Thursday July 30, 2009

I've Been Thinking:

Jerusalem looked like it had a revolving door policy this week as a series of very high level US officials came dropping by and then headed off.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited to talk about Iran.
US Presidential Special Envoy George Mitchell talked about the Palestinians and about Iranian nuclear threats.

Now visiting Jerusalem is National Security Adviser James Jones and his 15 member team to talk further about Iran and the Palestinians.
The national security adviser's team includes Dennis Ross and William Burns.
This is what we call "piling on."

In my entire career I do not remember a week so full of US dignitaries in Israel.
They came to Jerusalem with two objectives in mind.
# 1: to make certain that Israel does not attack Iran on its own
# 2: to underscore the Administration's stand on no natural growth in the settlements

What Washington does not understand is that they are trying to fit a round peg in a square hole. It doesn't matter how many people come to Jerusalem, the Israelis will not be convinced that the United States can control Iran.

Actually, it's the opposite. The more people the US sends, the more obvious it becomes just how powerless the US really is against Iran.
If the United States had control over Iran, the United States would be putting the squeeze on Iran, not on Israel.

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