(FinalCall.com) -- The defeat of once-popular Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia A. McKinney gives rise to concerns that a new form of "political lynching" may be taking place as Black policymakers lend their voices to the global politics of war and terrorism.

McKinney was soundly defeated in her recent primary by another Black woman, former Georgia state judge Denise Majette, in what many want to mask as a casualty of Georgia�s first open primary that allows voters to cast votes outside their party.

Republican Congressman Bob Barr (another Georgia rep) was also defeated by Rep. John Linder, whose reapportionment and redistricting merged parts of their districts into one. The pundits suggest that Democrats crossed over on Barr (for leading the Clinton impeachment) while Republicans crossed over on McKinney for her anti-war stand.

McKinney, who survived gerrymandering attempts of her district after the 1990 redistricting, also was an ally of pro-Arab causes and a vocal voice on Palestinian equity in the Middle East. That position made her a target for Jewish and pro-Israel donors, who flooded Judge Majette�s campaign with contributions�most of which were outside the state of Georgia. This made Majette�s campaign competitive, and ultimately victorious.

This probably would not have been much of an issue had it not happened to Alabama Representative Earl Hilliard a few months earlier. While Hilliard had a troubled candidacy because of House Ethics Committee rebuke in 2001 (for using campaign funds for personal benefit�not an uncommon practice among politicians), his opponent also gained significant political traction because of a flood of campaign contributions from Pro-Israeli donors.

The notion that both McKinney and Hilliard were perceived as "unfriendly" to Israel made them open targets for ouster�something the oft unsophisticated Black politic didn�t see coming but now knows is present.

How significant is this? Well, let�s understand the players in their respective contexts. Cynthia McKinney was no lightweight. She was considered one of the most vocal members of the Congressional Black Caucus (and though a five-term congresswoman, at age 47, was one of the youngest members of the CBC and Congress Average age of House members is 56). She was considered the East Coast�s Maxine Waters, and in some regard was more vocal than Rep. Waters (if you can imagine that) on some issues, including America�s failure to be evenhanded in the Middle East talks.

Rep. McKinney was very "Afrocentric" in her appearance, often wearing traditional African garb on the House floor and her standard "do" (hairdo) was braids. Her "almond-eyed" stare made for a very uneasy interaction for most of her opponents.

Constituent surveys had McKinney�s "job approval" ratings at 70 percent just prior to the election. So, how do you lose an election with that kind of rating? McKinney�s chief opponent out-fundraised her 2 to 1 and spent over $1 million. That�s tough to do against an incumbent congressperson.

The same with Hilliard�s campaign. Hilliard represented rural voters who tend to send their representatives to Congress forever (much to do with familiarity and the lack of political sophistication). Hilliard�s opponent, Arthur Davis, is a young (34-year-old), unknown former U.S. attorney, with no prior public office experience. Yet he raised campaign money equivalent to a five-term incumbent.

It makes no political sense because donors rarely take such risks against incumbents.

To suggest that McKinney�s and Hilliard�s view on the Middle East was "out of step" with that of the rest of America in the 9/11 aftermath might be a fact.

But to suggest that their position was enough to turn loyal constituents against 10 year veterans of Congress is a reach. What we see are "spin" jobs being done on vulnerable representatives after redistricting. Moreover, we see Jewish organizations now targeting Black politicians who speak on the Middle East issue in an unbiased manner.

If they�re not speaking in a "pro-Israeli" stance, they�re targeted and politically lynched in their own districts by sending monies to otherwise underfunded candidates to get their message (and their mail) out. Those who wouldn�t normally succeed are winning and our more vocal voices are being silenced over one issue, "U.S. support for Israel."

As Billie Holiday used to sing, "There�s some strange fruit, blowing in the Southern breeze �" Moreover, there�s a strange silence in the air on this issue that needs to be addressed. Can Black Congress members continue to be the "conscience" of this "war on terrorism" without becoming victim to its "strange" politic? We�ve seen this strange politic before when we tried to speak out against racism in America pre-1954. The UN Council of Racism in its meeting in Durban, South Africa passed a resolution that "Zionism in the Middle East" equates to racism. Now those who voice support for Palestinian parity find themselves "blowin� in the wind�strange fruit" of political lynchings in the South. It�s time to start counting lynchings again. We�re up to two.