"Oh, the U.S. can't be brutal on its own - it needs Israeli help. Just ask Brad Mayer."
Well, you're right that we can be brutal on our own, but in point of fact, the U.S. _has_ asked the Israelis for help in developing and carrying out targeted assassinations. This will not be perceived in a neutral way in the middle east and throughout the world.
I mean, it used to be that we unoficially contracted with the Israelis to do work that was too dirty or too illegal for us -- as in Guatemala and Angola (just to mention two examples); now the U.S. is openly asking for instruction and openly declaring itself to be carrying out such operations. That's a change.
Joanna