With Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) entering the 2020 presidential fray, establishment figures on both Right and Left are scrambling to smear the anti-war congresswoman with impeccable identity-politics bona fides. Ever since her 2017 visit to Syria, Gabbard has been condemned for daring to seek firsthand accounts rather than blindly trusting the MSM narrative, so on Friday the pundits were again off to the races, with fresh accusations of Assad-sympathizing. Tired of Putin? Vote Assad 2020!!!!!!! https://t.co/aMMF71wz69 — Noah Shachtman (@NoahShachtman) January 11, 2019 Tulsi Gabbard’s disturbing and singular denialism of Assad’s role in the brutal butchering of his own people, obliging a meeting with him and spreading his propaganda should be disqualifying. pic.twitter.com/EI3UiEvLuu — S.E. Cupp (@secupp) January 12, 2019 Gabbard's association with Hindu nationalists is odd, but her track record as an Assad apologist strikes me as being way more disturbing and likely disqualifying if she tried to run in 2020. https://t.co/bj4XoHvrEq by @shankarmya — Zach Basu (@zacharybasu) January 5, 2019 “Assad apologist” seems to be the Tulsi equivalent of “Putin puppet,” judging from the early tweets, though she was accused of being one of those too. My support for every other Democratic 2020 candidate still stands. But Tulsi Gabbard? Hell no. She should have been banned from the party a long time ago. Fucking monster. She’ll use her campaign to try to destroy the Democratic Party during the primary. I won’t allow it. — Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) January 12, 2019 The funny part is, looking through all the tweets mentioning “Tulsi Gabbard” right now, the only ones saying positive things about her are Trump supporters and alt-right. Their deranged fantasy is that she turns the Democratic Party into a right wing puppet of the Kremlin. — Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) January 12, 2019 Gabbard certainly poses a thorny problem for the neocon-neoliberal axis, as she checks all the identity politics boxes – the first Hindu member of Congress, a woman, a veteran – and she has undeniable populist appeal, given her anti-establishment record. While Gabbard is a Democrat, she was emphatically not a Clinton supporter, resigning as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee in February 2016 to endorse Bernie Sanders in the primary. Also on rt.com Tulsi 2020: Anti-war Democrat says she’s running for US president But Republicans, too, felt the need to speak up against her. “Liberals think she’s too conservative, conservatives think she’s too liberal, and just about everyone thinks her coziness with Bashar al-Assad is disturbing,” Republican National Committee spokesman Michael Ahrens said, also mentioning the congresswoman’s “lack of experience.” “Assad’s ‘mouthpiece’ in Washington” —RNC welcomes Tulsi Gabbard to the presidential race with a moniker that many liberals probably agree with as well pic.twitter.com/WJJrP1aJv1 — Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) January 12, 2019 The RNC released a “cheat sheet” of talking points following the news of Gabbard’s pending announcement, though some took that as a sign of weakness. The fact the GOP took the time to tweet out an infographic about her when they've only ever mentioned Kamala Harris on their Twitter feed one time ever, as far as I can tell, says a lot about the potential of her candidacy — I'm real (@edkrayewski) January 12, 2019 The Israel-first crew made its opinion known, though no one really asked them. Everyone in the pro-Israel lobby (myself included) is already talking about how to make sure that Tulsi Gabbard's campaign is over before it even gets off the ground — If you're going to bet on a Dem candidate, look elsewhere 🇮🇱 — Jacob Wohl (@JacobAWohl) January 12, 2019 Others didn’t even bother with “issues” or “facts,” preferring guilt by association and personal insults. These are the Tulsi Gabbard fans—Russian propaganda outlet and a KKK grand puppy dragon or whatever pretentious-ass title they give themselves. https://t.co/v3XXH8NAUO — Markos Moulitsas (@markos) January 12, 2019 I couldn't be more thrilled that @TulsiGabbard announced she's running for president. Because now all the think pieces exposing her for being just terrible can be published and people can stop pretending she gets a pass on her messed up record for whatever freaking reason. — Diana Hussein (@heyadiana) January 12, 2019 Tulsi Gabbard is an insane person, please stop talking about her like she’s a reasonable choice to lead anything — Sam (@samthielman) January 12, 2019 Like this story? Share it with a friend!<doc-sep>Claiming that politicians are “defending” objectionable rulers they meet with, in pursuit of achieving some alternative to war, is a tired trope that has been frequently used throughout history to discredit diplomatic engagement. As Gabbard told me in an interview shortly after returning from Syria: “The reason why I decided to take this meeting on this trip was because if we profess to care about the Syrian people — if we really truly care about ending their suffering and ending this war — then we should be ready to meet with anyone if there is a chance that that meeting and that conversation could help to bring about an end to this war.”<doc-sep>WASHINGTON – Tulsi Gabbard, the Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii who announced her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 over the weekend, promised that her campaign will focus on “the issue of war and peace.” This statement alone sets her apart from all of the other candidates who have already announced their intentions for the next presidential race: She is the first, and possibly only, candidate who plans to make foreign and defense policy a central part of her platform. This is especially true when it comes to the Middle East. Gabbard’s views and actions on this war-torn area can be described as unique and controversial. She has opposed recent U.S. military interventions in the Middle East, often citing her own experience of serving in Iraq to explain why she is so suspicious of American attempts to spread democracy or take down autocrats in the region. This has made her a favorite among many U.S. progressives, who are angry about the “forever wars” in Afghanistan and Iraq. Haaretz Weekly Ep. 12 0:00 -- : -- 15 Skip 15 seconds backwards Play audio 15 Skip 15 seconds ahead 1 X Change playback rate from 1 to 1 Mute audio At the same time, during her six years in Congress Gabbard has developed some surprising relationships with right-wing supporters of Israel who are affiliated with the Republican Party. Her contacts with such groups took place mostly during President Barack Obama’s time in the White House. In 2015, she spoke at a conference of Christians United for Israel – an organization whose leader and founder, Pastor John Hagee, is a strong supporter of West Bank settlements. A spokesman for CUFI told Haaretz that while Hagee himself has 'expressed skepticism' towards the two-state solution, that does not represent the organization's official position, which is to 'never oppose Israeli efforts to advance peace.' CUFI had a leading role in fighting Obama’s policies in the Middle East; Hagee, for example, is an outspoken supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump; Hagee was invited by the Trump administration to speak at last year's ceremony marking the transfer of the US. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In 2016, Gabbard received an award from Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, a New Jersey-based rabbi with close ties to casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson (the largest donor to the Republican Party). A year before Gabbard attended Boteach’s gala dinner and received his “Champion of Freedom” Award, Boteach published full-page ads in leading U.S. newspapers in which he accused Obama’s national security adviser, Susan Rice, of being responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. (Leading Jewish groups denounced the ads, and Boteach later apologized.) A picture from the 2016 gala dinner, which Boteach uploaded to his Twitter account, shows him and Gabbard together with Miriam Adelson, the Israeli-born wife of Sheldon Adelson and a partner to his political donations to many GOP politicians. The Adelsons were the largest donors to Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016, and they spent tens of millions of dollars in 2012 in a failed attempt to stop Obama from winning a second term. They also invested tens of millions in a failed attempt to keep Democrats from gaining control of the House of Representatives in 2018. Unlike many progressive Democrats, Gabbard didn’t skip Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before the U.S. Congress in March 2015, in the midst of that year’s Israeli election. Sen. Bernie Sanders, whom Gabbard later strongly endorsed in the Democratic primary, didn’t attend the speech, accusing Netanyahu and Republicans in Congress of a “very bad” political stunt. A year later, Gabbard’s primary challenger in Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District, Shay Chan Hodges, attacked Gabbard for supporting a bill against online gambling that Adelson and other casino operators were promoting. In an article headlined “Who Does Tulsi Gabbard Represent?” Hodges asked: “Why is Tulsi Gabbard so friendly with a Republican billionaire?” and mentioned both Boteach’s 2016 award and the online gambling legislation. Open gallery view FILE: U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) waves after making a nomination speech for Senator Bernie Sanders at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 26, 2016 Credit: \ Scott Audette/ REUTERS Yet when Gabbard’s positions on the Israeli-Palestinian issue are examined, it is clear that, at least over the past two years, she has expressed views that are far from those of Adelson and the CUFI. In January 2017, she published a statement in support of a two-state solution to the conflict (Adelson has described Palestinians as a made-up nation). In May 2018, she criticized Israel for its reaction to protests and riots on the Gaza border and, during the same month, also condemned Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal (which she voted in favor of in 2015). The most unique – and controversial – step Gabbard has taken when it comes to the Middle East was her January 2017 trip to Syria, during which she met with President Bashar Assad, who has emerged victorious from the country’s devastating civil war. Gabbard didn’t inform her party’s congressional leadership about the meeting with Assad, which she claimed was part of an attempt to “bring peace” to Syria. She was harshly criticized by politicians from both parties for taking the meeting. Even before her trip to Syria, Gabbard expressed non-mainstream views on Syria. In November 2015, she introduced a bipartisan bill to "end the illegal war" against Syria. “The U.S. is waging two wars in Syria. The first is the war against ISIS and other Islamic extremists, which Congress authorized after the terrorist attacks on 9/11,” she stated. The second war, she said, "is the illegal war to overthrow the Syrian government of Assad. "The war to overthrow Assad is counter-productive because it actually helps ISIS and other Islamic extremists achieve their goal of overthrowing the Syrian government of Assad and taking control of all of Syria – which will simply increase human suffering in the region, exacerbate the refugee crisis, and pose a greater threat to the world," she continued. "Also, the war to overthrow Assad is illegal because Congress never authorized it.” In 2016, Gabbard said, “There is no doubt that Assad is a brutal dictator, but common sense tells us that if we want to defeat ISIS and other Islamist extremist groups, we need to immediately end the illegal and counterproductive war to overthrow the Syrian government of Assad.” This position is somewhat similar to that of Trump, who has made similar comments over the past few years. Trump has denounced Assad as an “animal” and twice used military force to punish him for allegedly using chemical weapons against civilians. But at the same time, he has insisted that the top priority for the United States. is defeating ISIS, and that Assad can remain in power. Gabbard was an early and avowed supporter of Sanders during the 2016 Democratic primaries that he eventually lost to Hillary Clinton. She is hoping to attract the support of progressive Democrats during next year’s party primaries, and to distinguish herself from other candidates by highlighting her independent foreign policy views. If her nomination gains steam and becomes a viable threat to more well-known candidates, the risk for Gabbard is that the very same issues she wants to highlight – her foreign policy views – will be used against her by her opponents. * An earlier version of this article incorrectly attributed Pastor Hagee’s positions on the two-state solution to CUFI.<doc-sep>
Washington (AFP) - Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, an Iraq war veteran who met dictator Bashar al-Assad in Syria during that country's devastating civil war, said Friday that she is launching a US presidential bid. "I have decided to run and will be making a formal announcement within the next week," Gabbard told CNN. If elected, the 37-year-old lawmaker would be the youngest president in US history. She is the first Hindu member of Congress and its first Samoan American. "There are a lot of reasons for me to make this decision. There are a lot of challenges that are facing the American people that I'm concerned about and that I want to help solve," she said, citing health care access and climate change among them. Gabbard sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where she is able to influence US foreign policy. "There is one main issue that is central to the rest, and that is the issue of war and peace," Gabbard added. "I look forward to being able to get into this and to talk about it in depth when we make our announcement." Gabbard was born in American Samoa and was raised in Hawaii, where she is known to surf. The previous Democratic president, Barack Obama, was also raised in Hawaii, and is the only president who was born in the island state. Gabbard's announcement comes ahead of what is expected to be a wave of high-profile candidates throwing their hats in the ring. Senator Elizabeth Warren has formed an exploratory committee for a presidential bid, and last week took a high-profile trip to the early voting state of Iowa. Former vice president Joe Biden and progressive Senator Bernie Sanders, whom Gabbard supported over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries, are also mulling entering the race. Julian Castro, a former mayor of San Antonio who served in Barack Obama's cabinet as housing secretary, says he will announce his 2020 plans on Saturday. Story continues Gabbard drew heavy criticism when she met secretly with Assad in Damascus in 2017 during a fact-finding mission that also took her to the decimated city of Aleppo. She also met with refugees and Syrian opposition leaders. "Originally, I had no intention of meeting with Assad, but when given the opportunity, I felt it was important to take it," Gabbard said when her trip became public. "I think we should be ready to meet with anyone if there's a chance it can help bring about an end to this war, which is causing the Syrian people so much suffering." Gabbard was deployed to Iraq in 2005, and she maintains her role as a member of the Hawaii National Guard.