Fred Hires Questionable Campaign Manager

I don’t know much about Fred Thompson’s new campaign manager but if Debbie Schlussel is correct I have a feeling he made a huge….and I do mean HUGE….mistake:

Don’t believe Thompson’s claim that he understands the Islamist jihadist threat to America. His announcement, yesterday, of his choice of Spencer Abraham as campaign manager, told us everything we need to know. Although Abraham, of Lebanese descent, is a Christian, he is a career water carrier for Islamists of the most extremist stripe and made that the cornerstone of his failed, one-term Senate career and equally lousy tenure as Energy Secretary.

[…]I know Spencer Abraham. He wrote one of my recommendations for law school. And the Spencer Abraham that I and all of America have since experienced is bad news for everyone except CAIR, ADC, MPAC, ISNA, and all Islamists who want to endanger America.

In 2003, I wrote the definitive column on Spencer Abraham a/k/a Spence a/k/a Edward Spencer Abraham (which was quoted in The Washington Post), and I re-publish it below, with several additions I’ve made, updating it. At the time Spence was still Energy Secretary, but he left to become a lobbyist for Islamist countries.

As a Senator, he took marching orders from James Zogby of the pan-Islamist Arab American Institute, opposing profiling of Arabs, the use of secret evidence against Muslims (at the behest of Muslim groups), attempting to repeal the Clinton counterterrorism package, refusing to fund computer tracking of student and other foreign aliens, giving millions in our tax money right to Hezbollah, and putting CAIR on the map on Capitol Hill (taking the group’s officials around to meet other Senators and Members of Congress). He took campaign contributions from the relatives of Hezbollah-backed top Lebanese officials after he got the group millions in our tax money.

Spence was one of only two Senators in the entire U.S. Senate who refused to sign a letter calling on President Clinton to condemn Palestinian terrorism and Yasser Arafat. This was at the height of a series of homicide bombings in Israel in 1999 and 2000.

As Energy Secretary, he gave top secret tours of nuclear facilities, as well as detailed information on how we secure them to Muslim nations who are our enemies. And he gave out undue post-9/11 awards to Al-Qaeda money-launderers . . . at the White House. The money launderers were raided by U.S. Customs Service agents.

After he left the Bush cabinet, Spence became a lobbyist for Mid-Eastern Muslim countries that practice the Arab boycott of Israel and don’t really like us too much either. He took their money and until the Thompson race, did their bidding.

Now, while I like Debbie she can go a bit overboard sometimes, as I am known to do every once in awhile.  So I will reserve judgment on this guy until I can confirm everything she wrote.  But if true, this is not good for Fred.

UPDATE

Well, apparently he has a 92 ACU rating which is quite good but I’m reading some bad stuff on his policy on immigration.  Will try to get some more a bit later.

UPDATE II

Tackling each of her accusations one at a time I find this on the profiling question:

According to Spence Abraham, eschewing profiling is what the country is all about: "Ethnic stereotyping has no place in a nation that cherishes its freedom," he says.

Which I find disturbing.  I can’t find anything out about these tours of nuclear facilities.  Equally disturbing is the fact that he was one of only four Senators who did in fact refuse to sign a letter of solidarity to Israel and condemning Arafat.  The letter:

The President
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We write to you to express our solidarity with the State of Israel at this moment of crisis and our profound disappointment and frustration with PLO Chairman Arafat and the Palestinian Authority. We are dismayed that they would allow violence by Palestinians to be carried out without restraint or comment.

Resorting to violence constitutes a fundamental violation of the Peace Process. Following the signing of the Declaration of Principles in September 1993, Chairman Arafat wrote Israeli Prime Minister Rabin that:

The PLO commits itself to the Middle East Peace process, and to a peaceful resolution of the conflict between the two sides ad declares that all outstanding issues in relation to permanent status will be resolved through negotiations.

The PLO considers that the signing of the Declaration of Principles constitutes a historic event, inaugurating a new epoch of peaceful coexistence, free from violence and all other acts which endanger peace ad stability. Accordingly, the PLO renounces the use of terrorism and other acts of violence, and will assume responsibility over all PLO elements and personnel in order to assure their compliance, prevent violations and discipline violators.

It was on the basis of these assurances that Prime Minister Rabin, among other things, recognized the PLO.

We are deeply concerned at the continuing, coordinated campaign of Palestinian violence. That campaign leads us to believe that Arafat either seeks to use violence as a negotiating tool to extort even further concessions from the Government of Israel, or that he in fact intends to end the peace process in its entirety as a prelude to a unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood.

This stands in contrast to what the Government of Israel has -sought throughout this crisis. We note, for example, that the Government of Israel proposed unprecedented compromises to achieve a final peace agreement Despite subsequent provocations, despite the violence, despite the wanton destruction of Joseph’s Tomb -a revered Jewish holy site-Israel has sought to see the violence stopped so that peace negotiations could be resumed. Yet, Arafat has failed to issue a statement to the Palestinian community that violence is unacceptable, unlike Prime Minister Barak who has said publicly that "I urge our Jewish citizens to refrain from attacking Arabs and their property under any circumstances."

We urge you to express American solidarity with Israel at this crucial moment, to condemn the Palestinian campaign of violence, to do everything possible to secure the return of the three kidnaped Israeli soldiers from Lebanon, and to stand with Israel in international arenas – not only because we should, but because such actions are also the best way to restore the negotiating process. Arafat vast understand that he will achieve none of his political objectives through violence, that a unilateral declaration of statehood will not be recognized by the United States that only through negotiations can the Palestinians’ legitimate political aspirations be realized, and that abandoning the negotiating process will have serious repercussions.

This is a very dangerous hour in the Middle East. America’s open and abiding commitment to the security of Israel is the surest way to see our way safely through it.

Sincerely yours,

[Signatures of 96 senators beginning with Trent Lott and Tom Daschle]

Who refused?

Spencer Abraham (R-MI), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE).

Bad company to be in.

What is Fred thinking?

Curt

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