At J Street two days ago, two former Congressmen who were important Obama supporters in the Jewish community last year– Bob Wexler and Mel Levine– said that Obama’s decision earlier this year to reverse George Bush on the anti-ballistic-missile system planned for Poland and the Czech Republic had an Israel component.
Florida biggie Wexler told J Street that Obama has "engaged internationally" to put Israel in a "stronger position." He offered as evidence the fact that the U.S. had removed the anti-missile plan. We did so, Wexler said, so as to have the Russians on board in isolating Iran over nukes.
Mel Levine said the same thing at a later panel: that Obama’s decision "gives us at least the promise of Russian cooperation" in the Middle East.
I’m glad Obama cashiered the ABM idea. The issue here is why? Notice that both Congressmen, who were longtime AIPAC figures, spoke of the decision in the context of American support for Israel, and meantime in the coverage of the Obama decision in the media, the Israel angle was not mentioned. When Walt and Mearsheimer published The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, I wondered if their title wasn’t overbroad. Didn’t they mean the lobby and U.S. policy in the Middle East? The comments by the two hawkish Israel-loving former congressmen at J Street suggest that the authors were right.
Good catch, Phil. It makes me wonder just what proportion of foreign policy decisions have a similar ‘Israeli component’.
It’s mindboggling to see how the Zionist influence grows more and more blatant, yet any suggestion that this only proves Walt and Mearshimer right is still condemned.
If Congress passes HR 867, it is as much as labeling itself the Western Knesset Auxiliary. (except that the Knesset never displays the unamimity we see in the US Congress’s Israel-cheerleading resolutions.)
A recent european investigative agency has determined that, although Russia put diplomatic and economic pressure on
Georgia, it was Georgia that directly, that is by force of arms (directly supported by both Israel and the USA) attacked first with military force. It’s really hard to comprehend for the average American what this means. I don’t think Joe Lieberman will tell you.
Citizen,
Those who cared find that information knew. Within two days of the Georgia/Russia battles, I was able to find enough reliable sources to indicate that Georgia was the culprit. The US simply wanted to antagonize the Russians, but instead of doing it directly Bush (most like Cheney) used the old Cold War tactic – by proxy.
The Israelis were there in hopes of building a new base from which Israel could launch attacks on Iran.
It’s really hard to comprehend for the average American what this means.
The average American is busy working second third jobs trying to put food on the table while the fat cats in DC and on Wall Street are enjoying their bribes and bailout money.
Case of Georgia is a case for Israel being an important ally for USA.
After pro-russian Eduard Shevardnadze lost election to his breakaway party colleauges, American educated Michail Saakashvili in 2003 and Zurab Zhvania who was Jewish, Georgia became west orientated and was seeking entry to NATO. The new parliament included Georgian Prime Minister Vladimer Gurgenidze, deputy Prime Minister Yakobashvili and Defence Minister Davit Kezerashvili, who utilised their Jewish connection with Israel to allow for very quick co-operation between Israel and Georgia, which included up to 1000 military Israeli advisers and substantial sales of the military hardware to Georgia. Georgia’s “foolish” attack at Russian peacekeeping forces in Abkhazia and South Ossetia (under watchfull eye of Matthew Bryza, US administration advisor for Eurasia, who happens to be Jewish) forced Russia to recognise (so as not to appear to lose militarily to Georgia) independence of both regions which sparked immediate and damaging growth of independence movements in the neighbouring regions within Russia: Adygea, Karachevo-Cherkeskaya, Kabardino-Balkar, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Dagestan, not to mention Chechnya. Trouble there is a major problem for Russia and will, for a forseeable future, distance Russia from important Azarbeijan-Turkey oil pipeline, and from Iran, which Neocons are desperate to control.
So USA is milking jewish networks and influences when it it in it’s interest to do so.
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