A reader writes:

In the video clip of Wright's arm flapping the "chickens have come home to roost," he explicitly mentions U.S. support of "state sponsored terrorism against the Palestinians" as among the roosting chickens resulting in the attacks of 9/11.  This is just more of 9/11 being the Jews' fault.  First we heard that 4,000 Jews were forewarned and did not show up for work at the World Trade Center.  Then we quickly heard the attacks were planned by Israel's Mossad.  Sounds to me like Reverend Wright said: "If only the U.S. did not support Israeli policies towards the Palestinians, 9/11 would not have happened."

I am glad that someone has written in challenging my assertion that Rev. Wright has never uttered specifically anti-Semitic statements.  While this reader's arguments do nothing to refute my assertion, I appreciate that they at least waded into this third rail discussion with me on Rev. Wright, Israeli policy, and anti-Semitism.  Let's take the reader's arguments point by point:

"In the video clip of Wright's arm flapping the 'chickens have come home to roost,' he explicitly mentions U.S. support of "state sponsored terrorism against the Palestinians" as among the roosting chickens resulting in the attacks of 9/11."

But what is anti-Semitic about discussing the potential blowback associated with having a one-sided pro-Israel policy in the Middle East?  Objectively assessing the security threat posed by giving a green light to any and all Israeli military actions in the occupied territories may upset the most hard-line of neo-conservative dogmatists, but such discussion or criticism is not in any way anti-Semitic.

"This is just more of 9/11 being the Jews' fault.  First we heard that 4,000 Jews were forewarned and did not show up for work at the World Trade Center.  Then we quickly heard the attacks were planned by Israel's Mossad."

 
But Rev. Wright didn't spread the ridiculous rumor that thousands of Jews were tipped off pre-9/11, and stayed home, nor said anything about the Mossad.  He's never uttered anything close to such nonsense.  This isn't even "guilt by association", because there is no association.  There are the kooks who spread this Nigerian-banking-hoax-like rumor, and then there is Rev. Wright's questioning how a one-sided Israel policy might not be in the United States' best security interests.  The two do not meet.

"Sounds to me like Reverend Wright said: 'If only the U.S. did not support Israeli policies towards the Palestinians, 9/11 would not have happened.'"

There is certainly the possibility that Wright's thoughts and statements lead to this conclusion.  However, this conclusion is not in any way anti-Semitic.  Debatable, yes.  Possibly erroneous, yes.  Anti-Semitic on its face?  Not at all.

But thanks for writing in!  I'd like to hear from anyone else out there that believes they've uncovered evidence of anti-Semitism by Rev. Jeremiah Wright.  As I stated before, if any is found, it will be posted on Today's Lies, and I will retract my earlier defense of the reverend, and condemn both the remarks, and the man who said them.  At this point, I'm still nowhere near doing so.