We have to admit we jumped a little when we read the headline Republican presidential hopeful Thompson: Money-making part of Jewish tradition. But turns out it's Tommy Thompson, not Fred Thompson. Also it turns out that there's nothing to see here:

He was talking about Jews have succeeded in America's private sector. That's just a tiny bit more problematic than complimenting Jews on having succeeded in establishing a presence in America's upper education system. Yes, it's a trope used by anti-Semites. But no it's not something that's so odious that it's rhetorically off-limits. If we were his speech writers we would have been a little more careful with the wording - and we might have taken it out entirely because it's such a thorny issue. But what are people going to complain about? The soft bigotry of heightened expectation?

In other words, it's not like Wes Clark complaining that US foreign policy is controlled by New York money people. Because that, you see, is actually meant to be the same thing that anti-Semites say. You don't have to misinterpret his intention or stretch the meaning to find anti-Semitism. It's just plain anti-Semitic. Which is what makes the NJDC's condemnation of Thompson - which we found out about from Daled Amos - not only wrong but hypocritical.

References:
* Republican presidential hopeful Thompson: Money-making part of Jewish tradition
* MR Has A Question For Democratic Jews: Are You Fucking Retarded?

Previously:
* Tell Me Again About How Democrats Can Be Trusted
* Yet Another Democratic Leader Meets With Yet Another Totalitarian Thug Dedicated To Wiping Out Israel
* Democrats are Vulgar, Republicans are Funny

Cross-posted to:
* The Astute Bloggers