James Lileks had a good rant

over the recent Hugh Hewitt interview with CAIR spokesman, Hussam Ayloush, and Frank Gaffney (radio blogger transcript here). The following is an excerpt from the interview:

HH: And do you agree that Israel was wrongfully attacked in 1948, and in
1973, by Arab states on their borders?
HA: You know what, Hugh? It offends me
when I get...to have to ask...to be asked these questions, as an American. I'm
not a representative of the PLO...
HH: No, I'm just asking...
HA: I'm an American. For me to question...
HH: ...but this...I'm asking you...
HA: No. You know what?
HH: Don't filibuster me, Hussam.
HA: That's not...
HH: This is a very easy question.
HA: No, I'm not doing that. What I'm doing is, I'm being offended because from day one, since the beginning of this show, and even yesterday, every question had to do with Israel and Palestine. Can't we be seen as Americans?
HH: Yes, we can, but...
HA: What do we have to do to be seen as Americans today?
HH: I talk about Israel, I talk about Israel with everyone that comes on this show, and just before we went to break, I think you accused me of being a tool of the Israel government.
HA: No, no. I was talking about Frank.
HH: Well, I don't think Frank's...Frank's my friend. I don't think he's a tool of the Israeli government, either. And so, I wanted to just know if we could agree. Was Israel wrongly attacked in 1948, and 1973?
HA: I'm not an expert on the...
HH: This is not hard stuff, Hussam.
HA: No, it is hard stuff for me. I mean, ask me about American history. I can answer you...
HH: No, I mean 1948, five Arab states attempted to drive Israel into the sea. That was wrong, wasn't it?
HA: I think anybody who tries to attack any other country wrongfully is wrong. If
you...
HH: Can you not bring yourself to say that 1973 was an attack upon...an unprovoked attack by Egypt and Jordan and Syria upon Israel? Because that's why, I think, you don't have...it's trouble getting credibility, because everybody knows it was an unprovoked...an unjust attack on Israel.
HA: I'm interested in gaining credibility as an American. I'm not an expert on the
Middle East. And you know, I could have been born in Pakistan without any
knowledge about the Middle East. Would that make me less of a patriotic
American?
HH: Frank...I mean Hussam, any American who comes on this show, I
don't care if they're Irish Catholic like me, or a Presbyterian or whatever, and
the can't realize that '48 and '73 were horrible attacks upon Israel, that's
wrong.