on the flag is Israel? We've got enough problems internally to tie up the next 3 generations. Israel is more than capable of taking care of itself.

The world will be rid of anyone who has a reason for seeing the Israeli/Palestinian conflict with anything but absolute objectivity.

I'm sorry that he has to make these grotesque overtures when anybody who wasn't around during WW2 looks at the mess that is Israel and Palestine and says "WTF?! Well, who was there first? And it seems like they're both being a bit overreactive..." etc etc.

SIGH

But keep in mind, he has chosen his battles as wisely as possible. Sadly in American politics there are MANY thinsg you cannot say or do if you ever expect to ahve any hope of getting elected.

Israel is one of them

You cannot SAY you want single payer health care

You cannot say you want gay marriage

You cannot say you are an atheist or a secular humanist

This is just the reality. I feel for him b/c i think he feels as many in the country do - that the problem between Israel and Palestinians is mutual stupidity. That Israel is not the "democracy" in the middle east we always say it is and that we exacerbate tensions but our continued unquestioning moral adn financial support.

SIGH. Twenty more years. When my husbands kids are running things - this cow towing will NOT be problem. If we're still around.

Somebody should ask the neocons ... why they don't wear Israeli flag pins.

Heh. I already know the answer. Remember what's on the flag of Israel.

"You want to make Jews wear stars of David on their lapels? You fascist Nazi anti-semite!"

I wonder if the right-wing Jews who enable the neocons and do their part to fan the flames of endless war ever pause to consider the nature of their fellow travelers (Christian fundamentalists).

Should there ever be a seismic shift in U.S. politics that would create a rift between these two groups, do the Perles and Wolfowitzes of the world think for one moment that their friend John Hagee would hesitate to send them to the fire?

That you give BushCo the green light to bomb Iran without going to the congress first when AIPAC boos you and makes you butthurt. Even if you were elected to do the opposite, and contain the executive.

Right, Speaker Pelosi?

You want to make Jews wear stars of David on their lapels? You fascist Nazi anti-semite!"

Ah, but not all the neocons are Jews. (Though, as we've learned, any criticism of them is labeled anti-semitism, so I guess that counts).

No nation is above criticism. Thanks for pointing out this latest absurdity, Glenn.

"... Today, if an American politician said anything remotely like that ... how many seconds would elapse before the full-scale and permanent destruction of their political career was complete?"

Try nanoseconds.

There has been a de-facto amendment of the Constitution to allow political sentiment to substitute for a treaty adopted by the U.S. Senate. The entire government is committed the the "welfare and best interests" of another country, even though there is no mutual defense treaty with Israel.

Instead, Congress has conceded unlimited discretion to the Executive to decide who, what, where, and when this "pre-eminent, unchallenged world power" will bomb, invade, occupy, or destroy any country on earth.

That was explicitly done with the AUMF [Authorization for the Use of Military Force], which purported to authorize the invasion of Iraq, but actually gave the President the sole descretion on the use of military force anywhere in the world.

Thus, no Congressional debate is required for the President to bomb Somalia, Iran ... or Canada ... anytime he pleases.

This isn't just about Israel - though it is the primary beneficiary - it is about a full-blown Imperial Presidency, with none of the limits or restraints on his power that were specified by the Constitution.

Therefore, understanding the subjective whims of any potential President - who will be the unrestrained monarch of the "free world" - are critical to any election. After all, we are electing a military dictator, not a President.

It is certain Barack Obama will be asked to pass through these pureness of intent fires regarding Israel. Repeatedly.

Sadly there are many American politicians of both parties in WashingtonDC that have blinded themselves to lack of balance and fairplay that now numbs American relations regarding Israeli/Arab Palestinian conflict and Israeli Occupation of Arab Palestine Jerusalem and West Bank.

This one-sidedness of American imbalance and conduct of unfairness fully contaminating any American ability to address what has befallen Arab Palestine at the hand of Israel.

It is clear that for those Israelis who seek to expunge Arab Palestine from ever having been or reducing Arab Palestine to small,broken parts that cannot in anyway be seen other than Israeli run Arab Palestine reservations all bounds of decency or moderation have been exceeded.

Sadly Israeli zealotry much like American neo-conism is more taken with creation of myths,fabrications and narratives that facts or truths are either shape shifted around or simply discarded for as useless clutter and replaced with lies or baseless propaganda.

Sometimes I think Arab Palestine should be made offer to be part of what is in large part now an American Empire and given full protection of American Imperial presence.

Should Israel wish to be made part of this same American Empire that is fine as well. If not Israel should fully understand that Arab Palestine falls under full American Imperial protection and this is not to be treated lightly.

Arab Palestine under American Imperial rule would be granted all rights of American citizenship,self-government and full access to American markets and systems. Hopefully in West Asia such a state of affairs for Arab Palestinians would lead to American affairs there being viewed as truly noble and equitable. In time Arab Palestine hopefully would attain high levels of achievement in civics,commerce and social fabric stability and success.

I expect a firestorm of criticism/cynicism for having suggested above state of affairs between Americans and Arab Palestinians.

Yet would this be any worse than what Israel has managed to put in place after some 60 years worth of Arab Palestinian expungement conduct?

Doing so also in part becoming American atonement for West Asian American Debacle in Iraq.

Insufficient devotion to Israel? Not at all.

Dedication to need to find peace and go beyond what Israel has done to Arab Palestine after sixty years. Enough failure and duplicity. Enough of the land grabs,expungement conduct and ongoing Israeli zealots demonization/destruction of Arab Palestine.

Enough.