> Don't you think "most U.S. capitalists" would
> notice if their interests were being sacrificed?
> And Israel enjoys broad popular support in the US.
Actually I do believe in false consciousness, mass delusion, etc. -- at least as a temporary phenomenon. It's a matter of degree. When the political party they perceive as promoting their best interest endorses some foreign policy, they don't feel particularly inclined to question it. They are more likely to adopt it as part of the package.
Particularly when the perceived cost is small. A small cost doesn't seem to indicate that a policy is failed. But if the cost increases in real life... and then keeps increasing, somewhere down the line they must adjust their perception to reality. At first gradually, as only a small minority will have the guts (and/or material incentive) to challenge the conventional wisdom. But then, all of a sudden, there's a big shift and the the iconoclasts become the mainstream. In retrospect, it may even seem surreal. I think the evolution of U.S. public opinion on Bush shows this kind of phenomenon.
Julio