Monday, May 18, 2009
On the plus side, for those worried about undue pressure on Bibi, the Obama Administration has shown susceptibility to political reality, and that reality does mean dealing, no, not with the "heavy hitters" of AIPAC, but with the fact that support for Israel remains strong among the great American middle: Obama's main obstacle to pushing around Israel: ordinary Americans
...All the relationships in the world, of course, matter little when the product stinks. This is what "Israel lobby" devotees don't get: Americans support Israel. They don't support Israel because they're told to; if anything, many Americans who back the Jewish state consume a regular diet of anti-Israel messages, mostly from the likes of the New York Times and NPR.
In years past, support for Israel was typically broad, though not necessarily deep. Americans sensed that Israel was more like the United States than its neighbors, and domestic voices supporting the Jewish state obviously won supporters. Also, Evangelical Christians, such as Pastor John Hagee, have been successfully cultivating political backing for the Jewish state from the 1980s onward.
After 9/11, though, Americans felt a profound, almost visceral connection to Israel. The massive attack on U.S. soil occurred as Israelis already had been suffering a relentless suicide bombing campaign for almost a year. That the terrorism at both ends was being perpetrated in the name of Islam only strengthened the bond.
If Obama, as some are theorizing, plans to push Netanyahu to act much faster and grant more concessions than an understandably weary Israeli public is ready to support, he is likely to face significant resistance. While unhappy AIPAC activists will work their relationships and make impassioned pleas for their viewpoints, not everyone involved with the organization will act in lockstep.
Regardless, the greatest hurdle to ambitious action on the Middle East is the vast majority of Americans who believe in supporting Israel. While evangelical Christians are among the most vocal advocates of the Jewish state, plenty of non-evangelicals, whether religious or secular, passionately back Israel.
Though the strength of the pro-Israel position no doubt rankles those who desperately desire a different U.S. foreign policy, there is nothing nefarious or shadowy about the reasons why America supports Israel.
Say, speaking of The New York Times, you can just sense they're salivating for what might be coming. And how do you like them trotting out Chas Freeman as an expert witness? (Oooohhh...the WORLD is watching! Watch this /grabs crotch)
[h/t: Sophia]
You want to know what shocked me even more than the NYT article - I looked up the author and she apparently wrote a book with Daniel Pearl and his wife - oy -
Those pesky American citizens are always getting in the way of the progress of the Left's agenda. And the Left is always thinking up ways to get around democracy (activist judges) and silence Americans (hate speech legislation).
The Left is full of traitorous anti-liberal criminals against humanity.