Nothing better illustrates the gulf between the US and western Europe than a story like this one, juxtaposed with Mo Dowd's reports of gushing French media and pop cultural tributes to Obama. Most Frenchmen like most Europeans despise Israel and zionism generally, and would be aghast if they were to learn of this portion of the report, per Rosner's summary in Ha'aretz:

Excerpt: 'Here is another interesting nugget, *** signed by the two most senior Obama advisers ***: The President should begin "a national conversation with the American people on the challenges, risks, and dilemmas posed to U.S. interests by the potential Iranian acquisition of a nuclear weapons capability, and on ways to prevent it - to raise popular awareness of the fact that Iran's nuclear ambitions are likely to trigger a surge of nuclear proliferation and raise the potential of terrorists gaining nuclear weapons." '

Peretz's snippet here makes one gag.  The US has national

interests other than the Jewish Community in the US and the

Israeli government.  Nuclear fears are well overstated and flogged

mercilessly with little or no counter opinion or balance.  So called

"terrorism" and war thereupon, stimulated gratuitously by Woolsey

and others is a sham behind which the Bushies and their cronies have

concocted a police state and several wars which were invasions and

occupations of ancient tribal areas and states.  We have an administration

as feckless and vicious as I have seen in the many, many years I have

watched politics, national and international.  Oh, and did I mention that

with the approval of the Israel lobby, Bush has driven the economy

into the ground, on purpose and intends to leave us with yet another war

if he can make up another lying pretext for same.

Perhaps before I expire I will see a clear eyed, unfettered (think AIPAC)

statement of the national interest of the US without all the garbage and

baggage these folks seem intent on making us carry forever.  But I have

very limited hopes as the Lobby presses on daily and  retaliates

radically against anyone who raises any question about how our tax

dollars are spent.  The tail is wagging the dog here in more ways than

one, including a reprise of the movie of that name in real time in a

multinational environment full of snakes of the first order and live ammo.

Obama's TNR apologist is trying once again to portray the Obama team as sympathetic to Israel.  Almost unanimously, the Obama team is hostile to Israel and Brezinski is one of his team members.  So it is totally dishonest for Peretz to try this ploy and pretend that Brezinski isnt a strategic member of the Obama policy team.  One begins to wonder how low Peretz will stoop in his support for Obama and if a job offer is part of his motivation.  Come clean Marty.

“…very limited hopes as the Lobby (aipac---) presses on daily and  retaliates

radically against anyone who raises any question about how our tax

dollars are spent”  wafranklin

The troll, waf, (check out the number of posts he has posted thus far, here---is he mackenzie under another name?), in any case, the troll comment about AIPAC retaliating “radically” no less is laughable.

W&M and Jimmy Carter really got their heads handed to them by “those people” along with a fat check and a book on the best seller list, talking engagements from NY to Jerusalem.

That “powerful” Jewish lobby surely does flex it’s muscle. They are either the most incompetent “powerful lobby group” in the world, they couldn’t shut up a whisper, or troll franklin is another Jew hating liar. I’d bet on the latter.

Hard to argue with the reality you outline Marty.

There is a consensus from both parties around your particularly miltant zionism. Feel the power of that ballot box!

Of course your radicalism leads to this: news.bbc.co.uk/.../7455231.stm, which inevitably follows this: news.bbc.co.uk/.../7451691.stm.

I'm assuming you condemn both Marty?

Wow, what informed  polemics.  As I said, retaliation is standard fare

for any question whatsoever of the sacred wisdom but I am not at all sure

jacksondyer can ever deliver it.  And, no I post here so infrequently as to

not exist on his radar or most others.  Go ahead, continue to prove my points.

Jackson, off-topic, but maybe not so much:  Was listening to the BBC news on NPR.  Announcer was talking about the bribery scandal with Olmert.  And mind you, it wasn't just a business man who gave him money, it was a "Jewish" businessman.  The guy said it with some relish, too.  They have no clue about how biased they are.  It's just profoundly crazy.    

The ignorant Irishman gets all his info from the BBC, a radically anti Israel organization:

www.camera.org/index.asp

On the second link above readers may want to read this:

Pallywood? No: Report on Jewish attack on Arabs in West Bank:

www.theaugeanstables.com/.../pallywood-no-report-on-jewish-attack-on-arabs-in-west-bank

If the report is accurate the perpetrated need to be caught and put on trial. No excuses from this quarter for terrorism either Jewish or Arab.

The BBC though can't stop making excuses for Arab terroirsts.

wafranklin, what the fuck are you babbling now, franklink?

You have proven nothing.

Who exactly has been retaliated against by the "Jewish lobby," and how? David Duke? Mearshimer and Walt?

Go ahead, Jew hater,  prove your case.

"And, no I post here so infrequently as to  not exist on his radar or most others." Franklin

You have posted once or twice. That's not infrequent, that's a sign that you probably are a poster who changed his or her ID in order to attack Jews here.

re: the W-M visit to Israel.

A few interesting tidbits came out here.  W-M were invited here by the radical ultra-left wing group Gush Shalom & their fearless leader, Uri Avneri.  Once W-M accepted the invite, I assume that they realized that they were being hosted by the fringe of the Israeli fringe.  Being smart professors, they probably realized that G.S & U.A. was not the kind of speaking engagement that earns academic brownie points.  So they contacted the Political Science department at Hebrew U. and wrangled themselves an invite (a reluctant one) to come speak to students & faculty members.

One of the senior profs at the H.U. poli sci dep't, Gabby Sheffer, was interviewed on the radio and explained their decision to agree to host the evening with W-M.  Sheffer himself is familiar with their book, and while he claims they are not anti-Semitic or even want Israel to disappear, he strongly disagrees with them on many points, particularly that the war in Iraq was launched primarily for Israel's benefit, under the guidance of the nefarious Israel lobby (although W-M concede that establishing and running lobbying groups is as American as apple pie).  Sheffer also admits that W-M distorted and misrepresented many facts.  Nonetheless, the poli sci dept. agreed to host them as a counter to the growing academic bon ton of boycotting Israel and Israelis who don't agree to confess the sins of their people and take progressobabellianism into their hearts.

Apparently a lively crowd of students and faculty showed up, listened politely and then questioned them and argued with them civilly but aggressively.  A couple of far lefties in the audience expressed their support for W-M's thesis and cause, but most of the students & faculty made their disagreement clear and explicit.

Hershel Ginsburg

Efrata / Jerusalem

Jay Solomon of the WSJ reports: In fine-tuning his foreign-policy agenda, Barack Obama is turning to a core group of Middle East experts who have spent more than a decade, in Democratic and Republican administrations, exploring avenues to engaging Iran

Frank:

"The US has national interests other than the Jewish Community in the US and the Israeli government."

This is obviously true, but it almost sounds like you're saying that the interests of American Jews aren't a part of America's interests, as if American Jews aren't really American.  Jewish American interests are the interests of Americans, just as Arab American, Mexican American, Asian American, White American, and Black American interests are.  And what if it is in America's interest to promote a strong Israel, as the only liberal democracy in the region with the highest standard of living and is an ally of ours?

"So called 'terrorism' and war thereupon... is a sham behind which the Bushies and their cronies have concocted a police state and several wars which were invasions and occupations of ancient tribal areas and states."

Say what you will about Iraq, but this almost seems like you're saying that "terrorism" was an excuse to attack Afghanistan.  I hate to break it to you, Frank, but OBL declared war on the US long before we declared war on him.  The Taliban allowed him to train terrorists on their soil to pull of 9/11, and wouldn't arrest him when given the chance.  Now, if you don't think 9/11 was terrorism, then I can't help you.  "Ancient tribal areas" is irrelevant.  All of the world is full of "ancient tribal areas."  America isn't a "police state."  It's closer than it was eight years ago, but hyperbole doesn't help the cause.

"Oh, and did I mention that with the approval of the Israel lobby, Bush has driven the economy into the ground, on purpose...."

This is your most off-the-hinge remark.  Why in tarnation would Bush want to drive the US economy into the ground?  The tanking economy has led to a historically low approval rating and will likely place a Democrat into the White House.  It has eroded the prosperity of the middle and lower class, and is making it easier for other countries (China?  Russia?) to use economic clout to subvert American financial leverage across the globe.  The downtick of the economy has been brought about by the burst of the housing market and the higher global demand for oil.  You could argue that the Bush tax cuts also contributed, but there is no reason to conclude that Bush knew it would be a catastrophic economic idea.  Bush may be wrong on many things, but he's not malicious.  And vis a vis Israel, it makes no sense for them to wish ill on the US economy.  NONE.  We are thier chief ally and supporter.  Why would they want us to go down?

Yeesh.