TheJuan Cole and His Critics

Blogger Thoughts: Of course I see this as a hit piece against Cole.

The American Thinker: " American Middle East policy and of Israeli policy in the region.

Emotions, like fear, rest on subjective beliefs about the nature of the objective world. And when this fear is based on a false belief about the world – such as the false belief that any discussion of the American/Israeli relationship elicits charges of anti-Semitism – it will likely be considered mildly paranoid. The American/Israeli relationship is in fact critically discussed openly and frequently throughout the United States: on the web, in the university, on cable news, in columns, on book jackets, in dedications, on screen, on radio. All over the place. The Jewish presidents may well conclude that what annoys the signatories to this letter is that most Americans, during this free debate, don’t agree much with their hostile opinions of Israel.

Nevertheless, Cole’s letter goes on to lecture about the nature of democratic debate, all the while continuing to forget to whom his letter is addressing: "