Now, I don’t know if Jesus'" General will admit to this or not, but my talmudic analysis leads me to the sad but inevitable conclusion that there is a Vast Right Wing Christian Conspiracy (tm) to listen to the Wrong Jews. Please bear with me while I explain:
Jews are are about 2.5% of the U.S. population, whereas Christians make up about 80%.
Now it is true that the PNAC/AEI/NeoCon crowd are disproportionately, though not exclusively Jewish: Wolfowitz, Feith, Libby, Perle, etc. (of course Khalizad & Chalabi are Muslim).
On the other hand their Repuglican bosses, the folks who chose them for their appointed positions and had all the ultimate decision making power, were all Christians (thank god): Cheney, Rumsfeld & Bush.
Meanwhile, actual Jewish-Americans are and continue to be overwhelmingly Democratic, continuing to be second only to African-Americans as a Democratic voting bloc. Have been in the past and still are (see #2 below). In fact Jewish-America voting was even more Democratic and anti-Repuglican in the 2006 (87% vs 12%) elections then in 2004.
And, despite the NeoCons tiny but loud minority, Jewish American as a whole have been, from the beginning more opposed than the average American to the Iraq invasion and occupation (see #1 below). And still are.
Meanwhile Jewish-Americans as a whole have always opposed Iraq war the general American public, and continue to vote more Democratic than any group other African-American.
You may even have noticed that a large number of the lefty blogosphere, including those who were against the Iraq invasion and occupation from the beginning beginning are Jewish. And many are Christian (though I suspect that few if any are Christianist).
As a group Jewish-American have been all along and still are more Democratic, more liberal, and more opposed to the NeoCon & Bush Admininistration policies then the average American.
Now if only they would listen to us.
In conclusion: the PNAC/NeoCon crowd are sort of like "Jews for Jesus"... a teeny tiny, albeit disproportionately loud, minority of maladjusted delusional folks propped up by a Christianist majority.
1. Polls of Jewish Opinion on Iraq War
American Jewish Committee's "Annual Survey of American Jewish Opinion"
During the Pre-War Build-up: December 16, 2002 - January 5, 2003(during overall BushCo build-up but just prior to Bush's State of the Union and Colin Powell's address to UN):
"Do you approve or disapprove of the United States taking military action against Iraq to try and remove Saddam Hussein from power?
Approve=59 (compared to 57-67% nationally)
Disapprove=36
(approval over 50% but still less than national average at the time)
"If the United States takes military action against Iraq, do you think the threat of terrorism against the United States will increase, decrease, or stay about the same?"
Increase=62
Decrease=6
Stay about the same=32
Not sure=1
(fascinating since Jewish-Americans were not hopeful/delusional of war's utility; unlike NeoCon message)
In your opinion, do you think that a war between the United States and Iraq is likely to lead to a larger war between other countries in the Middle East?"
Yes, likely=56;
No, not likely=41;
Not sure=3
(fascinating since Jewish-Americans were not hopeful/delusional of war's utility; unlike NeoCon message)
November 25 and December 11 2003:
Do you approve or disapprove of the war with Iraq?
Approve=43;
Disapprove=54 (60-70% support nationally)
August 18-September 1, 2004;
Do you approve or disapprove of the war with Iraq?
Approve=30
Disapprove=66
Not sure=4
November 14 - 27, 2005:
Do you approve or disapprove of the war with Iraq?
Approve=28 (40%s nationally)
Disapprove=70
Not Sure=2
Interestingly, with regard to Iran in AJC polling during September 25 - October 16, 2006:
"Do you approve or disapprove of the way the United States government is handling the situation with Iran’s nuclear weapons program?"
Approve=33
Disapprove=54
Not Sure=3
"Would you support or oppose the United States taking military action against Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons?"
Support=38
Oppose=54
Not Sure=8
As Gallop says from their polling: "Among Religious Groups, Jewish Americans Most Strongly Oppose War - Opposition goes beyond Jewish Americans' political affiliations" with 77% of Jews opposed, compared to 78% of Black-Protestants and 52% of all Americans.
2. Jewish Vote In Presidential Elections
Table from from Jewish Virtual Library which sources: L. Sandy Maisel and Ira Forman, Eds. Jews in American Politics. (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2001), p. 153.
Year: Candidate(Party) %-of-Jewish-Vote
1916: Hughes (R) 45 Wilson(D) 55
1920: Harding (R) 43 Cox(D) 19 Debs (Socialist) 38
1924: Coolidge (R) 27 Davis(D) 51 La Folette (Progressive) 22
1928: Hoover (R) 28 Smith (D) 72
1932: Hoover (R) 18 Roosevelt (D) 82
1936: Landon (R) 15 Roosevelt (D) 85
1940: Wilkie (R) 10 Roosevelt (D) 90
1944: Dewey (R) 10 Roosevelt (D) 90
1948: Dewey (R) 10 Truman (D) 75 Wallace (Progressive) 15
1952: Eisenhower (R) 36 Stevenson (D) 64
1956: Eisenhower (R) 40 Stevenson (D) 60
1960: Nixon (R) 18 Kennedy (D) 82
1964: Goldwater (R) 10 Johnson (D) 90
1968: Nixon (R) 17 Humphrey (D) 81 Wallace (I) 2
1972: Nixon (R) 35 McGovern (D) 65
1976: Ford (R) 27 Carter (D) 71 McCarthy (I) 2
1980: Reagan (R) 39 Carter (D) 45 Anderson (I) 14
1984: Reagan (R) 31 Mondale (D) 67
1988: Bush (R) 35 Dukakis (D) 64
1992: Bush (R) 11 Clinton (D) 80 Perot (I) 9
1996: Dole (R) 16 Clinton (D) 78 Perot (I) 3
2000: Bush (R) 19 Gore (D) 79 Nader (G) 1
2004: Bush (R) 24 Kerry (D) 76 Nader (G) <>
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