Israeli Lobby "corrupts congress" and drags USA into wars Michael Scheuer (Former CIA Chief): "The real problem is the leaders of the Jewish American community in the United States who influence and corrupt our congress to support Israel when we have no interest in it." Reporter: "You imply that the Israeli lobby is dragging the United States into the wars, into the conflict?" Michael Scheuer (Former CIA Chief): "Absolutely! They're absolutely dragging us in--Iraq was a war that was proffered or was called for mainly by--(the reporter cuts Michael Scheuer off with another question). Michael Scheuer (Former CIA Chief): "I think they're gonna go to war with Iran because it's really not an American choice anymore--it's and Israeli choice and the choice of the American Jewish lobby. You notice when Obama wanted to talk about whether there should be war against the Iranians, he didn't go to the Congress, he didn't go to the American people--he went to AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) and more or less plead for more time to make sanctions work." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Scheuer Michael F. Scheuer (born 1952) is a former CIA intelligence officer, American blogger, author, historian, foreign policy critic, and political analyst. He is currently an adjunct professor at Georgetown University's Center for Peace and Security Studies. One of his assignments during his 22-year career was serving as Chief of the Bin Laden Issue Station (aka "Alec Station") (the Osama bin Laden tracking unit at the Counterterrorist Center) from 1996 to 1999. He also served as Special Advisor to the Chief of Alec Station from September 2001 to November 2004.
You could argue that either way. If it weren't for Israel it would be much harder to develop the political support for our overseas military deployments, as American Jews in general otherwise tend to be liberal and pacifist. We use a lot more oil than Israel.
Michael Scheuer (Former CIA Chief): "We need to separate ourselves from Israel, it is an enormous drag on American--it's a cancer on America's foreign policy." (2:02 in the video) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: "It's good to have an outpost of the Council (CFR) right here down the street from the State Department. We get a lot of advice from the Council (CFR) so this will mean I won't have as far to go to be told what we should be doing..."
We did Israel a huge favor by negotiating the Iran nuclear agreement. Many Israelis must realize this; but we will keep hearing crap from Netanyahu for basically the same reason we will keep hearing the same crap from Lindsey Graham. They both find it politically expedient. Their belligerent talk, however, makes no sense whatsoever in terms of practical and effective long-term foreign policy... for either country. The Israeli government, under Netanyahu's Likud party at any rate, is not our friend. On the other hand, the Israeli government is a key component in the mechanism used to launder U.S. Tax dollars on a circuitous path to the U.S. Defense Industry. And that mechanism is threatened by too much "soft" talk. U.S. tax dollars, via "foreign aid" sent to Israel return to the U.S. economy via U.S. Defense Industry purchase orders. This makes our total federal defense spending look smaller than it really is. Israel is a valuable cog in this money laundering wheel.
Israel means different things to different people, but the polarization is definitely used for various geopolitical ends and to sell weapons throughout the entire region. They could have cleansed the wound and stopped it from festering a long time ago by paying the surrounding Arab countries to take the remaining refugees in with a fraction of the defense dollars spent in the region being to give them a fresh start. There are interests that like the status quo.
Norman Finkelstein (author and activist): "It's a right of passage for a presidential candidate, a pass through Israel--mostly it's about money." Narrator: "Jewish and pro-Israel money accounts for between one quarter and one third of all donations to the major (USA) political parties. Some (people) estimate higher." Cynthia McKinney (Former US Congresswoman): "They bought the Executive Branch, they bought the Legislative Branch..." Narrator: "And this power of the purse has built a reputation in Washington for the most powerful pro-Israel political group (AIPAC) in the country." Rebecca Vilkomerson (Exec. Dir. Jewish Voice For Peace): "I think what AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) has done best, has impressed upon candidates and upon elected officials that they can punish people who vote the wrong way and that they can reward people who vote the right way."
Netanyahu Wanted To Attack Iran But Was Overruled: Ex-Defense Minister The Israeli premier pressed for military operations at least three times in recent years, according to Ehud Barak. JERUSALEM, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Israel's political leaders pushed to attack Iran at least three times in the past few years but had to back down on the advice of the military and due to concerns about its ally the United States, former defense minister Ehud Barak said. In interviews to his biographers aired late on Friday by Israel's Channel Two, Barak said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had wanted military operations against Iranian nuclear facilities in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Israel has regularly hinted it could attack Iran to stop it getting nuclear weapons, something Teheran denies it is seeking. In 2010, the Israeli leadership wanted an attack but the military said it did not have "operational capability," said Barak, defense minister between 2007 and 2013, and prime minister in 1999-2001. In 2011, two ministers in a top security forum convened to discuss an attack changed their mind and decided against it, Barak said. In 2012 the timing coincided with a joint military exercise with the United States. "We intended to carry it out," Barak said, but going ahead with an attack on Iran while U.S. forces were conducting the exercise would have been bad timing. "You're asking and demanding America to respect your sovereignty when making a decision to do it even if America objects and it's against her interests, you can't go in the opposite direction and force America in when they're here on a drill that was known ahead of time," Barak said. Netanyahu's spokesman could not be reached for comment. Like Israel, the United States, had said military action was an option if diplomatic efforts failed to prevent Iran developing nuclear weapons. The Obama administration says a deal agreed with Tehran in July will prevent Iran getting the bomb. That agreement is opposed by Israel, which believes it will be ineffective and allow Tehran to exert greater international influence.
what was it that we are hoping to accomplish with that Iran deal? How did Obama achieve that with this deal? No one has ever really explained that very well to me. All I hear is that they were going to get it sooner or later... so this way we can pretend they will get it later maybe if they honor their end of the deal and inspect themselves, as we pay them money and remove our leverage and sanctions.
Israel's concerns probably have more to do with some of the unfrozen Iranian assets making their way to Lebanon and Hezbollah than they do with proliferation.