"By then the dual loyalty charge had (it was felt) been laid to rest. Louis D. Brandeis had shown that that you could be a good American and a good Zionist, and there was no conflict of interest."
I wonder why anyone acting in good conscience ever thought he could put Israel first and still be a good American too. It's like trying to be equally loyal to your mistress or your wife. Sooner or later you have to choose. The notion that there are no policy differences between Israel and the United States is absurd. During Israel's invasion of Lebanon back in the 1980s Arial Sharon sent IDF tanks through American lines. They only stopped when an American officer, carrying his .45 sidearm, jumped on the lead tank and threatened to shoot the Israel tank commander, an IDF colonel. Not a single American president supported Israel's decision to colonize the West Bank, knowing the problems these settlers would eventually cause when it came time to make peace. Yet every Israeli prime minister continued to build these settlements. When the first President Bush tried to deny funds to Israel to put more Russian immigrants in the territories, the Israel lobby put 1,000 people on the streets of Washington D.C. to lobby congress and undercut Bush. They later made sure that Bush dearly paid for the sin of trying to put American first by switching all their support and money to Bill Clinton. Clinton ran for office promising to appoint a cabinet that looked like America. But once he won he rather repaid his debt to the Israel Lobby by appointing one that looked like Tel Aviv. Even today these Israeli-firsters are beating the drums for a US stike on Iran despite overwhelmming opposition to such a move by most Americans. They somehow make it seem that America "owes" it to Israel to make the first strike. I think what Israel owes America is to quit involving us in its wars.
"By then the dual loyalty charge had (it was felt) been laid to rest. Louis D. Brandeis had shown that that you could be a good American and a good Zionist, and there was no conflict of interest."
I wonder why anyone acting in good conscience ever thought he could put Israel first and still be a good American too. It's like trying to be equally loyal to your mistress or your wife. Sooner or later you have to choose. The notion that there are no policy differences between Israel and the United States is absurd. During Israel's invasion of Lebanon back in the 1980s Arial Sharon sent IDF tanks through American lines. They only stopped when an American officer, carrying his .45 sidearm, jumped on the lead tank and threatened to shoot the Israel tank commander, an IDF colonel. Not a single American president supported Israel's decision to colonize the West Bank, knowing the problems these settlers would eventually cause when it came time to make peace. Yet every Israeli prime minister continued to build these settlements. When the first President Bush tried to deny funds to Israel to put more Russian immigrants in the territories, the Israel lobby put 1,000 people on the streets of Washington D.C. to lobby congress and undercut Bush. They later made sure that Bush dearly paid for the sin of trying to put American first by switching all their support and money to Bill Clinton. Clinton ran for office promising to appoint a cabinet that looked like America. But once he won he rather repaid his debt to the Israel Lobby by appointing one that looked like Tel Aviv. Even today these Israeli-firsters are beating the drums for a US stike on Iran despite overwhelmming opposition to such a move by most Americans. They somehow make it seem that America "owes" it to Israel to make the first strike. I think what Israel owes America is to quit involving us in its wars.