[No "ought" about it, James. The Israelis *can* count on U.S. support, e.g., from today's NY Times:]
Israel Winning Broad Support From U.S. Right
By ALISON MITCHELL
WASHINGTON, April 20 — Gary L. Bauer, the Christian conservative who grew up as a janitor's son in Kentucky, and William Kristol, the scion of New York Jewish intellectuals, long ago forged an unlikely but close friendship as warriors of the right.
They have fought together on issues like promoting family values and the Supreme Court nomination of Clarence Thomas. But the cause that now rivets them both is Israel, and their joint, consuming devotion to it illustrates the deep pro-Israel sentiment in the conservative movement....
The strongly pro-Israel sentiment marks a profound and telling shift inside the Republican Party, political strategists say....
The pro-Israel constituency in Congress is now so broad that it transcends both party and ideology, with Representative Tom DeLay of Texas, the staunchly conservative House majority whip teaming up with Representative Tom Lantos, a Democrat of California, to introduce a resolution of solidarity with Israel.
[Full text: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/21/politics/21RIGH.html]
Carl
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