Israel Matzav

Sestak a conspiracy theorist?

A letter written by a lawyer for Joe Sestak (D-Penn), the Democratic Senate nominee for his party in Pennsylvania, urging Comcast not to run an ad questioning his pro-Israel bona fides, claims that Sestak fought for Israel in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The letter, an unsuccessful attempt to persuade Comcast not to air an attack ad from the Emergency Committee for Israel, aggressively makes Sestak's case on several fronts, but the suggestion that military service* in was performed "to defend Israel" is rarely heard outside conspiracist circles.

"Congressman Joe Sestak is the only candidate in the U.S. Senate race who (as an officer of the Navy) was willing to put his life on the line to defend Israel," Sestak lawyer Jared Solomon wrote Comcast. "It is offensive and outrageous to suggest that he does not stand with Israel."

After being called on the letter, the Sestak campaign is now backpedaling.

*CLARIFICATION: Sestak spokesman Jonathan Dworkin says the reference was not to any specific conflict but to a series of operations with the Israeli military, including a deployment in 2003 to help protect Israel from Iraqi missiles. "There is no suggestion that he served in the Navy for the purpose of defending Israel, only that he was involved in situations with the Israeli military and, while serving the United States, he was willing to lay his life on the line in defense of our ally, Israel," he writes.

Read the whole thing. Sounds like panic to me.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:38 AM