"The powerful pro-Israel lobby has not engaged in a shoe-leather lobbying campaign to woo wayward senators and push Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to schedule a vote on the bill ... While the group supports the bill -- authored by Sens. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) -- it is not yet putting its political muscle behind a push for an immediate vote," reported Politico, citing key senators and their aides.
To say the least, it is disturbing that the US Senate is completely bewildered that AIPAC, which lobbies for the interest of a foreign power, has yet to provide its guidelines regarding the behavior of America's supposedly most respected political representatives.
"I don't know where AIPAC is. I haven't talked to anybody," said Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.). "I don't know what they're doing," said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
This alone should shed some light on the seemingly bewildering question of the "strong bond" and "stable" alliance of Israel and the US -- and to a lesser degree EU countries. This is not to suggest that Israel has complete dominance over US foreign policy in the Middle East, but to ignore Israel's indispensable role in shaping the outlook of US foreign policy is dishonest and inconsistent with the facts, to put it mildly.
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