At TPM, Justin Elliott has tracked David Schenker, of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, doing some highlevel horsetrading, suggesting on Alhurra, the US-sponsored Arabic station, that Obama has to back down on his fight with Netanyahu because of his need for votes on the health-care bill:
I don’t really think this will last very long, primarily for political reasons. President Obama has mid-term elections coming up. He doesn’t want these congressmen to be seen as being allied with an anti-Israel president. He’s also asking these congressmen to back a very unpopular health care bill. This is not a winning political issue right now.
Steve Clemons saw the dual loyalty implications in the threat:
"Any US Congressperson or Senator who actually explicitly withdrew or withheld support for health care reform because of loyalty first to Israel and its needs would invite serious questions about his or her patriotism and oath to the US Constitution and American people."
Schenker is a former Bush Pentagon aide. Wonder if he knows something we don’t?
