MISAPPREHENDING THE REPUBLIC:

And the winner is ... the Israel lobby (Pepe Escobar, 6/03/08, Asia Times)

They're all here - and they're all ready to party. The three United States presidential candidates - John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Madam House speaker Nancy Pelosi. Most US senators and virtually half of the US Congress. Vice President Dick Cheney's wife, Lynne. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Embattled Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. And a host of Jewish and non-Jewish political and academic heavy-hitters among the 7,000 participants.

Such star power wattage, a Washington version of the Oscars, is the stock in trade of AIPAC - the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the crucial player in what is generally known as the Israel lobby and which holds its annual Policy Conference this week in Washington at which most of the heavyweights will deliver lectures.

These guys just can't grasp that the crucila player in the pro-Israel stance of U. S. politicians is the American electorate. Does anyone think Senator Obama would be doing all these 180's on the Middle East if he wasn't terrified of being punished at the polls for being anti-Israel?

Posted by Orrin Judd at June 3, 2008 7:41 AM