<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1141" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV>One doesn't have to search too hard to find out why the U.S. supports Israel. Senator Jesse Helms, Foreign Relations Committee Chairman from 1995 to 2001, put it succinctly in the Middle East Quarterly in 1995: "Israel is at least the equivalent of a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Middle East. Without Israel promoting its and America's common interests, we would be badly off indeed." </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>You can argue about the end result, but the motivation is pretty straightforward. Don't make this harder than it is.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>That being said, I think it's equally undeniable that AIPAC money can be decisive in specific political races and/or affect voting records in certain areas. AIPAC's successful targeting of Reps. Hilliard and McKinney were warning shots to all who question Israeli aggression.</DIV></BODY></HTML>