There is a revealing article in today’s Washington Post on the Heritage Foundation. For years, the right-wing think tank was highly critical of former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. Then, in the summer of 2001, a consulting firm co-founded by Heritage President Edwin J. Feulner, Belle Haven, signed a lucrative contract to represent Malaysian business interests. (Belle Haven employs Feulner’s wife and the COO at Belle Haven, Ken Sheffer, is the former head of Heritage’s Asia division and is still on the payroll as a consultant, earning 75K a year for his services.) All of a sudden, Heritage changed its assessment of the Southeast Asian nation.

I went to the Heritage website to get more details. A search of their website presents a disturbing picture.

For example, on 10/16/03 Mahathir gave a speech alleging “Jews control the world and that Israel and the Jews are the enemy of 1.3 billion downtrodden Muslims.” Mahathir said Muslims need “guns and rockets, bombs and warplanes, tanks and warships for our defense.” Heritage scholar Dana R. Dillon wrote three weeks later:

The U.S. Congress…went too far in its efforts to punish Mahathir by passing an amendment to cut off military aid to Malaysia. Congress could have protested Mahathir’s remarks, without harming U.S.-Malaysian relations, by passing a congressional resolution condemning Mahathir’s speech. To contain the long-term damage to U.S.-Malaysian relations, the U.S. Department of State should inform Members of Congress of Malaysia’s tolerance of religious freedom and its importance to American national security interests as soon as possible.

Dillon helped justify his position with the following argument:

Judging Malaysian tolerance for people of the Jewish faith is more difficult because Malaysia has no discernible Jewish community.

Compare that piece to a 11/16/98 essay by Heritage scholar John T. Dori:

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed instituted anti-free market currency controls and jailed U.S. friend and pro-market reformer Anwar Ibrahim, his former deputy prime minister and minister of finance. To protest these actions, President Bill Clinton should have sought a change in venue for the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum Leaders’ Meeting to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital. The next-best option would have been to boycott the meeting.

To fend off its critics, Heritage claims the switch was due to 9/11. However, the switch occurred before the attacks:

Heritage financed an Aug. 30-Sept. 4, 2001, trip to Malaysia for three House members and their spouses. Heritage put on briefings for the congressional delegation titled “Malaysia: Standing Up for Democracy” and “U.S. and Malaysia: Ways to Cooperate in Order to Influence Peace and Stability in Southeast Asia.”

The suggestion that judicial nominees are being opposed because they believe in God is ridiculous. But that didn’t stop Trent Lott from repeating the claim on ABC’s This Week:

LOTT: [W]hat has made people uncomfortable is that people that have strong feelings about their faith, regardless of the denomination or background of that particular religious group, if they feel strongly and live and support the positions that reflect their faith, then you’re disqualified.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But that’s the difference…

(CROSSTALK)

STEPHANOPOULOS: ….people are motivated by opposing this faith. You’d agree with that.

LOTT: I do.

If you want to find out the real reason why some Senators oppose nominees like Janice Rodgers Brown, Pricilla Owens and William J. Haynes, check out this edition of the Progress Report.

UPDATE: On Fox News Sunday, Brit Hume said if a Senator were to explicity endorse the view that the filibuster is an attack on faith (as Lott did on ABC) it would be a big deal:

WALLACE: Well, let’s pick up with this issue that we discussed at the very end of the last segment: the controversy that seems to be brewing about Senator Frist’s decision to appear on this telecast along with a number of Christian conservatives, in which they are going to say that the Democratic filibuster is being used against people of faith.

Brit, legitimate controversy?

HUME: Probably, but pretty small potatoes when you think about it. I mean, if Frist were to say that in the broadcast and specifically support that view, that would be a big deal, but otherwise I think not much.

Tom DeLay, statement on Terri Schiavo’s death, 3/31/05:

The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior

Tom DeLay, apologizing for 3/31 statement, 4/13/05:

I said something in an inartful way, and I shouldn’t have said it that way, and I apologize for saying it that way.

Tom DeLay, at NRA convention, 4/16/05:

When a man is in trouble or in a good fight, you want to have your friends around, preferably armed. So I feel really good.

If DeLay’s words at the NRA convention weren’t disturbing enough, here’s a visual:

Hat Tip: Talk Left