Prominent Jewish neoconservatives rallied for war, sure. But the Israeli defense establishment did not. They had always been more worried about Iran. And BECAUSE Israel does not control American policy, but rather Israel must deal with America's own foreign policy, Israel publicly backed the Iraq war for fear of getting the "France treatment." For Klein to argue that Iraq was an exercise in Israeli/Jewish manipulation is wrong and dangerous. I'm shocked he'd even try sounding like Pat Buchanan.

I'm surprised I'm sounding like Jamie Kirchick, come to think of it.

Right you are rozenson. The Israelis have their heads on.  You won't agree entirely with my position, because I suscribe to an cabal charge, (even "The Economist," "Financial Times" and Michael Kinsley remarked on the matter) but here goes. . .

When the NYT polled Jewish New Yorkers in the run-up to Oedipal/Gulf War 2, a large majority opposed the invasion of Iraq. I found that result curious. Were they inveterate Democrats or self-haters? No, they probably figured the sponsor of Hezbollah and Hamas, Iran(oh, I better not forgot our close ally home of 17 of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers, and Hamas financier, Saudi Arabia) was more of a threat to Israel than Iraq. (I wonder what the Israelis would do if they discovered irrefutable evidence that the Saudis fiianaced a devasting terrorist attack against it. Somehow, I don't think bombing. . .Burkina Faso,would be its response.)

But no, the Jewish neocon cowards who gained military expertise through. . .not serving in the U.S. or Israeli military, were obssessed with invading Iraq and harbored fevered delusions that the invasion would help Israel.  (Didn't Chalabi promise Wolfie he'd build an oil pipeline from Kirkuk to Israel? Though any jackass could see that the pipeline would have to cross Syrian and Jordanian territory. Guess two more invasions would solve that problem. ) Well, five years later, the 'brilliant" plan is a (predictably) spectacular fiasco. No wonder Israel wasn't receptive to the unsolicited plans of the neocons.  (Gen. Odom: ". . .the neocons, who think they know what’s good for Israel more than Israel knows." )

Unfortunately, we are stuck with Wolfowitz, Peretz, Feith, Perle, Pipes and the rest of those Chicken Little assholes. (Total military service? Zero. Awareness of the religious and ethnic divisions of Iraq? Zero. Yet war-mongering poltroons Wolfowitz and Feith are allowed to supervise military planning and the likes of Max Boot, Fred and Robert Kagan, Bill Kristol, Richard Perle, ersatz General M. Peretz, Pipes, Randy Scheunemann beat the drums for war.

This may surprise you but on this point, I agree with you. Needy Joe is a real jerk and I can't stand him, or his position on Iraq or Iran, but this "divided loyalty" stuff is code, and as you say, a particularly bigoted code.

This Lyin Joe Klein guy has always been sort of a creep. Sic'em kirchick...you have my blessing...

I was just about to write an email to a friend about David Brooks' anti-Semitism radar being oversensitive, then Klein goes off and gives Brooks more evidence.  Damn I hate it when that happens!

Obama shill Mel Levine has never been shy about throwing around his AIPAC credentials. That's a good strategy given how his pro-Obama arguments are mindbogglingly stupid, but it does beg a question: given how the Obama campaign is on...