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Scott talks with Grant F. Smith about the work he’s doing to track the ways Israel’s government tries to affect American politics. First, they talk about the return of Benjamin Netanyahu and how this could signal a disturbing shift in Israeli politics. They then move on to the fruitful effort by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC, to help pro-Israel candidates win elections last week. Lastly, they talk about some of the research Smith’s organization has done into the Anti-Defamation League’s influence over the FBI.

Discussed on the show:

• site:irmep.org .pdf 
• How Israel Made AIPAC Podcast

Grant F. Smith is the author of a number of books including Big Israel: How Israel’s Lobby Moves America, Divert!, and most recently The Israel Lobby Enters State Government: Rise of the Virginia Israel Advisory Board. He is director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy in Washington, D.C.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.

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Investigative journalist Gareth Porter discusses the murderous rampage carried out by unknown Afghan forces (possibly CIA-backed) in Wardak province; Afghan President Karzai’s belief that the US is backing the Taliban and intentionally creating “security concerns” to destabilize the country; how US foreign policy decisions were influenced by petty infighting between the White House and State Department; and why antiwar Leftists don’t have a clue about power politics and the national security apparatus.

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Kara Dansky, Senior Counsel at the ACLU Center for Justice, discusses the ACLU’s nationwide investigation into police use of military technology and tactics; the unknown standards for SWAT raids; military weapons and equipment that are often gifted to local police departments; and the anecdotal evidence of overly aggressive policing.

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Jeremiah Goulka, a writer, political analyst, scholar and lawyer, discusses the history of Congress’s pork-barrel spending on Lockheed Martin’s C-130 aircraft; the vast overproduction of C-130s that now sit idle at airports across the country; Lockheed’s record-high projected profits despite sequestration “cuts” to military spending; and Lockheed’s incredible return on investment rate for lobbying Congress.

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TomDispatch editor Nick Turse discusses his new book Kill Anything That Moves: The Real American War in Vietnam; how researching PTSD in American soldiers led him to startling documents on US war crimes in Vietnam; and how Robert McNamara’s “body count” war-fighting strategy motivated American soldiers to systematically and wantonly kill Vietnamese civilians.

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Investigative journalist Dahr Jamail discusses the perpetual low-grade war that is daily life in Iraq; the destabilizing effect of Syria’s civil war; and the massive “last chance” Friday protests against Prime Minister al-Maliki’s government.

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John Feffer, co-director of Foreign Policy In Focus, discusses North Korea’s threat to preemptively nuke the US in response to new UN Security Council-imposed sanctions; the capabilities and limitations of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program; and why the State Department should learn a thing or two about diplomatic outreach from ex-basketball player Dennis Rodman.

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Philip Giraldi, executive director of the Council for the National Interest, discusses the backlash against Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan for daring to lump Zionism together with fascism and anti-Semitism in the ‘odious ideology’ category; how Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s monocultural, irreligious nationalism continues to guide Turkish identity and the state; the Bush administration’s opportunity to take custody of Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law (who now faces charges in a federal court) ten years ago; the ridiculous Right wing propaganda lie machine; and how the Lindsay Graham-Robert Menendez Senate resolution will let Israel decide when America goes to war with Iran.

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Peter Van Buren, author of We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People, discusses how the US empire overreacted and self-destructed after 9/11; why the Iraq War was the biggest foreign policy blunder in US history; rewarding failure and incompetence in government officials, while whistleblowers are fired and prosecuted; losing the opportunity to partner with Saddam Hussein against Al-Qaeda; and why the Iraq War seems like ancient history to many Americans (if they remember it at all).

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