"I Got Almost a Billion Dollars in OTher Goodies That People Don't Even Know About"
"DS: (David Steiner) Well, let me tell you what my personal position is. Okay?
HK: ( Haim[Harry] Katz)Yeah.
DS: From a Jewish point of view, I believe in political loyalty.
HK: Right.
DS: And if someone has been good for Israel, no matter who, if my brother would run against them, I would support them because they'd been good to Israel because that's an important message to people.
HK: Right."
and:
"DS: We commissioned a poll and got some people, and I've got to raise $27,000 to pay for the poll . . . so I have, so what I'm trying to do is make a priority list, because I don't know how far you want to go. . . how old are your kids by the way? . . . You had three children that could write checks, do they have their own checking accounts?
HK: Yes.
DS: Oh, so that's not going to be. . .
HK: How old do they have to be?
DS: They can't be one year old.
HK: I mean, could they be 18, 17?
DS: Sure, no problem, so they could make, nobody's going to bother you, but if you had infants, a four-year-old, let's say, it's not a contest."
and:
"DS: Yeah! Well, we might lose him. There's been such a sea change, such trouble this year, I can't believe all our friends that are in trouble. Because there's an anti-incumbency mood, and foreign aid has not been popular. You know what I got for, I met with [U.S. Secretary of State] Jim Baker and I cut a deal with him. I got, besides the $3 billion, you know they're looking for the Jewish votes, and I'll tell him whatever he wants to hear. . .
HK: Right.
DS: Besides the $10 billion in loan guarantees which was a fabulous thing, $3 billion in foreign, in military aid, and I got almost a billion dollars in other goodies that people don't even know about.
HK: Such as?
DS: $700 million in military draw-down, from equipment that the United States Army's going to give to Israel; $200 million the U.S. government is going to preposition materials in Israel, which Israel can draw upon; put them in the global warning protection system; so when if there's a missile fired, they'll get the same advanced notification that the U.S., is notified, joint military exercises – I've got a whole shopping list of things.
HK: So this is from Baker?
DS: From Baker and from the Pentagon.
HK: So, not so, not.. .
DS: Why did he do it, you know, why did he do it? Last year I was a bum. This year I said look Jim, we're going to fight on the F-l5s. Israel doesn't want to fight, I said, but some people on it are going to come up on the floor of the Senate and the House and they're going to fight. If you'll do this, I think I can hold them back. But you've got to do it right away. They didn't want to fight. I said, `You don't want a fight before the election. It's going to hurt Bush. We don't want a fight before the election. We don't want to fight at all. Why can't we work something out?' So we cut a deal. You can't repeat this.
HK: You're right. But you met with Baker. . .
DS: Personally.
HK: Personally. Because you know, he's the one who cursed, who cursed the Jews.
DS: Of course, do you think I'm ever going to forgive him for that?
HK: Unbelievable. I said...
DS: Do you think I could ever forgive Bush for what he did September 12th a year ago? What he said about the Jews for lobbying in Washington?
HK: Do you think that Baker has a legitimate concern for the Jews? From what I hear, do you think he's anti-Semitic?
DS: I wouldn't go so far as to say that. He's a pragmatic businessman, he's a very tough lawyer. He does whatever it takes."
and:
"DS: We'll have to get you involved. I like you, we have a lot to talk about, about real estate, you know, I have so many great activities going on at AIPAC, you ought to think about coming to some of these things. I'll have a dinner this fall. I'll have 18-20 senators there. I run programs in Washington. We just had a, I had at Ted Kennedy's house last month kosher dinner. I brought foremost caterers down. I had 60 people on the couch for dinner. Last year, I did it in Al Gore's house."
and (obligatory Polish connection!):
"HK: Let me ask you, [talks about getting cheated in business by Gentiles]. Let me ask you, Clinton, if he becomes, I mean what will he do for Israel, better than Bush, if he becomes, I know Bush gave you a hard time, this and that. ..
DS: I'II tell you, I have friends on the Clinton campaign, close associates. Gore is very committed to us.
HK: Right. Clinton if he, have you spoken to him?
DS: I've known Bill for seven, eight years from the National Governors Association. I know him on a personal basis. I have friends. One of my friends is Hillary Clinton's scheduler, one of my officer's daughters works there. We gave two employees from AIPAC leave of absences to work on the campaign. I mean, we have a dozen people in that campaign, in the headquarters.
HK: You mean in Little Rock?
DS: In Little Rock, and they're all going to get big jobs. We have friends. I also work with a think tank, the Washington Institute. I have Michael Mandelbaum and Martin Indyk being foreign policy advisers. Steve Speigel – we've got friends – this is my business.
HK: I understand, David.
DS: It's very complicated and the more you get into it, you'll love it. You sound like a smart guy.
HK: I'm a smart guy, but I have a, maybe because I'm more orthodox than you are, I've had bad experiences with Gentiles. Let me ask you, you know what `tachlis' means?
DS: Yeah, sure.
HK: From a practical point of view, if Clinton wins the presidency, and I'm sure he will, I hope so at least, what will be the benefits to Israel better than Bush? From a very practical point . . . I mean, you just told me that Bush gave you everything you wanted. . .
DS: Only, not everything, at the end, when we didn't want the F-15s, that's a terrible thing.
HK: Selling the F-15s? If Clinton is elected. . .
DS: Let me tell you the problem with the $10 billion in loan guarantees, right? We only have the first year. We have authorization from Congress, but it's at the discretion of the president every year thereafter, so if Bush is there, he could say, you know, use it as a club, you know. 'If you don't give up Syria, I won't give you the money. If you don't give up the Golan Heights.' It's at the discretion of the president. And that's why we need a friendly president and we have Bill Clinton's ear. I talked to Bill Clinton.
HK: And Bill Clinton has made a commitment that if he's elected . . . ?
DS: He's going to be very good for us.
HK: And he'll go ahead with the loan guarantees?
DS: We didn't talk about that specifically, listen, I didn't ask him that, but I have full confidence that we're going to have a much better situation. He's got Jewish friends. A girl who worked for me at AIPAC stood up for them at their wedding. Hillary lived with her. I mean we have those relationships. We have never had that with Bush. Susan Thomases, who's in there, worked with me on the Bradley campaign. We worked together for 13 years. She's In there with the family. They stay with her when they come to New York. One of my officers, Monte Friedkin, is one of the biggest fund-raisers for them. I mean, I have people like that all over the country.
HK: So, I mean from a practical point of view. . .
DS: He's going to be with us.
HK: I don't say, this business, you say, Bush only went ahead with the loan guarantees for one year.
DS: We only have. It's mandatory they give us the $2 billion for one year. After that it's subject to the discretion of the president.
HK: You mean the other $8 billion?
DS: That's correct. On an annualized basis.
HK: Also, I heard that. . .
DS: They don't have to give it to us.
HK: But if Clinton is elected. . .
DS:... feel reasonably certain we're gonna get It.
HK: He's made that commitment?
DS: Well, he said he's going to help us. He's got something in his heart for the Jews, he has Jewish friends. Bush has no Jewish friends.
HK: Right.
DS: Reagan had something . . . meshuga, but at least he had a commitment. He knew Jews from the film industry, he was one of the best guys for us. He had an emotional thing for the Jews. Bush doesn't have it. That's what it is really, if you have a feeling for our people, for what we believe in. Bush is, there's a man with no principles. Absolutely no principles.
HK: I heard something about, but I never really understood it, with the scoring. One of my friends told me there's a difference in the scoring, but I don't understand. . .
DS: Scoring is like points that you pay.
HK: So let's say, if Bush is elected on the loans . . .
DS: No, we've got the scoring arranged, it's four and a half percent. It's all done.
HK: That's all done, even with Bush?
DS: Even with Bush. I've got that worked out.
HK: So that's all done.
DS: It's in the bill. It's all passed. He signed the bill. It's a matter of law.
HK: So it's already four and a half percent?
DS: We could've had it less, but then we couldn't. . .
HK: And Clinton, if he was president, he would give...?
DS: He could not change it, you cannot change it.
HK: No, but I'm saying, if he was president now, before the bill was signed, he would've given you the four and a half percent. . .
DS: I would've gotten less.
HK: I'm sorry?
DS: I would've gotten it cheaper.
HK: How much? Even two percent?
DS: Yeah, we thought we were going to get two percent. But Rabin gave it away.
HK: You mean Rabin didn't bargain as good as he could have?
DS: That's right.
HK: Unbelievable. So, if Clinton is elected, that will be the best. ..
DS: I think that will be the best we could do.
HK: You know, I just want to tell you one last thing. Do you have parents that come from Europe?
DS: Yeah, of course, from Glolitzano, near Krakow. ,
HK: You're kidding, your parents are from Krakow?
DS: Near Krakow.
HK: Guess what?
DS: You too?
HK: My parents are from Krakow.
DS: Well, we're not from Krakow, but from near Krakow. My mother's from Rudnick, my father from Gruns, near Tano. Do you know where Tano is?
HK: Yes. Let me tell you. . .
DS .. don't have many left. Everybody got
HK: Let me tell you. The same with me. Let me tell you, my parents were the only ones who came out. Let me tell you, my. . .
DS: You're a Holocaust survivor?
HK: Yeah, no, not me, my parents.
DS: That's some experience, I've got two cousins, I've got one in Israel and one in France that came out of Mauthausen, I'll tell you, and everybody else dead on my father's side, in Russia. I just brought six of them from Koshkent to Israel last year.
HK: Right. Let me tell you that, you know what my father always says? My father was a rich man in Poland, and he says, he says, `Economic power is very good. You have to have money, but if you just have economic power and you don't have political power. . .'
DS: `You've got nothing.'
HK: You've got nothing.
DS: If we had AIPAC in the '30s and '40s, we would have saved millions of Jews. We would have the political power. But Jews were afraid to open their mouths. They didn't know how.
HK: AIPAC started after WWII?
DS: Oh, sure.
HK And if you would have had AIPAC in the
DS: I feel we would've saved a lot of Jews. HK: And Franklin Roosevelt, he could've done a lot better?
DS: Sure, he could. The Jews never opened their mouths. They were afraid. We're not afraid. They can curse me out, I don't care if they hate me, just as long as I get what we need for our people.
HK: So if you had a little lamp, a wishing lamp and you could wish for either Bush, Clinton or Perot. . .
DS: Clinton.
HK: Clinton all the way? And in terms of Israel having political power, between the three candidates, the one who will give us the most political power?
DS: Clinton is the best guy for us.
HK: He's the best one."
and:
"HK: If Clinton is elected, who do you think will be secretary of state?
DS: We don't know yet, we're negotiating.
HK: Who are you hoping for?
DS: I've got a list. But I really can't go through it. I'm not allowed to talk about it."
All you need to know about American politics is that AIPAC is about a million times more powerful now.