It all depends on your perspective. I am an alumnus of the U of Michigan History Department (M.A. 1971), where the loathsome Mr. Cole currently hangs his hat. I say gehst du im gesundeheight, and don't let the door hit you in the rear on your way out.

My favorite is his Millenium Plot piece. He links to a newspaper series on the subject, quotes one of the segments, and gets the conclusion completely wrong: the plot was foiled not because the suspect was acting suspiciously, or because the border guards were diligent, but because Clinton had increased customs operations. Says James Steinberg:

There was a lot of luck involved in catching this guy?

There was considerable luck involved. ... It was not an intelligence success. It was not a case where, because of good intelligence practice, counterintelligence, counterterrorist practice, that we had identified individuals and were able to track them and then intercept them. And I think an important lesson will be, and was taken, is what did we know, what did the government of Canada and the U.S. government know, what should we, might we have [done beforehand to lessen] the risk that such a person should be able to operate and get as far as he did? ...

That's scholarship for you, I guess. Even after Ressam was apprehended, we didn't appreciate what we had (much less attempt to utilize it) until much later.

Comment left at Cole's entry on the Fund article -

My question is why does Mr. Cole, 'an academic' delete all critical remarks made of him or his statements regularly here?

As to the hit piece on Fund.... it's pretty laughable. He 'mistreats' women supposedly, had an affair with a 23 year old, who he 'supposedly mis-treated' but who is now experiencing financial difficulties, so Mr. Fund has had her move in with him and "given her a computer"......
LOL...

Juan was misquoted that's a far cry from libel and in the context of his statement Fund's characterization is not that far off.

Needless to say there is so much hypocritical, hysterical, overtly political, un-professional, poorly researched and embarrassing material on Mr. Cole (which he regularly delete after the fact) that getting caught up on 1 quote is just a diversion and the accuser and professional smear merchant trying to hype his own "valiant fight and victimhood" in the face of his "amoral" enemies.

Is Mr. Cole a Professor or a demagogue, it's hard to tell... or is that what has become of MEast studies in the academic world these days?

If anyone would like the hundreds of links that copiously detail and display Mr. Cole's displays of ignorance, un-professionalism, buffonery and smear merchanting just let me know.... if you still believe it's a "Likudnick" conspiracy against him... then please by all means Drink that Kool Aid with your sunglasses on and lots of ice to swallow.

And read this quickly bcs I imagine this will be deleted by Big Brother rather quickly.

Regards..

I don't agree with most of Cole's writings but the antisemite smear is so overused it has become meaningless.

Cole's view of Israel is nearly coterminous with that of Pat Buchanan's, which tells you all you need to know about today's pseudo-Left.

No mystery, he is supportive of the Walt/Mearsheimer Protocols of Zion II, paper as well. He states that most american jews are against current Israeli policies.

Cole represents not only all that is wrong with the american academic community, but also all that is wrong with a left made partners with the most execrable causes on the planet.

Guys let me act like Cole for a second.

Cole hasn't adopted the 'cause' as a leftist. I believe his wife is a Pakistani Muslim and he is a fervent "anti-Orientalist". That IS his raison d'etre, not any left wing domestic ideiology, though that may very well be his belief as well.

Simply put after all the easy dissections of the guy.

He is a 1 track obssessed politico who sees everthing and every occurence through his political ideological lense and uses everything to interject that.

He can't even try and cleverly disguise that.

That's not a "teacher" or "academic" any way you cut or define it.

This guy can't even stand in the same room as an Elie Kedourie or Bernard Lewis. He's a cheap soap box version of an "acaademic"....

And that is the truth.

Mike

I live at 81635 Commonwealth in Seattle. Been up here before?