those pig-dogs of monkeys, may they rot in hell!" "Okay -- how about you just don't say anything about Israel?")

Our second ally in the region won't speak up for our first, and suddenly the "Say it, say you love Israel!" routine these guys have been pulling stateside is suspended, and they're all cool with nuance and realism. The Ole Perfesser shrugs: at least al-Maliki's not Kofi Annan! Even She-Wolf Michelle Malkin has nothing to say about al-Maliki's lack of Israel ardor, saving her rage for the "Hugo Chavez groupie" who heckled him.

These guys have been having it both ways for so long that simple logical connections no longer even occur to them. The punchline is, many of them are law professors.

You do have to wonder how a war that supposedly would make Israel safer is achieving that objective when the speaker of the Iraqi Parliament calls the US invasion a pure Zionist agenda. And the answer I'd expect from them, "Because democracies don't go to war," makes little sense when you consider that WE are supposed to be a democracy.

Or maybe they're just tipping their hand.

Let me make clear, however, that I don't see what purpose it serves calling Prime Minister Maliki an anti-Semite. Especially when he's a Semite.

Did the DNC get some internal poll about losing the Jewish community or something? I'm not seeing the strategy. Although, it's fun to see the Republicans try to play the free speech and tolerance card.