...Frankly, those who think they can make substantive changes in American policy toward Israel by attacking the Jews and the Israel lobby remind of some bulls I once saw at the bull fights in Madrid. Bull after bull went for the red cape, not the matador. Bull after bull went down in the dust as the crowds cheered and threw flowers. That is pretty much what has happened to those who want to distance the US from Israel; they go for the highly visible and attractive target of the Israel lobby, and time after time they go down. I don't think this is smart, but don't let me stop anybody's fun.

I'll get into the reasons why I think the Israel lobby is more matador's cape than matador going forward, but there's one difficult subject that needs to be addressed up front, and that issue is anti-Semitism. This form of prejudice is as deeply embedded in western Christian history as racism is in American culture. As a native South Carolinian born back in the days of legally-enforced racial segregation, I have learned a lot about the subtle qualities and stubborn persistence of racist images and ideas that you take in unconsciously from the culture that shapes you...