Rashid Khalidi Isn’t Coming to Nashville After All, Judge Says

If you happened to receive an invitation cordially inviting you to an evening with Rashid Khalidi at the First Amendment Center--sponsored by Nashville Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle--please, put away your evening gown and your anti-Israeli invective. The American-Palestinian who nearly scuttled the Jewish vote for Obama--through no fault of his own, really--was never coming to Nashville for a Feb. 12 speaking engagement.

Actually, former Tennessee U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. is scheduled for the evening. Not quite as scandalous, but he is a Democrat. The Tennessee judge told the Associated Press that someone, maybe a disgruntled litigant, sent out fake invitations to a number of local lawyers.

Khalidi is the Middle East studies professor at Columbia University who has very publicly criticized Israel--how dare he! During the presidential campaign McCain latched on to a perceived Obama-Khalidi association to question the then-candidate’s dedication to Israel.

For more conservative types, an evening with Khalidi might not play so well. But in Davidson County, is this really supposed to hurt the good judge?

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