John Hagee's 3rd annual Christians United For Israel summit broke attendance records, but included stifling new restrictions on press coverage, while coaching attendees on lobbying and media control. The "religious" event concentrated on escalating Mid-East conflict, trotting out Joe Lieberman and many of the same speakers who misinformed the public on Iraq, speciously claiming Iran has nuclear weapons and ties to Al Qaeda.

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A reported 7,000+ supporters attended the July 20-23 Summit of the Christians United For Israel in DC, including over 400 ministers representing mega-churches, Christian media or universities. CUFI claims a staggering membership of over 50 million in America celebrating Christian and Jewish unity, primarily by condemning and attacking those who challenge Israel's right to exist.

But is CUFI's prime directive religious? Political? Both? Some are saying neither.

During last year's conference, Hagee's followers told interviewers the controversial televangelist has prophesized the Apocalypse in which all Jews will be annihilated before the Lord wipes out the rest of humankind - except for Evangelical Christians.

Hagee himself recently has been de-emphasizing this, instructing his followers not to talk to outsiders about the "end times" rapture.

Eyewitnesses claim the attendees had the same wild-eyed theories as previous years, despite Hagee's attempt to repair his image after John McCain condemned him for hate speech. Hagee also had his legal team press YouTube to remove "copyrighted" anti-Semitic, anti-Catholic or homophobic sermons and statements in recent weeks - including third party reports he held no copyright to.

This year's audience was larger by a third, but CUFI staff banned reporters and press, forbidding interviews of CUFI members.

According to "Intellectual Conservative" and self-proclaimed investigative journalist Fern Sidman, CUFI's main objective is to lobby for support of the State of Israel, decrying the threat of Iranian nuclear attack. But the lack of hard evidence of a current nuclear weapons program in Iran suggests the need for a "faith" based approach to the issue, embracing Israel's "chosen" status as a nuclear power exempt from international non-proliferation treaties.

Guest speakers included neocon wonk Frank Gaffney, a former protégé of Richard Perle with extensive military-industrial ties including Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. Gaffney's speech presented "nuanced" evidence of Iran's nuclear program, though Gaffney claimed Iraq had WMD as late as February of 2007.

Gaffney was one of several former government officials on the same defense contractor/lobbyist script, presenting hotly disputed accounts of the likelihood of an unprovoked attack by Iran. 

Another presenter was former senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) who continued to peddle the Iraq/WMD myth right up until his November 2006 defeat. Santorum talked himself into an awkward corner, however, claiming Shia Iranians' irrational acts stem from their religious fervor as "end-timers", where atheist Russians had the sense to avoid nuclear confrontation because they were not...er, religious kooks.

Despite the media lockdown, some clips from the event have been posted online. This year CUFI directors fed audiences talking points, advising them how to curry influence with elected officials on Capitol Hill. Glatt kosher catering was provided.

Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) was the biggest name in attendance, announcing progress on a banking bill imposing sanctions against Iran. Also protested heavily for supporting Hagee, Lieberman disrespected 42,000 petitioners, most of whom were American Jews - "the bond I feel with Pastor John Hagee and each of you" he crowed, "is much stronger than that and so I am proud to stand with you here tonight."

Lieberman also told the audience Iran was arming nukes, training and funding terrorists the world over, yet other then citing a 1984 bombing of a Jewish community center in Argentina for which some Iranians were suspected, no evidence for these broad claims was given. Instead, Lieberman offered the almost hypnotic suggestion "You see Israel and America under threat" adding "it is a cause greater than yourselves".

Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY) joined in the call for preemptive strikes against Iran. Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) applauded Engel for appearing despite an "avalanche of liberal pressure" urging him to reconsider.

Said Pence, "Congressman Engel being here today was an act of moral courage". Engel's legislative record shows less-than moral representation of his own district however, using his foreign affairs committee chair to give voice to radical pro-war Israeli lobbyists, or aiding large telecommunications firms such as Verizon and ClearChannel bring an end to net neutrality.

Engel did rouse the CUFI crowd by praising George W. Bush's go-it-alone cowboy policies in the Middle East. "I want the U.S. to stand squarely and behind our only true ally, Israel" he spouted, specifically stating "I don't want the U.S. to be evenhanded in the Middle East". 

Former RNC Communications Director Clifford May, who still claims Iran is arming al Qaeda even after Sen. McCain's retraction, likened modern day Shiites to Hitler's genocidal Nazis, joining the other alarmists (who were previously wrong on Iraq) in presentation of rapid-succession talking points and prepared videos.

Another guest lectured on how to divest, sanction and boycott US companies trading with Iran, Syria and "the terrorist organizations that they fund".

With such clear-cut marching orders on lobbying methods, media messaging strategies and economic activism through CUFI's geopolitical powerpoint "debriefings" it's hard to see how this three-year old organization sells itself as a religious educational institution with 501c(3) "non-lobby" status rather then a mobilization arm of military-industrial and energy industry interests.

Israeli Knesset Member Colette Avital agreed, calling for Israel's leadership to denounce Hagee in the belief CUFI is a pseudo-religious front operation, simply buying influence in the Jewish community because they want to see an escalation of military conflict in the Mid-East - with Israel sticking their neck out to strike first.

Avital reminded readers that Israelis predominantly favor a two-state solution. Despite significant influence, AIPAC and NORPAC therefore represent minority views held by an out-of-touch, partisan elite who might benefit from various war-based businesses or soaring energy prices.

With AIPAC's pro-war agenda so ham-handed, (Hagee presented their 2007 keynote speech), many fled their ranks to create J Street, a pro-Israel, pro-peace PAC, sponsoring at least one recent poll which suggested an overwhelming majority of American Jews also favor diplomatic solutions.

Hagee's ministry blatantly seeks to make inroads in uniting pro-war Christians and Jews to influence government, media, finance, and the voting electorate. A $365 "Lion of Judah" membership even gets members quarterly teleconference calls "with Israeli and U.S. elected officials", so you can pay for access to politicians as you are instructed how to lobby for war and manipulate the media.

Personally, I prefer my religion in the realm of the spiritual, and I think evenhandedness is a moral imperative. 

Americans should all avail themselves of the full body of evidence available with respect to weaponized Iranian nukes, including the U.S. government's own November 2007 National Intelligence Estimate which surmises there is no such weapons program in place.

A covert CIA sting operation seeking to illegally trade nukes with Iran was intentionally blown by the same White House team insiders now say hoaxed the entire case for the Iraq war, alarming Americans with ginned-up claims of weapons arsenals and "imminent danger".

Though Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has famously said Israel's name will one day be removed from the map of time, he also reached out to President Bush to talk, then challenged Bush to a debate, appeared on 60 Minutes and other U.S. press, asking, among other questions, why Germany shouldn't provide the homeland for the Jews and how any follower of Jesus Christ could allow nations to be invaded?

What else has this "madman" said?

"Anyone who is a Palestinian citizen, whether Christian, Jewish or Muslim, should decide together in a very free referendum. There is no need for war. There is no need for threats or an atom bomb either."

Authors Bio:

(OpEdNews Contributing Editor since October 2006) Inner city schoolteacher from New York, mostly covering media manipulation. I put election/finance reform ahead of all issues but also advocate for fiscal conservatism, ethics in journalism and curbing overpopulation. I enjoy open debate, history, the arts and hope to adopt a third child. Gustav Wynn is a pseudonym, but you knew that.

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