The politics of hate

Now that Bibi Netanyahu seems to have won another term as prime minister of Israel with a late barrage of negative campaigning and scaremongering, it may be time to reassess America's relationship with our Mideast doppleganger.  By using hate and fear to win elections, the Likud is descending the same path as the GOP in America.  Marginalizing Israeli Arabs and telling everyone there will be no Palestinian state on his watch, Netanyahu is thumbing his nose at any pretense of peace with his neighbors.  Add to that his advocacy of an American-Iranian war to stop the latter's development of a nuclear bomb and you have the classic case of the tail wagging the dog.  An unholy alliance of the Christian right, the republican party and the Israel lobby have pre-empted a measured, thoughtful policy in the Mideast.  We need to have a discussion about who is driving policy and what are the implications of that.