John Kerry’s departure from reality – Washington Post
John Kerry’s departure from reality – Washington Post.
By ,
During a tour of the Middle East in November, Secretary of State John F. Kerry portrayed the region as on its way to a stunning series of breakthroughs, thanks to U.S. diplomacy. In Egypt, he said, “the roadmap” to democracy “is being carried out, to the best of our perception.” In Syria, a peace conference would soon replace the Assad regime with a transitional government, because “the Russians and the Iranians . . . will make certain that the Syrian regime will live up to its obligation.”
Last but hardly least, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was on its way to a final settlement — by April. “This is not mission impossible,” insisted the secretary of state. “This can happen.”
Some people heaped praise on Kerry for his bold ambitions, saying he was injecting vision and energy into the Obama administration’s inert foreign policy. Others, including me, said he was delusional.
Four months have passed, and, sadly for Kerry and U.S. interests, the verdict is in: delusional. Egypt is under the thumb of an authoritarian general. The Syrian peace talks imploded soon after they began. Kerry is now frantically trying to prevent the collapse of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, which are hanging by a thread — and all sides agree there will be no deal in April.
It might be argued that none of this is Kerry’s fault. It was Gen. Abdel Fatah al-Sissi who hijacked Egypt’s promised political transition. It was the Assad regime that refused to negotiate its departure . It was Benjamin Netanyahu who kept building Jewish settlements in the West Bank. It was Mahmoud Abbas who refused to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
All true; and yet all along the way, Kerry — thanks to a profound misreading of the realities on the ground — was enabling the bad guys.
Start with Egypt. Since last summer the State Department and its chief have been publicly endorsing the fiction that the military coup against the elected government of Mohamed Morsi was aimed at “restoring democracy,” as Kerry put it. As late as March 12, Kerry — spun by his friend Nabil Fahmy, the regime’s slick foreign minister — declared that “I’m very, very hopeful that, in very short order, we’ll be able to move forward” in certifying that Egypt was eligible for a full resumption of U.S. aid.
Twelve days later, an Egyptian court handed death sentences to 529 members of the Muslim Brotherhood after a two-day trial. Two days after that, Sissi appeared on television, in uniform, to announce that he would “run” for president.
Kerry was no less credulous of Vladimir Putin. Having taken office with the intention of boosting support for Syrian rebels as a way of “changing Assad’s calculations,” Kerry abruptly changed course last May after a visit to the Kremlin. Russia and the United States, he announced, would henceforth “cooperate in trying to implement” a transition from the Assad regime. “Our understanding,” Mr. Kerry said of himself and Putin, “is very similar.”
Only it wasn’t. Putin, who loathes nothing more than U.S.-engineered regime change, spent the next nine months pouring weapons into Damascus, even as Kerry continued to insist that Moscow would force Assad to hand over power in Geneva. When the Geneva conference finally convened, Russia — to the surprise of virtually no one, other than Kerry — backed Assad’s contention that the negotiations should be about combating “terrorism,” not a transitional government.
That brings us to the Israeli-Palestinian quagmire, which Kerry made his personal cause even thoughthe Obama administration already had tried and abjectly failed to broker a deal between Netanyahu and Abbas and Israel and the Palestinian territories are currently an island of tranquility in a blood-drenched Middle East. Ignoring the counsel of numerous experts who warnedneither side was ready for a deal, Kerry lavished time on the two men, convinced that his political skills would bring them around.
Predictably, that didn’t happen. The leaders have not budged a millimeter from the positions they occupied on Palestinian statehood a year ago, and Abbas has been strident in publicly rejecting terms Kerry tried to include in a proposed peace “framework.”
Kerry offered an answer to my first critique of him in an interview with Susan Glasser of Politico: “I would ask” anyone “who was critical of our engagement: What is the alternative?” Well, the alternative is to address the Middle East as it really is. Recognize that Egypt’s generals are reinstalling a dictatorship and that U.S. aid therefore cannot be resumed; refocus on resuscitating and defending Egypt’s real democrats. Admit that the Assad regime won’t quit unless it is defeated on the battlefield and adopt a strategy to bring about that defeat. Concede that a comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian peace isn’t possible now and look for more modest ways to build the groundwork for a future Palestinian state.
In short, drop the delusions.
Jackson Diehl
The Post’s deputy editorial page editor, Diehl also writes a biweekly foreign affairs column and contributes to the PostPartisan blog.
WarSclerotic 
March 31, 2014 at 11:37 AM
Reblogged this on Pippakin Around the World and commented:
This is so right, but if its not too presumptuous of me I think I disagree with who it thinks the USA should back in these conflicts.
Syria doesn’t need forensic examination to see that both sides are equally murderous but that the most western leaning side is the Assad regime and its they we should all be backing by staying out of the conflict. If the west is seen to take sides it will be blamed regardless of who ‘wins’ for the excesses of all/both combatants.
Egypt under a Morsi regime and that’s what it would have quickly become would be pro Islamic extremist and anti western countries. The general may be classic dictator material but so far he also appears to be a pro western one prepared to work with not against the Judeo Christian based west. The best thing the west can do is make sure Islamic extremists can’t lay the blame for potential misrule upon them.
Crimea is gone and perhaps its time for the USA to lead by acknowledging that Crimea is Russian. It should be a case of waving a peaceful goodbye to Crimea and waving a very big stick in the direction of any Russian acquisition that is not historically and ethnically Russian.
Israel and Palestine? Forget it as long as the POTUS lives in fear of the American Jewish lobby there will be no real Israeli Palestinian agreement.
March 31, 2014 at 12:18 PM
Forget it as long as the POTUS lives in fear of the American Jewish lobby there will be no real Israeli Palestinian agreement.”
Please, that is not true.
If anything, this POTUS was praised by the left for ‘breaking the power of AIPAC’ and furthermore neither Israel nor the “Jewish lobby” was ever the reason why there is no peace agreement with the ‘Palestinians’. It’s simply because Abbas and (previous leaders) refuses to accept Israel as a Jewish state while insisting that the ‘Palestinian’ state shall be exclusively for the ‘Palestinians’ (no Jews allowed to live in his state).
That is the minimum requirement for any peace deal.
There are many other reasons but in a nutshell the main reason is that no ‘Palestinian’ leader is willing to accept even the minimal demands for any meaningful peace deal.
March 31, 2014 at 1:08 PM
Its how many people see it Obama in his second term and with ‘nothing to lose’ has a window of opportunity before campaigning begins for the next president, when that happens Obama and most other American politicians fall into obedient line.
America could reduce Israeli activities against Palestinians almost immediately if they cut off American aid to Israel; except for, perhaps, a little trimming around the edges Obama.will leave it as it is.
What is interesting is what is happening in Israel itself. The Israeli govt has changed the law for the first time fundamentalist Israelis will be eligible for military service. It will be interesting to see what if any changes this will bring to the many right wing Israelis.
March 31, 2014 at 1:13 PM
how right you are, artaxes. upon just WHAT observed evidence does pippakin base his assessment that POTUS cowers in the face of, any supposed, “US JEWISH LOBBY”?
The notion that there is an omnipresent (and by inference nefarious and totalitarian) “JEWISH LOBBY”, is toxic. Such inferences must not be allowed to pass, unremarked upon.
March 31, 2014 at 1:20 PM
Yelp all you want true is true. Another interesting thing is that I think there are signs that the American govt would rather use Israeli military personnel than their own.
March 31, 2014 at 2:43 PM
Eyeman is completely right.
Unless you provide proof that your allegations are true I consider them as nothing more than the hearsay of someone who is at least heaviliy biased against the Jews and Israel.
The idea that something is true because many people believe it is blatently false.
There was a time when most people believed that the earth was flat. They were wrong.
Now, I give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you are just misinformed.
If you are really interested in the truth you should investigate the veracity of your own claims as objectively as possible.
That would include that you are willing to hear the arguments of the other side as well and to test their veracity as well.
And last but not least you should apply the same standards to Israel that you would apply to any other country.
If, however, you were to just go on making unfounded claims, you would expose yourself as a joke that we cannot take seriously.
In that case we would be justified to assume that you have either no regard for the truth or that you have other, darker motives.
March 31, 2014 at 5:03 PM
Trouble is what he is saying is true and is easy to verify so save your breath for someone who listens ar
March 31, 2014 at 6:24 PM
Ah the academics desire for proof. You imagine there is a piece of paper confirming US politicians bias toward Israel? I really doubt that the proof of the cooking is in the pudding look at American actions and investment toward Israel since the land was ‘given’ to them in 1948.
I don’t think I will respond further on the question of Israel and America, everyone knows of American bias, everyone except that is for some Americans. More importantly I am contributing to the distraction of the thread and I can’t possibly allow myself to do that…
March 31, 2014 at 7:16 PM
Your contempt for the value of proof doesn’t surprise me.
Any pied piper and any demagogue can claim everything.
That’s why I asked for proof.
Repeating the standard talking points of anti-Jewish conspiracy theories simply won’t do.
Your claim was “POTUS lives in fear of the American Jewish lobby”.
So far you have not backed your claim with any proof whatsoever.
When I’m talking of proof I’m not talking about courtroom evidence. We have much lower standards here.
A good, consistent explanation based on true premises and perhaps with some references would suffice.
Let’s see. The US has according to you a bias towards Israel.
Ahh, that must of course be evidence for the allpowerful Jewish lobby.
No, it can’t possibly be because support for Israel is generally strong among Americans and especially among conservatives and evangelical Christians.
Must of course be that evil Jewish lobby.
Besides I’ve already refuted your claim that the peace process is dead because of the ‘Jewish lobby’ but of course you didn’t address my point.
It’s clear to me that you are one of those people who are only interested in spouting their biased views without regard for the truth.
You’re right. You are contributing to the distraction.
March 31, 2014 at 7:32 PM
This is a waste of time unworthy of anyone who has any regard for truth. If America had not backed Israel from its conception through to date Israel would not exist, The EU is considering trade embargo against Israel because of its actions against Palestinians and America continues its support regardless of any Israeli atrocity
You are blowing wind…I suspect you know that… .
March 31, 2014 at 7:51 PM
“This is a waste of time unworthy of anyone who has any regard for truth”
This must be a joke. It is you who has no regard for the truth. I guess any discussion with opposing views is a waste of time to you. I suggest that you go and ‘discuss’ with your comrades who have all the same opinion as you have.
The fact that you have so far not addressed any of my points tells me that your case must be terribly weak.
The fact that you could so far not refute one single point that I made tells me that you know that you are lying.
The fact that you stand here and tell us of Israeli atrocities without giving us even one example of such atrocities tells me that you are a liar.
Ah, now you are showing your true colors. “No Israel, no problem.”.
I guess you blame the Jews for all of humanitiy’s problems.
No, it is you who is pissing against the wind.
March 31, 2014 at 9:28 PM
I still find it hard to believe how anyone can blame Israel when the Palestinians refuse to recognize an Israeli state while demanding their own recognition.
March 31, 2014 at 10:00 PM
Steve, you can’t reason with these people.
He wrote:
“If America had not backed Israel from its conception through to date Israel would not exist,”
Thus he implied that there would be no problems in the Middle East if Israel would not exist.
He conveniently forgot the catalyst that brought the state of Israel into being: the holocaust.
He also conveniently forgot that Haj Amin Al Husseini the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, a good friend of Hitler, helped the Germans greatly to kill Jews.
I’m just guessing here but my instinct tells me that he would see the holocaust not as a problem. Nothing to worry about.
In the sick world view of such people Israel comitted the unvorgivable crime that it simply exists.
America also comitted the unvorgivable crime of supporting Israel.
In this case I gladly and proudly call myself a criminal.
April 2, 2014 at 4:42 AM
Pipsqueak, the so called PA has been handed Billions of dollars over the years. Where does it go? The scumbag Arafat lined his coffers and that of his cronies with precious little going to the people. Hamas, Hezbollah and most in Fatah are murderous thugs who hide behind women and children while fleecing money meant for those women and children. “President Abbas” is no longer binding as President as his term ran out years ago. He’s a joke who’d be killed if he made peace. Israel is the only beacon of light in the cesspool called the Middle East.
April 1, 2014 at 5:30 PM
I have declined to produce so called ‘proof’ because its so obvious. None of you have answered any point I’ve raised you have all shrieked ‘proof’ when Israels very existence is proof. Israel has been condemned throughout Europe even in the UK parliament. It has been condemned in the UN.
I repeat Israel exists because the Americans support it and the reason for that is the very powerful Jewish lobby.
FTR I’m not anti Jewish not at all. Nor am I anti Israeli. I’m anti everything Israeli govts do to Palestinians.
April 1, 2014 at 5:55 PM
Israel is has never been condemned in the uk our leader is partly Israeli,so stop spewing crap,and the philistines bring there problems on themselves,though there barbaric behavior they are animals that need to be caged
April 1, 2014 at 5:58 PM
In you opinion, PK, what is the worst the Israeli government has done to the Palestinian people?
April 1, 2014 at 6:08 PM
Yes they have condemning Israel in the UK is as common as Israeli atrocities against Palestinians and its the same everywhere except the USA..
April 1, 2014 at 6:47 PM
Lets get this straight the Offical policy of the uk gov as was proven last month when cameron went to israel attacking gaza was our prime ministers suggestion and afterwards he said that he was surpized by israels restraint the Uk would of scorched the earth is hamas must be terminated with as much prejudice as possible and that the philistines are to be sent home to where they came from ,you must be russian PK and we all now where your going to hell via NATO
April 1, 2014 at 6:53 PM
Oh well if we;re going to get this straight…The official policy of the UK govt is to do whatever the hell the USA govt tells it to.I think the best comparison is northern Ireland and there you will find that the position and actions of the UK govt were very different from the mass slaughter that appears to be Israeli policy toward Palestinians.
April 1, 2014 at 7:37 PM
I’m going to leave this debate up to my Israeli friends. They know more about their long history with the Palestinians. All I can do from here is research the issues. They, however, live it every day.
April 1, 2014 at 9:26 PM
Excellent idea! It will give you the opportunity to contemplate how long Israeli history is. The land was given to them in 1948 I make that sixty six years old not exactly ancient or even long.
April 1, 2014 at 10:10 PM
I thought the land was given to them in the Old Testament many years before 1948?
Joshua 21:43
“And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.”
But then again, my Bible may be a little outdated 😉
April 1, 2014 at 10:25 PM
Now you’re having a laugh…
April 1, 2014 at 11:13 PM
Actually, I do believe in scripture. The Exodus is believed to have occurred some 1400+ years before the birth of Christ. That’s quite a long time.
April 1, 2014 at 11:28 PM
Yes it is and for it to be acknowledged as at all relevant it has to have been read, agreed and believed by everyone not just Judeo Christian people and even among those there are many who disagree that religion has any right in deciding which land is which country.
April 1, 2014 at 11:51 PM
Many wars have been fought for this very reason….and I suspect there will be many more…Islam included of course. After all, they are a major antagonist in the struggle for territory throughout the world. Meanwhile, the Israelis risk life and limb to hang onto a paltry 8,019 square miles of land, a mere island sanctuary in a sea of hostility, hatred, and condemnation. While the rest of the world (Islam excluded of course) lives on land in relative peace, the Israelis are forced to ‘buy’ their land each and every day while being constantly reminded that another payment will be due tomorrow.
April 1, 2014 at 11:59 PM
Israel was created on land that wasn’t theirs and has stolen more since.
Israel is the biggest grievance against America and the cause of much death and destruction. its still expanding. It somehow believes it has the right to intercept, board and imprison any ship headed for Palestine.
Israel needs to reinvent itself its becoming more unpopular every day and its taking the USA down with it.
April 2, 2014 at 12:51 AM
You have declined to give proof because you have none.
I have never seen a more stupid argument than yours.
Your argument goes like this.
1. An all powerful Jewish lobby dictates US policy.
2. The US supports Israel.
3. Israel exists therefore #1 is true.
You’ve got to be a moron to count such an idiotic argument as proof.
You failed to show that premise #1 is true.
I’ve also demonstrated that support for Israel can be caused by factors other than premise #1 and therefore it is utterly stupid to conclude that #2 necessarily proves #1.
To prove your point you have to show that premise #1 of the following argument is true.
1. US support for Israel can only be caused by an all powerful Jewish lobby.
2. The US supports Israel.
3. Therefore #1 is true.
Since I’ve shown already that premise #1 is false your argument goes down the toilet.
As for the shrieking, no one is shrieking here but you stress the patience of people with goodwill with your bullshit arguments and lies. Yes lies.
Lies like this one.
“… the mass slaughter that appears to be Israeli policy toward Palestinians. …”
Can you give us some approximate numbers how many ‘Palestinians’ were killed?
Can you tell us approximately when and where these slaughters happened?
Can you show us that there is a policy of deliberately killing ‘Palestinians’ in masses?
Should be easy if your claim is true.
But I’m pretty convinced that you cannot give us specifics because you have none.
Now, spare us the “It’s obvious” bullshit.
The only thing that is obvious here is, that you are a liar who cannot back his claims and who whishes that Israel never existed.
Unless you you give us a modicum of proof your ramblings are no different than the ramblings of the man who claimed: “You see, I’m standing and the sun revolves around the earth. Isn’t it obvious?”
As for your point: “Israel was created on land that wasn’t theirs”, please don’t make me laugh.
Can you name me one country in the world that was not created at one point in time through conquest?
If you look back at the history of your country you will see that it was created by by conquest.
If anything Israel has more claim to the land because this land once was stolen from the Jewish people.
There are many countries in the world which are occupied or brutally oppressed (Cyprus, Tibet, Crimea and many others) and yet you seem only to care about the ‘Palestinians’. Is it because you love them so much or is it because you hate the Jews so much? One wonders.
The British gave one part of ‘Palestine’ to the Hashemite king and this land became Jordan. I don’t hear you whining about those ‘Palestinians’ who live in Jordan. Don’t you care about the right of those people to their own land? Don’t they deserve their own country?
I guess you’ve got no problem with that. I guess you would only care if the Jordanians were Jews.
We got your point. The Jews are the only people who don’t deserve their own land.
But hey, you’ve got nothing against Jews. You are no antisemite. How in the world could anyone think such a thing?
“I’m shocked, shocked. There is gambling going on”.
April 2, 2014 at 1:09 AM
I can’t be bothered with you anymore here is a section from Wikipedia:
Israel–United States relations are an important factor in the United States government’s overall policy in the Middle East, and Congress has placed considerable importance on the maintenance of a close and supportive relationship. The main expression of Congressional support for Israel has been foreign aid.[1] Since 1985, it has provided nearly $3 billion in grants annually to Israel, with Israel being the largest annual recipient of American aid from 1976 to 2004 and the largest cumulative recipient of aid since World War II.[2] Seventy-four percent of these funds must be spent purchasing US goods and services.[3] Congress has monitored the aid issue closely along with other issues in bilateral relations, and its concerns have affected Administrations’ policies.[1] Almost all U.S. aid to Israel is now in the form of military assistance, while in the past it also received significant economic assistance. Strong congressional support for Israel has resulted in Israel receiving benefits not available to other countries.[2]
Bilateral relations have evolved from an initial U.S. policy of sympathy and support for the creation of a Jewish homeland in 1948 to an unusual partnership that links a small but militarily powerful Israel, dependent on the United States for its economic and military strength, with the American superpower trying to balance other competing interests in the region. Others maintain that Israel is a strategic ally, and that U.S. relations with Israel strengthen the U.S. presence in the Middle East.[1] Israel is one of the United States’ two original major non-NATO allies in the Middle East. Late Republican Senator Jesse Helms used to call Israel “America’s aircraft carrier in the Middle East”, when explaining why the United States viewed Israel as such a strategic ally, saying that the military foothold in the region offered by the Jewish State alone justified the military aid that the United States grants Israel every year.[4] Currently, there are seven major non-NATO allies in the Greater Middle East.
Far from being Americas aircraft carrier in the mid east Israel is the tail wagging the American dog.
April 2, 2014 at 1:20 AM
Are you stupid or are you a moron?
All that it says is that the US supports Israel.
It nowhere shows that this support is the result of your supposed allmighty Jewish lobby.
Oh Lord, let brain rain down from heaven.
April 2, 2014 at 1:30 AM
Its you who are stooping to base insults and ignoring the facts and chief among them is that the US gives more aid to Israel than it does to any other country there in a time of recession is a reason for that and it aint that the US is scared of Israel or any other country in the mid east which it could hit with ease and without Israel at any time and by any number of means,
You are willfully blind to the facts.
April 2, 2014 at 4:27 AM
For the record:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/03/28/obama-releases-aid-to-palestinian-authority.html#url=/articles/2013/03/28/obama-releases-aid-to-palestinian-authority.html
April 2, 2014 at 10:43 AM
pipakin, you talking about facts is like Jack the Ripper talking about compassion.
The truth sometimes hurts.
I’m justified to suspect stupidy on your part because after so many detailed explanations you still don’t understand what the problem is.
Your claim was that the Jewish lobby has so much power that US politicians cannot do anything other than what the Jewish lobby wants.
I asked you for proof for this allegation.
Your answer was that US support for Israel was the obvious proof.
But US support for Israel is no proof that there is an allpowerful Jewish lobby because, as I have shown, there are other, very real motivations for US support.
So, for the last time, I try to explain to you what the problem is as understandable as possible.
Suppose there are two guys, Leo and Bruno, who live 300 meters apart.
Between their houses is a huge skyscraper.
As everyone knows Leo hates Bruno with a passion and Bruno has always to protect himself against Leo’s aggression.
One fine day Bruno hits the wall of the skyscraper repeatedly with a little hammer.
Suddenly the huge building comes crashing down and falls exactly on Leo’s house, killing Leo in the process.
A bystander, Theo, tells everybody that Bruno brought the building down.
Rico, another bystander, asks Theo to show proof that Bruno caused the collapse of the building.
Theo replies: “Bruno hit the building with a hammer. Proof? The building came down on Leo’s house while Bruno was hammering the building. It’s so obvious. The building came down, can’t you see it?”.
Rico answers: “That’s not what I’m asking for. I’m asking that you show me that Bruno ACTUALLY CAUSED the building to come down. Because, while Bruno was hammering the building there was a team of construction workers who made big holes in the wall with their heavy machinery. I’m asking that you show me proof that it was Bruno who brought the building down and not the construction workers.”
But Theo repeats ad nauseam “The building came down. The building came down …”.
Now, I think I’ve made the problem perfectly clear and if you still don’t understand after this explanation, I would have to assume that you are indeed stupid.
April 2, 2014 at 11:05 AM
I didn’t say it is all powerful its power is in relation to Israel. Much of every form of media in the US is Jewish controlled, its that overall bias that is the power over presidents. I’m actually a bit surprised anyone would bother to deny it. Have not the main contenders been in Las Vegas ‘kissing the ring’ of one of the Republican partys main financial backers in an effort to get his support and ill gotten (gambling) gains for their bid for the presidency?
I think rather than ask me for ‘proof’ you should read the papers and watch some real news channels.
April 2, 2014 at 11:32 AM
Ok, so you are stupid.
No need for further discussion.
April 2, 2014 at 11:41 AM
Good, make sure you mean it I’ve had enough of your deliberate ignorance, insults and blatant hypocrisy.
April 2, 2014 at 3:24 PM
Respectfully, making it personal by name-calling will not advance the debate. I know it’s not my place to comment in such a way guys, but you have to admit PK made a civil argument for his case. I don’t entirely agree, but I had a interesting exchange of views with him and that’s what really counts. I doubt that any of our opinions have changed, but we both learned a little more about each other’s position taken on such a complex subject.
Besides, ever notice that when someone with strong opposing views calls in, the switchboard lights up? This article is a good example.
April 2, 2014 at 7:43 PM
I admire your patience, Steve.
April 2, 2014 at 7:49 PM
Thanks AR. As for me, I’ve been called every name in the book. I realize now that no matter what I say or do, approximately 15% of the people I meet do not like me. 😉
March 31, 2014 at 1:25 PM
Reblogged this on Oyia Brown.
March 31, 2014 at 3:09 PM
What I’m able to discern, the ‘American Jewish Lobby’ is not an organization unto itself. It’s a collective term for many pro-Jewish organizations.
“According to Mitchell Bard, there are, three key formal lobbying groups:
1. Christians United for Israel, is the “largest” pro-Israel lobby.
2. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) which directly lobbies the United States Congress
3. The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations which “is the main contact between the Jewish community and the executive branch” of the US government.”
Much like the NRA (National Rifle Association), of whom I’m a member, these lobbying organizations do have a tremendous impact on Congress and the White House. How that plays out at the voting booth is another matter. I would venture to say that more Americans will vote according to the actions of the NRA that the ‘Jewish lobby’, It goes to the core of our constitution. Therein lies it’s power. Not so with the ‘Jewish lobby’.
In effect, Obama and his political party would suffer tremendous damage if they instituted total gun control. Taking on Israel would be a whole lot easier on him and his party.
March 31, 2014 at 3:46 PM
Of course there are all kinds of groups which are lobbying for all kinds of interests.
Many groups with a certain ethnic/religious background have their organisations which is absolutely ok and totally legitiimate.
Examples are American Hellenic Institute, the National Italian American Foundation and many other such organisations.
The problem with the ‘Jewish lobby’ is that there are falsely almost mythical powers, if not omnipotence ascribed to it.
One only needs to look back at history to see how often the US followed policies (like the Oslo accord) that did go against Israeli interests.
That in itself shows how ridiculous these claims of the all-powerful Jewish lobby are.
Same goes for the allegedly omnipotent ‘Zionist controlled media’.
If they were so powerful why is there so much anti-Israeli bias in the media?
Seriously, the ‘Zionist controlled media’ must be doing a lousy job.
March 31, 2014 at 4:10 PM
Exactly my point. If the ‘Jewish lobby’ did indeed have nefarious intentions, the impact on American politics would be minimal….unless you are of the conspiracy theory type claiming the ‘evil Jooos’ are running everything here in the States.
Personally, I like to think we make our own decisions here and our domestic political process works to keep things in our own best interest. The fact that our interests do deviate from time to time is what’s troubling.
March 31, 2014 at 5:17 PM
That’s absolutely right steve,the jewish lobby is not strong enough,Even if there was a Zionist conspiracy,it would still make a minimal impact,the only conspiracy i can think of is by a jew and not the jews and thats the Rothschilds and the 700 trillion dollars they have stolen and and that’s greed not race,If anything was to be true it would be that AIPAC has had a positive influence on both restraining israel and practicing Obama
March 31, 2014 at 9:39 PM
LS…
Postmodern antisemitic shorthand:
Jewish lobby = ‘evil Jooos’
Zionists = ‘evil Jooos’
Israel = ‘evil Jooos’ (UN patois)
AIPAC = ‘evil Jooos’ ( J Street pigeon)
GOTTA BDS those ‘evil Jooos’ !
March 31, 2014 at 11:31 PM
“The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then . . . passed away. The Greek and the Roman followed. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts. … All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?”
— Mark Twain