Israeli Influence on the Bush Administration (Was why...)

[Mutualcode at aol.com]

I think that it is possible to discuss Israel and its possible undue
influence on the Bush administration and its policies without
being anti-semitic, or even worrying too much about ethnic
distinctions. Israel is a nation, more unique for being a democracy
in a region where there are almost no other democratic states,
than for the fact that the majority of it's citizens are jews.

That means that whoever is in power in Israel, as in Britain, which
is the model for Israeli government, must be elected by the people,
and, can lose a vote of confidence and be voted out of office by the
people. None of Israel's direct neighbors can claim that distinction.

Democracy is the most important reason why Israel is a close ally
of the U.S. It means that the U.S. can count on any mutually
agreed upon policies made with Israel, and not have to worry
about them being summarily voided by a coup. There must be
a democratic transfer of power. Israel has credibility.

That being recognized, it is fair to ask if Israel, as a democratic
state, is exercising undue political influence on the foreign policy
of the current U.S. administration. In my opinion, Israel has been
neglected by most U.S. Administrations since Truman left office.
If the U.S. had strongly backed this bastion of Democracy, in a
very un-democractic region, from the outset, much of the misery
and concommitant intransigence experienced since then could
have been avoided. Your opinions may differ.

Perhaps the question should be- Why have successive U.S.
administrations failed to recognize their duty and obligations
toward the one flicker of Democracy in the middle east for so
long? What were the fears of being called "too supportive" of 
Israel based on?

Especially sans any Cold War calculations?

The politics of Oil, it seems, cuts both ways.

respectfully
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