Reply #42: If you want overlapping personnel look at the Reagan Admin. [View All]

[Colorado Blue]

The idea that the Israeli government is somehow running Washington is patently absurd. It's actually more like the other way around. The fact that Washington doesn't always get its way is cause for great friction and the two states don't always see eye to eye at all. Nevertheless Israel is much like the United States, a Western oriented democracy in one of the most geostrategically important regions of the world, and as such an important ally. But American interests in the region far supercede those of Israel.

George HW Bush actually armed Iraq with chemical weapons in order to get even with Israel for some transgression. That's in Unger's book, "House of Bush, House of Saud" - upon which Michael Moore based his movie Farenheit 9/11. And during Gulf War I the Israelis were forced to sit passively and get hit with SCUD missiles - which they feared were armed with WMD's provided by America - without daring to retaliate or defend themselves.

And, before THAT, Bush turned around and used the Israelis to arm IRAN. Iran has threatened several times to blow Israel off the map and continues to arm and fund terror groups, similarly disposed to destroy her and murder her citizens. In other words, the Israelis are on the hot seat and the US has helped put them there.

The Iran/Iraq war killed over 1,000,000 people. The war in Afghanistan, in which the US armed Arab resistance fighters including Osama Bin Ladin, was aimed at harming the Soviet Union - which it did. It also killed around 1,000,000 people and practically destroyed Afghanistan, leaving a power vacuum that allowed the Taliban to sieze power. And it left al Qaeda armed to the teeth. Saudi Arabian money was used as well. Unger says they also helped the Reagan Administration with funds for action in Latin America.

Israel is a pawn of the US, not the other way around. If you're looking for influence, follow the money - SAUDI money.

Moreover, this plan of which you speak actually involves cutting aid to Israel, plans to establish better relations between her and her neighbors through economic and cultural spheres, a program of "peace for peace" as opposed to "land for peace", which didn't work anyway, and aims to reduce Israeli dependence upon the US. I cannot see how that should trouble you.

Finally, I suggest a bit of reading on the REAGAN Administration, in which George Herbert Walker Bush was the Vice President, and during which he was surrounded by the same group of individuals who are now calling the shots in THIS administration. Also, Bush was the head of CIA before he entered elective politics.

These people are far more powerful than Israel, population 6 million, area smaller than New Jersey.

They represent the oil industry, which is, in fact, running this government. And with good reason: the global economy, unfortunately, can't run without it. And, the associated industries: petrochemicals, paints, medicines, plastics, synthetic fabrics, cars, planes, defense - they're absolutely enormous.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_industry