Representative John Dingell Watch: You’re NOT Against Hezbollah? REDUX

Representative John Dingell, D- Michigan

Flap has this piece on Representative John Dingell’s audio clip on YouTube regarding Dingell’s ambivalence, might you say, about supporting democratically governed Israel over Hezbollah, a non-state terrorist organization. The clip is here or here.

Now, Powerline blog has Dingellbats

Yesterday John posted a link to video clip of Democratic Rep. John Dingell on YouTube and posted the audio of the clip here. John accurately quoted Dingell as follows:

“I don’t take sides for or against Hezbollah; I don’t take sides for or against Israel.” Asked, “You’re not against Hezbollah?” Dingell answers, “No…”

ThinkProgress has posted a longer video clip and points out that Dingell continues his last answer:

No, I happen to be—I happen to be against violence, I think the United States has to bring resolution to this matter. Now, I condemn Hezbollah as does everybody else, for the violence.

The exchange occurs in the context of questioning on Dingell’s vote against House Resolution 921 supporting Israel and condemning Hezbollah that I commented on here; Dingell was one of the seven Democratic “no” votes on the resolution. Here’s the exchange in full as quoted by ThinkProgress:

DINGELL: First of all, our problem is that we must be a fair and honest broker and a friend to all parties. The resolution didn’t make us that. We have to have the trust of both of the people of Israel and the people of the Arab countries around it, in order to help resolve the problem. If we don’t, the possibilities of regional war, calamitous situation with regard to Israel which has 5 million people amidst a billion and a half Arabs are a real potential for calamity. Having said at that, what we have to do is to see to it that finally we begin to address the problems that exist to abate the difficulties that are preventing a–a honest solution to the problem and a negotiated end. It takes–it takes a lot of work to get the trust that it takes to do this. The resolution did not instill that kind of trust and the end result would be quite frankly, the real solution to the problems that exist in the middle east would probably have been and probably will be put off.ANCHOR: Overall majority of your colleagues didn’t see it that way and some would suggest that if–even though there are obviously a lot of issues with Lebanon and with Palestinian cause wrapped up in this, that this largely boils down to israel against Hezbollah and Hezbollah is a group that the United States has deemed a terrorist organization, that there’s only one side for the Americans to come down on in this fight.

DINGELL: Well, we don’t, first of all, I don’t take sides for or against Hezbollah or for or against Israel.

ANCHOR: You’re not against Hezbollah?

DINGELL: No, I happen to be—I happen to be against violence, I think the United States has to bring resolution to this matter. Now, I condemn Hezbollah as does everybody else, for the violence, but I think if we’ve got to talk to them and if we don’t — if we don’t get ourselves in a position where we can talk to both sides and bring both sides together, the killing and the blood let is going to continue.

ThinkProgress comments:

Dingell was arguing that the United States should seek to maintain its historic role as an “honest broker” in the Middle East. There are legitimate criticisms of this position, but they should be based on Dingell’s actual views, not a dishonest caricature.

Scott Johnson of Powerline blog concludes:

If I have this right, Dingell’s “actual view” is that the United States should be a friend of Hezbollah, though he condemns the organization for its “violence” even if he does not quite deem it a terrorist group. In other words, according to Rep. Dingell, the United States should serve as an “honest broker” between a murderer and the murderer’s intended victim. Thanks to ThinkProgress for introducing the nuance necessary to appreciate Rep. Dingell’s true view fully.

And at the end of this Flap, the conclusion remains, Dingell is an apologist for Hezbollah and does NOT support Israel.

Dingell is an old-time lefty who should have been retired long ago. Flap asks Representative Dingell again:

What about the Beirut bombing of United States Marines by Hezbollah? And…..the other Americans murdered by Hezbollah?:

William Rich Higgins

Robert Dean Stethem

William Francis Buckley

Honor the 241

Most wanted Hez: Imad Mugniyah

Dingell is scum-bag LEFTY MORON! trying to cover his tracks……and fast…….

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Representative John Dingell Watch: You’re NOT Against Hezbollah?

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