The neo-con line is that anyone who questions Clean Break is

an ``anti-Semite.'' But most of Perle's defenders are on the same

neo-con foundations' payroll. Among the freakouts:

March 13: in the Moonie Washington Times, columnist Tony

Blankley lunges after NBC's Tim Russert for asking Perle about

Clean Break and the Israeli stake in Iraq war during a Feb. 23 interview.

``If such a respectable citadel of the establishment

as Russert's Meet the Press can air such a question, we could

expect worse....''

But Blankley is not an objective observer; he

was Newt Gingrich's chief of staff, when Gingrich was being

courted by IASPS, the think tank that wrote the Clean Break.

On March 12, the Moonie Times trotted out Shoshona Bryen, a director

of the Likud-linked JINSA group, that infiltrates military

networks, to screech about Rep. Jim Moran's (D-VA) attack on

American Jewish support for the Iraq war.

Also March 13: the ``liberal'' Washington Post, partially

owned by Sharon intimate Lally Weymouth (daughter of the late

Katy Graham), has a long character assassination of Moran, for

having called on ``leaders of the Jewish community [to]...change

the direction'' of the Iraq war policy that they are supporting.

Quoting all neo-con outets: the National Review, the New

Republic, and the Weekly Standard, Kurtz also freaks out about

Patrick Buchanan, who just launched a magazine called American

Conservative and wrote about Clean Break.

But, it is doubtful

that the freakouts will stop the exposes of the neo-cons -- every

day, more ``citadels of the establishment,'' including the London

Financial Times, and ABC's Nightline, are questioning the roots

of Bush's insane policy.

[source: House Appropriations Committee hearing, March 13]

POWELL COMPELLED TO DENY THAT PRO-ISRAEL `CABAL'

IS INFLUENCING ADMINISTRATION POLICY.

Secretary of State Colin Powell was invited

to depart from normal procedure

at an appropriations hearing today,

to respond to allegations about Israeli influence

on U.S. policy toward Iraq.

Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Az), raised the issue in his opening

statement, citing Robert Novak's column, the Washington Post

"Blaming the Jews" editorial, etc. He asked Powell to respond,

even before any other opening statements were made, or before

Powell delivered his prepared testimony.

"U.S. policy with respect to Iraq is not just something that

has been developed in the last month or so; one can go back many

years to the end of the Gulf War," Powell responded, outlining

one version of the history of the past 12 years of Iraq policy

(but without mentioning that Wolfowitz, Libby et al. elaborated

their policy of preventive war about 12 years ago).

Powell said

that "we have a comprehensive policy for the region, and strategy

with respect to Iraq has derived from our interest in the region

and our support of the U.N. resolutions over time."

"It is not driven by any small cabal that is buried away

somewhere, that is telling President Bush or me or Vice President

Cheney or Condi Rice or other members of our administration what

our policies should be...."

"So this is not just the result of a few individuals who are

running loose, as some suggest, but it's a comprehensive policy

developed over the years, over several administrations...."