The “Center for American Progress” in Washington wants Members of Congress, major U.S. media, and the American people to see them as the canonical “Democratic think tank.” But CAP President Neera Tanden hasn't represented the majority of Democrats on war and peace. On war and peace, she represents a particular special interest group: corporatist-militarist “Democrats” who mindlessly support the endless regime change wars of the Blob, corporatist-militarist “Democrats” who don’t believe in obeying the War Powers Clause of the Constitution or the War Powers Resolution of 1973, because that would be an obstacle to endless war.
 
The New York Times reports:

“In 2008, Neera Tanden, then a top aide on Hillary Clinton’s first presidential campaign [i.e., against Barack Obama], accompanied Mrs. Clinton to what was expected to be an easy interview at the Center for American Progress, the influential group founded by top Clinton aides. But Faiz Shakir, the chief editor of the think tank’s ThinkProgress website, asked Mrs. Clinton a question about the Iraq war, an issue dogging her candidacy because she had supported it. Ms. Tanden responded by circling back to Mr. Shakir after the interview and, according to a person in the room, punching him in the chest.”
 
The Times characterizes CAP as “a legacy Clinton organization,” noting that it was “founded in 2003 [the same year that the Bush Administration illegally invaded Iraq, with the vigorous and outspoken support of both Bill and Hillary Clinton] by top advisers to Bill and Hillary Clinton” and that “its donor rolls overlap substantially with those of the Clintons’ campaigns and foundation.” The Times also notes that CAP “has taken in millions from interests often criticized by liberals, including Wall Street financiers, big banks, Silicon Valley titans, foreign governments, defense contractors and the health care industry.”
 
In particular, the Times notes that “From 2016 through last year [during which time Saudi-UAE were starving tens of thousands of Yemeni children to death], the center accepted nearly $2.5 million from the United Arab Emirates to fund its National Security and International Policy initiative, according to previously unreported internal budget documents.” It’s actually the UAE, even more than its close ally the Saudi regime, that has starved 85,000 Yemeni children to death by blockading Yemeni civilians.

 
The Times notes that in November 2015, Tanden invited Benjamin Netanyahu to CAP in order to cultivate Jonathan Lavine, a managing partner at Bain Capital, a pro-Netanyahu donor, who gave CAP $1 million. On the day of the Netanyahu visit, Tanden told CAP’s founder, John Podesta, that the “far left hates me” for hosting Netanyahu, but the invitation “may have sealed the deal with” Lavine. The next month, Tanden wrote a jubilant email to Podesta, telling him Lavine was joining the CAP board. “So Netanyahu was worth it,” Tanden said. Lavine’s foundation remains a big donor to CAP, the Times says.
 
Something has to give here. It can’t be the case that CAP is allowed to speak for “Democrats” while its agenda is set by “Wall Street financiers, big banks, Silicon Valley titans, foreign governments, defense contractors and the health care industry.”

Urge Members of Congress to tell Neera Tanden to stop taking warhawk money for CAP by signing our petition. 

Thanks for all you do to help U.S. foreign policy become a bit more just,

Hassan El-Tayyab, Sarah Burns, and Robert Reuel Naiman

Just Foreign Policy

If you think our work is important, please support us with a donation. 

We hear that 18 is lucky. 

http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate