Breaking news? A GW grad student hates CUFI

Christians United for Israel (CUFI) sits at the nexus of the two things the far-left and the far-right commonly despise: Christian political advocacy and the Jewish state of Israel. As a result, from time-to-time, an overzealous college/graduate student discovers CUFI and concludes that attacking our organization is their chance to make a big splash.

The most recent example of this phenomenon is George Washington University graduate student Thomas Buonomo’s factually challenged anti-CUFI screed “Sen. Graham fans the flames of religious nationalism.”

{mosads}The piece is unserious. Its policy focus, opposition to Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) proposed Authorization for Use of Military Force against Iran’s nuclear weapons program, is drowned out by the author’s personal contempt for Christian Zionists.

Rather than providing a thoughtful analysis of Iran policy, Buonomo focuses much of his piece on Graham’s decision, in July, to speak at the 2013 CUFI Washington Summit.

The best Buonomo can muster to advance this criticism is a series of inaccurate and misleading attacks against CUFI and its founder. These falsehoods are then complimented by Buonomo’s poorly thought-out assertion that elected officials should not speak at CUFI events because “Implied policymaker endorsement of organizations such as CUFI reinforce Islamist narratives of a supposed ‘Christian-Zionist’ conspiracy against the Muslim world…” I think most Americans would agree that elected officials should be focused on what’s in America’s best interests rather than governed by any alleged “Islamist narratives” or conspiracy theories.

Ultimately, what sets Buonomo’s post apart is not its substance but its placement. It is rare for such unserious screeds to be published by legitimate news organizations. I of course respect The Hill’s ostensible desire to include a broad range of opinions on their site, but in this case, a little more editorial discretion was in order.  Whether an author is advancing birtherism, 9/11 truth conspiracies, or – as in Buonomo’s case – the belief that Christian supporters of Israel are led by a “cult leader” and are courted by Jewish “militarists,” some opinion pieces belong in the garbage, not on The Hill.

Morgenstern is the communications director for Christians United for Israel.