CAPITOL
HILL, Saturday, December 30, 2006 — There
has been concern among Irish-Americans that the
people in Ireland were becoming increasingly anti-American.
I think that concern is over-blown a bit. My own
experience is that there is an anti-Bush feeling
in Ireland, but it is not anti-American. Big difference.
However,
a fascinating piece of apparent anti-Americanism
has emerged from Belfast, all the more interesting
in that it is not new but 30 years old. And it
comes from our old friends in British Intelligence.
The
just released 1976 British Cabinet Papers —
published after the 30-year confidentiality rule
— reveal that the SDLP had conflicted feelings
about America. Yet it was America that helped
to make John Hume an international statesman.
The Irish News, Saturday, December 30,
2006, in a story headlined "Fitt shunned
dinner over SAS gaffe" says:
The
former SDLP leader, Gerry Fitt - who died in
2005 - failed to turn up at a dinner party at
Stormont 30 years ago because he was embarrassed
over a highly public gaffe concerning the SAS.
"Mr
Hume said that the real reason for Mr Fitt's
absence from the dinner was that he was licking
his wounds after his statement comparing the
SAS to the CIA.
"This
had brought ridicule from outside down upon
the party and many of their own supporters had
been complaining that they could not take this
statement seriously."
My,
my, Saint John apologizing for his leader comparing
the "bad" CIA to the" good"
SAS! Now, I'm no fan of the CIA, despite DeNiro's
new, excellent movie, "The Good Shepherd",
filmed in part right next door to my old office,
413 Capital St. SE (In the movie Matt Damon is
seen coming out of the drycleaners, Capitol Hill
Valet, 409 East Capital St. SE). However, I find
it extraordinary that John Hume would make excuses
for the notorious SAS that assassinated Catholics,
carried out State-sanctioned acts of terrorism
and colluded with Protestant death squads.
If
that's not anti-Americanism, what is?
