Legendary director Jonathan Demme offers the Guardian an analysis I share (and that you never see in the U.S. press), that Jimmy Carter didn't get a second term partly because he took on the Israel lobby.
rightwingers in America as a new Carter. But to Demme, that's a
compliment and not necessarily one Obama deserves. The Democratic
candidate has promised to open dialogues with the nation's enemies if
elected, but on the Middle East Demme argues that he's been subject to
"brainwashing" by Aipac, the pro-Israel lobby group, and is "kowtowing
to the pro-Israeli lobby position, and showing incredible insensitivity
to the Palestinian side. Carter never got brainwashed … maybe that's
why he didn't get a second term."
Demme's "brainwashing" analysis is precisely why I find the recent media excitement over Hillary's signs of independence trivial. Obama has already won the most important post-Hillary battle: he has managed to convince even Hillary's right-of-center Jewish backers that he is not a Muslim, a Palestinian-hugger. Because of his performance at AIPAC and in Sderot, and his aura as the presumptive winner of the election, what befell Ned Lamont in Connecticut won't befall Obama. Remember that after Lamont knocked off the Establishment candidate, the big money followed Lieberman across the aisle, as an Independent. This time round these guys are not going to McCain. The Democratic Party is whole; Obama is now King. That's my observation, anyway, I haven't seen the journalism. But I wager that Obama will get close to 75 percent of the Jewish vote, and that even Haim Saban–who played hard to get in June–will wind up giving Obama money, cause Saban smells a winner.
Demme's analogy breaks down because the brainwashing is expedient. Carter and Obama actually share the understanding that Israel/Palestine is everything
for American security and the American interest. I say that as a cockeyed optimist.
As I regularly assert here, I believe Obama has the ability to triangulate Marty Peretz and Saeb Erekat. Carter had limited political gifts, Obama has giant ones.
