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Hilliard, the first black man elected to Congress from Alabama since Reconstruction, failed to garner 50 percent of the vote in a June 4 primary. The five-term incumbent faces the challenge of his life in Davis, a 34-year-old lawyer and graduate of Harvard Law School who has never held elective office. Why is a veteran of the House and a mainstay of Alabama politics in political danger? He's got a lot of stains on his record, and some of them are the sort that, post-September 11, just won't easily wash off. First, there's Israel: He was one of eleven members of Congress to vote against a December, 2001 resolution "expressing solidarity with Israel in its fight against terrorism." He has lobbied members of the black caucus to oppose pro-Israeli initiatives. In May, he was one of 21 members to vote against another resolution supporting Israel's military offensive into Palestinian territory. Then there's his support for brutal, terror-sponsoring regimes: On November 13, 2001 — just two months after the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon — the Alabama representative introduced a bill to remove constraints from rogue nations. The "American Renewed Diplomacy Act of 2001" would terminate all American economic sanctions worldwide and require the U.S. to form diplomatic ties with all nations within 90 days. It would also divest the Secretary of State of the power to prohibit Americans from visiting certain places, such as Cuba. This is all in line with his 1997 trip to Libya, which drew criticism from supporters of Israel at the time. (His defense: "Libya is an African nation. It carries no negative connotation in my community.") Another stain, this one unrelated to international relations: In June of last year, Hilliard received an official rebuke from the House ethics committee for using tens of thousands of dollars of campaign funds for private purposes ($50,000 went to pay the salaries of people employed by companies owned by Hilliard and his family, and $16,000 for unsecured loans to his niece and two others). And, according to the New York Times, he also has been remiss in paying his taxes. Arab and Muslim activist groups, which have been shrill in their opposition to moves by the Justice Department to track down terrorists in the U.S. and eager to promote the hysteria over anti-Muslim "hate crimes," are doing all they can to save Hilliard from an embarrassing defeat. Artur Davis, his challenger, has received a great deal of support from Jewish organizations and from private Jewish donors. As of June 3, the day before the primary, Davis had raised over $364,000 in two months, as compared to Hilliard's $157,575. The money has continued to flow into Davis's coffers, and in the days before the runoff groups like the Council of American-Islamic Relations have attempted a last-ditch effort to save Hilliard, whom they describe as "a friend of our community." Hilliard had this to say about security measures taken by Bush and the Justice Department: "I don't know if it's safe, but we have a country that's an armed camp." In a syndicated column, James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute and a Democratic political lobbyist, quoted Hilliard explaining the newfound kinship between blacks and Arab Muslims: "I see more and more blacks identifying with Arabs and Muslims than with Jews. They see Arabs … being profiled like we are." As Hilliard got more and more desperate, the race got uglier and uglier. Just before the June 4 primary, Hilliard announced in a live television interview that Davis had been forced to resign as a federal prosecutor "because of a date-rape charge." The charge was false, and though Hilliard backed away from it, the damage was done: The shocker had overshadowed the news of Davis's endorsement by the mayor of Birmingham. If you think that's dirty, consider this flier circulated by Hilliard's supporters: "Davis and the Jews: No Good for the Black Belt." It accuses Davis of supporting Israel's "policy of complete domination," and thus (in a curious train of logic) apartheid: "Lest we forget, it was Israel that stood with apartheid in South Africa. If the current invasions, murder and abuse within the Palestinian territory sounds familiar, it's only because we've seen apartheid do exactly the same in the black villages of South Africa with Israel's support." Hilliard's last-minute campaign ads accuse Davis of selling himself to out-of-state interests, noting the financial support he got from donors in New York, New Jersey, and California. But the Birmingham News recently reported on a study showing that 86.6 percent of Hilliard's donations come from out-of-state sources, as compared to 77.4 percent for Davis. Artur Davis is a liberal Democrat. Earl Hilliard, though just as liberal, has voted for school prayer and against gun control. But school prayer and the Second Amendment can take the sacrifice. Anything to make Cynthia McKinney a little lonelier. — Sarah Maserati is an NR associate editor.
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oday's
primary runoff between Alabama representative Earl Hilliard and Artur
Davis — both Democrats, both black — is a sideline skirmish
in the war on terror. 
