The Mitt and Bibi show
The editorial starts off with:
In the 20th century, American politicians with ethnically diverse constituencies were advised to visit the “three I’s” — Ireland, Italy and Israel. Mitt Romney is heading to the third of those countries this summer on a mission that he hopes will burnish his image with American supporters of the Jewish state. Fair enough, but in establishing his bona fides as a friend of Israel, the Republican candidate for president must be careful of what he says and promises in order to avoid creating problems in the future.
But to be honest, most of the ethnic pandering I see politicians carrying out is in relation to Israel and it puzzles the heck out of me.
I support Israel like I support any democracy and Israel is “one of us” in the Middle East, I say this while fully supporting the creation of Palestine out of the West Bank and Gaza.
In any case, as someone who just considers Israel one democratic nation no less important than any other and in fact probably less important than others I don’t get the cow towing by American politicians. There are not even that many American Jews in America to consider that the reason. So what gives?
The best I can guess at is that the Italians and Irish (and others) are not engaged in any existential fight for survival against a groups of people we Americans (in general) don’t like much (Muslim and or Arabs). So my guess is many Americans identify vicariously with Israel’s fighting those Muslim Arabs.
I also think that beyond the much commented American Evangelical end times love for Israel, a less commented on support for Israel inked to America’s Military-Insustrial-Foreign Policy-Complex which probably makes supporting Israel (a minor nation in the scheme of things) seem like supporting America’s military might in the world.
As you have I hope noted I am not claiming Jews run the world or control the media or any of that conspiratorial BS though clearly, the current cow towing to the Bibi wing of the Israeli political system makes it seem so.
I also want to remind people that the importance of the American “Jewish” vote is a a recent phenomenon, remember Jim Baker’s remark about the Jewish vote and Republicans where he dismissed it as important (using colorful language)? That was not long ago. That is how recent a phenomenon this is.
With all that said, as much as I understand real politik and how it’s played, which means the USA should be more pals with oil rich Saudi Arabia than Israel, I can’t really accept that because Saudi Arabia is a theocratic totalitarian state while Israel with all her short comings is a thriving democracy (inside her own borders) as I understand the concept as a westerner.