Clearly, J Street got a hold of staffers, (mis) represented themselves as a pro-Israel group, and got the okay from staffers to add their Senators and Representatives to the host committee. Did J Street do themselves some harm? One can hope.
More J Street Evacuations: Gillibrand, Schumer Drop Out
We reported this morning that Delaware Rep. Mike Castle, the front-runner for that state's open Senate seat in 2010, had withdrawn his name from the host committee for J Street's inaugural conference later this month -- his staff insists that Castle himself was "totally unaware" that his name had been attached to a conference that features a speaker who blamed Israel for the 9/11 attacks. Now the other shoes are dropping. Ben Smith reports:
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has asked to be removed from the host committee for a conference of the left-leaning Jewish group J Street and was "unaware" she had been included on the group's list of supporters, spokesman Matt Canter said.
Her withdrawal comes after her political mentor, Chuck Schumer, also refused to participate in the event, and as the place of J Street -- positioning itself as liberal but staunchly "pro-Israel" -- remains hotly contested in American political circles.
I expect there will be many more members of Congress who were likewise "unaware" that their names were being used to boost the credibility of a group that supports engagement with Hamas, opposes sanctions on Iran (only six members of the House share that position), and believes the primary obstacle to peace in the Middle East is Israeli settlements. Stay tuned...
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