As I have already argued here some time ago, I think that the US government would have taken the same policy toward Israel and the Middle East even if there had not been a single Jew in the USA, for the policy was mainly dictated first by the rising American empire's competition with the declining European empires and later by Cold-War anticommunism. Besides, foreign policy had become a domain reserved for the executive branch, not the legislature, a long time ago.
However, the message that Americans -- be they voters or career politicians, Jews, Arabs, or blacks -- are sure to get out of the Hilliard/Davis & McKinney/Majette races is a different one, concerning domestic political behaviors: those who speak out against Israel will get punished, and a number of Jews, among other supporters of Israel, will make individual and collective contributions -- the contributions that may be decisive -- to that end. That will be the message spread in public, whether or not we like it, even if Cockburn had not written his piece (his audience is limited anyway). Why? Because electoral politics is set up in such a way that the critical margin of victory may be provided by well-funded and well-organized minority interest groups, whether they are pro-Israel PACs, anti-abortion Christian fundamentalist lobbies, or whatever. -- Yoshie
* Calendar of Events in Columbus: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html> * Anti-War Activist Resources: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/activist.html> * Student International Forum: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/> * Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osu.edu/students/CJP/>