It Never Ends

The right wing jumped on the recent reports that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) has maintained a friendly relationship with Rashid Khalidi, the Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University and the Director of the Middle East Institute of the university's School of International and Public Affairs. The Republicans have tried to connect Khalidi with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which is a political and paramilitary organization representing the Palestinians.

The right fails to mention that the International Republican Institute (IRI) provided multiple grants in the 1990s to the Center for Palestine Research and Studies (CPRS), including one grant for $448,873 in 1998 (page 14). The CPRS was co-founded by Khalidi and the Chairman of the IRI is - surprise, surprise - Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). In fact, the relationship between Khalidi and the IRI extends as far back as 1993, when McCain joined the organization as Chairman. Supposedly a non-partisan organization formed to "advance freedom and democracy worldwide", the IRI has been accused of, among other things, training leaders of the 2004 coup d'etat in Haiti, as well as funding opposition groups for a destabilization campaign in the months leading up to the removal of democratically elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. What adds to the ridiculous attempts by the Republicans to "connect the dots" between Obama and Khalidi is the following exchange from Thursday's "CNN Newsroom":

Michael Goldfarb (national spokesperson for the McCain campaign): "Look, you are missing the point again, Rick. The point is that Barack Obama has a long track record of being around anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and anti-American rhetoric."
Rick Sanchez (Anchor): "Can you name one other person besides Khalidi who he hangs around with who is anti-Semitic?"
Goldfarb: "Yes, he pals around with William Ayers, who is an unrepentant domestic terrorist."
Sanchez: "No, no, the question I asked you is, can you name one other person that he hangs around with who is anti-Semitic? Because that is what you said."
Goldfarb: "Look, we all know that there are people who Barack Obama has been in hot water." Sanchez: "Michael, I asked you to name one person, one."
Goldfarb: "Rick..."
Sanchez: "You said he hangs around with people who are anti-Semitic. OK, we have got Khalidi on the table. Give me number two. Who is the other anti-Semitic person that he hangs with that we, quote, all know about?"
Goldfarb: "Rick, we both now who number two is."
Sanchez: "Who? Would you tell us?"
Goldfarb: "No, Rick, I think we all know who we are talking about here."
Sanchez: "Somebody who is anti-Semitic that he hangs around with?"
Goldfarb: "Absolutely."
Sanchez: "Well, say it."
Goldfarb: "I think we know who we are talking about, Rick."
Sanchez: "All right. All right. Again, you charged that Khalidi is anti-Semitic. He would say that his policies on Israel differ from those of Barack Obama and many other people. But, either way, I guess we will have to leave it at that."