Declan writes:
Eric Cordian's claim is false. There is a discussion of that alleged quote in what appears to be the editorial pages ofthe Omaha World-Herald on October 1, 2001 -- two days before Cordian claims Sharon said it.
Did Cordian's source get the date wrong but the quote right? Well, here's an excerpt from that discussion:
With reference to Bruce Malina's question (Oct. 27 Pulse) as to why Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's statement to Foreign Minister Shimon Peres wasn't reported in the U.S. media: The answer is that it is difficult to believe that any Israeli leader could be so stupid as to say, "We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans know it." Mr. Malina uses a very suspect source, the Washington Report of Oct. 3.
OK, I'll bite. How did the Omaha World Herald on October 1, quote the Washington Report from October 3, in response to a reader question of October 27? Also, he doesn't debunk the quote. He just expresses his opinion that no Israeli leader could be so stupid, and continues merrily on to say that one magazine that reported the remark is "influenced" by Arabs.
The quote also appears in an Oct. 13 bylined article in The Tallahassee Democrat:
So how does Israel, in turn, show its reliability as a friend to the United States? To answer that question, we turn to an Oct. 3 report from the Palestinian Information Center in occupied Jerusalem. According to this report, an argument broke out during a recent Israeli Cabinet session between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his foreign minister, Shimon Peres. Peres had warned Sharon that if they didn't heed America's request for a cease-fire with the Palestinians it would endanger Israeli interests and turn the United States against them. At which point, a furious Sharon reportedly told Peres, "Every time we do something, you tell me that America will do this or do that. I want to tell you something very clear. Don't worry about American pressure on Israel. We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans know it."
If it appeared in a bylined article in a mainstream American newspaper, and everyone involved has not been fired, and no retraction has been issued, many months later, I would tend to believe that the authenticity of the quote is not in question.
Whatever Sharon's true feelings, the provenance of that quote seems especially dubious. If you believe otherwise, I have some 1,000:1 compression software to sell you.
I'll pass on the 1,000:1 compression software, but I'm pretty sure about the quote. Anyone in Israel care to confirm or deny? -- Eric Michael Cordian 0+ O:.T:.O:. Mathematical Munitions Division "Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law"