I just left the GA and everything you said was spot on. Rahm made his jokes, talked forever and ever about Obama’s domestic and international agenda, and then hit the middle east.

here were they’re was no mistaking that their words and actions just do not line up.

No matter how much he said that Israel is their BFF, it belies their actions.

Rahm mentioned a contiguous Palistate, how great peace will be for the future, that the Palestinians need to renounce violence, and teaching hate.

But there was ZERO incentive for them to do any of that.

I never thought I would see the day that I agree more with Bibi than with what passes for democratic leadership.

Also – a major National Jewish Democratic leader told me he pulled out of AIPAC.

Yup.

Hasnt cast his vote yet with Jstreet – but that he dropped AIPAC.

That was the huge news.

One might think after the speech that Rahmbo gave that two sovereign countries were discussing a peace deal, and that all that was left to do was sit and discuss things.

Alas.

I am very skeptical about the Obama team’s ability to make peace happen any day soon.

Not-particularly-right-wing Israelis have seen Hizbullah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, and now know that it was a game of salami-slicing for the Palis all along. Our lefie elite was wrong, the magic is gone, and behind Abbas stretches a line of ever more openly radical Islamicists.

Any land ceded to them will be used to stage further attacks – most Israelis know this now in our bones, whether or not the settlers say “I told you so”.

We’ve seen the maps showing the range of various missiles – and mentally calculated the striking distance from the Green Line.

Any solution involving 2 states east of the Jordan is a non-starter for most Israelis.

Bibi and Liberman (the Israeli one!) are laying the groundwork to move the discussion beyond the land-for-peace, 2-state framework of Oslo.

Bibi’s demand that the Palis recognize Israel as the Jewish homeland is one example of this – a masterful gambit that cannot be challenged without coming off sounding like a racist, and underscores the Pali’s true intentions and intransigence.

Bibi also handled the White House’s demand for a settlement freeze very nicely – bobbing and weaving like a boxer, deploying hard-liners in the coalition in a good cop/bad cop routine. Look at what Hillary wound up saying… it’s no longer a precondition.

Bibi and Liberman have been very circumspect – sucking it up on the Gaza border instead of finishing the job Barak (the Israeli one!) left unfinished.

Wait until after decisive action is taken on Iran. You may see less retraint from Israel after that die is cast.

Alexk, you’re a loon.

For Jews to just sit on the sidelines and not do anything is a terrible idea. Jews should show the Democratic party and their anti-Semitic pals that they are thoroughly opposed to Obama’s treatment of Israel and the Jews for that matter and vote against the Dems, whether it be for Repubs, Independents, etc.

Lastly, Paul Krugman is a liar and has spread many lies throughout his career. Only hard-core communists should listen to what that idiot preaches. He’s yet another dumb Jew.

I want to kill your mother? You may wish to talk to Senator Lieberman about that, not me. All I’m proposing is that as we approach the next elections, the Jewish voters and fundraisers take a short break. By then, the senate will have voted on their health care bill and it might or might not wash with congress and might or might not go to Obama. Either way, my suggestion does not affect your mother.

Oh, and as for voting against our best economic interests, you’ll excuse me but as Paul Krugman keeps pointing out, the Obama attempts to repair banking and the economy have been too small in size and all the waffling and catering to Republicans early on in the Administration, which is one of the key reasons the stimulus and other plans are smaller than they needed to be, is what led us here. This misjudgment by Obama is similar to his misjudgments about Iran and about how to deal with Israel and the Palestinians. When you make mistakes and you’re a politician, the best way for the public to inform you that you’re making mistakes is by withholding dollars and votes. If you do that, Josh, maybe Obama will change strategies on a number of fronts and not only will your mother get better health care, but your pocketbook will be fatter and the PM of a democratic ally of the US won’t be treated like a second rate house assistant.

There’s zero chance the Republicans will capture a significant share of the Jewish vote. We’ve been here over and over again. It won’t happen. Besides, there’s a signficant latent constituency for a J Street approach. I know it’s anecdotal, but I discuss politics and foreign affairs with a wide variety of Jews and gentiles, and you’ll only hear the former criticize Israel, often vituperatively.

Unless and until Obama’s presidency fails (for domestic or other, non-Middle East-related reasons), Jewish voters will follow him, Pied Piper-like, wherever he chooses to take them.

What should Israel do? If I were Bibi, I’d try to coopt Obama by advertising my openness to a final settlement, even privately signalling what I’d be willing to accept. The problem, I suppose, is that Taba or anything like it is anathema to Bibi and not something he’s politically able to endorse in any event.

A strategy of simply playing 3 or 7 years of defense is dangerous for Israel, despite Bibi’s success with it thus far.

I believe Obama is prepared to take radical, unprecedented steps toward creation of a Palestinian state.

Two points:
1) Israel is a non-issue for most Americans of Jewish descent. They are largely unaffiliated Jewishly, and have never visited Israel. Being Jewish is for them an increasingly vestigal ethnic label.

Their religion is that True-Believing Liberalism which fervently awaits The Second Coming of Socialism. Obama’s their man, pushing an agenda that makes left-wing intellectuals’ mouths water.

Considering that they willingly, enthusiastically vote against their own financial self-interest – it’s unrealistic to expect them to pull support based on the tenuous, distant topic of Israel.

2) I don’t think Bibi is all that worried about the reception he will get – after all the Obama White House:

- has shown itself to be weak, dithering, and disloyal to allies.

- hasn’t fixed the economy.

- has a lot of antsy congressional Dems ready to bolt (as evidenced by the incredibly close vote on Saturday). Not many people in Congress are going to go along with any anti-Israel measures.

In short, the White House has largely emasculated itself.

Despite their unpopularity among some American Jews, Bibi and Liberman have – like real grownups – been working carefully behind the scenes to make the best of a bad situation.

They are building anti-terror consensus among the “little countries” that the US dissed – who are now worrying about defending themselves in a way they didn’t when the US was the “sheriff of the world”.

The fickle US abandonment of missile defense in Europe is opening many ears to Liberman’s thoughts about Muslim terror, and Iran.