In his April-25, Antiwar.com blog post, Mr. Epstein does his utmost to misrepresent my argument in "Blame Bush, Not the Jews, For Iraq." (Note that I say "Jews," not "Neoconservatives.") Readers should read the said column and The Jewish Connection . Even if they disagree with me, those with the necessary intellectual honesty will see Mr. Epstein’s caricature-like misrepresentation of my thinking on the issue for what it is.
He claims that I claim that, "No Jews, Israelis, or neoconservatives had anything whatsoever to do with our war in Iraq." Why the distortion, I wonder?
First I do not say that neoconservatives had nothing to do with the war. This is an Epstein concoction. I’ve written enough about the administration’s ideological bent to refute Mr. Epstein’s silly fib. The administration is neoconservative.
I question the significance Epstein and his ilk impute to the ethnic identity of members of the administration. It is the conspiracy component—the kind Epstein and his sort belabor—that I dispute (The evidence is on my side.) Conspiracy theories have their origins not in fact or systematic thinking. Rather, figments are woven by irrational minds into a theory that comports with the biases and pre-existing precepts of their holders, not with reality.
Contra the conspiracy theorists a la Epstein, there is no proof that 1) the administration and the president were converted by Jews to neoconservatism 2) that those Jews who allegedly did the converting are working for the Likud or that 3) the Likud government and its agents are behind the war. In fact, if one is searching for the main ancillary agitators, then the evidence overwhelmingly points toward the Iraqi dissidents. The dissident community was behind the faulty intelligence and was most active in inciting for war. Still, what I termed the "will to war" seems to come from the top: George Bush. (Who’s the Boss, Israel or the U.S. also injects some sanity into the mythical thinking about the Jewish-Israeli control of the American Empire.)
Yet comments from the Epstein crowd about, "A war for Israel and for the Likud; A war to make the Middle East safe for Israel" are tossed about with idiotic abandon. Clearly, Mr. Epstein doesn’t deal in fact. But then a devotion to conspiracy is inimical to fact or reality.
Sincerely
Ilana Mercer