This video is nothing short of shocking, as radio host and author John Ziegler is repeatedly berated and abused by David Keene of the American Conservative Union for the crime of asking questions that make Keene uncomfortable. Video thanks to Pamela, who has the background — don’t miss it.
What does this have to do with jihad? Everything. The Ziegler video, with its depiction of Keene’s egregious behavior, gives a good opportunity to spotlight the failure of the conservative mainstream to deal with the jihad issue. David Keene is not only the head of the ACU, but also of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which I criticized in Newsweek last February for its Grover Norquist-mandated refusal to deal with the jihad or Islamic supremacism in any meaningful or effective way.
At the time I was interviewed by Newsweek, Pamela Geller was working tirelessly behind the scenes to secure a speaking slot for Geert Wilders at CPAC, but CPAC was dragging its feet. With that in mind, I told Newsweek that people were afraid to deal with this issue, and added at Jihad Watch that “Keene’s, or someone’s, priorities are seriously out of order. Wilders should be front and center at CPAC, and the defense of free speech its central theme.”
I didn’t know it at the time, but after I was interviewed by Newsweek and before their article appeared, Keene decided to honor Wilders at CPAC and give him an award. But when the Newsweek piece hit, with quotes from me as well as David Horowitz saying, “How is it possible that a conservative conference does not have a single panel on the threat from radical Islam?,” Keene was furious. He was so furious that he canceled the award for Wilders and refused to let him speak at all, saying he wasn’t going to look as if he was being pushed around by Robert Spencer. Suddenly a few remarks in Newsweek by David Horowitz and me were controlling David Keene’s world. Principles? Free speech? Jihad and Islamization? Pah. For Keene, it was just a schoolyard fight, and he was behaving like a schoolyard bully — as he does here with Ziegler.
Pamela Geller, of course, had the last laugh. She never gave up, and single-handedly organized a wildly successful evening for Wilders that was held at the Omni Hotel in Washington, the site of CPAC, during the time CPAC was being held, but it was not a CPAC event. She gave Wilders much greater, more effective exposure than he got an any other stop on his American tour at the time — indeed, it was a great event, an event for the ages. I was honored to be able to assist a bit with that effort, and to speak briefly there. Her amazing work shows what one determined and hard-working citizen can accomplish, despite the roadblocks thrown in her way by the likes of David Keene. See Pamela’s account and pictures here and her other reports here.
And this video now shows yet again — the conservative movement needs new leadership. David Keene should be removed from any leadership role with the ACU and CPAC. But as long as Grover Norquist, with his jihadist friends and allies, still wields so much influence among conservatives, that is unlikely to happen.
Don’t miss this video also. As Ziegler says, “If David Keene is a leader in the conservative movement, that’s a movement I don’t want to be part of.” Amen to that.