> Luke Benjamin Weiger wrote:
>
> >One might reasonably claim that US support for Israel (putting aside the
> >question of whether or not that support is justified) is contrary to its
> >interests in ensuring a continual, stable, and cheap supply of oil from
> >the region. And, oh, I forgot: it also makes terrorists want to kill us.
>
> Of course there's no evidence that anyone of significance in the U.S.
> security establishment over the last couple of decades believed this.
>
> Doug
What about George Ball -- he was a bigwig advisor to LBJ and he believed exactly what Luke wrote above. Of course, even when he had an official position he didn't get listened too much (Johnson also ignored his advice to cool down on the Vietnam war). It's an intersesting question why there aren't more prudent realists like Ball in power... everyone else seems much more expansive and reckless. Jeet