<html><head><base href="x-msg://780/"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Perhaps Lobby friends of Ross… Perhaps political calculations that Obama makes to keep the money and political support flowing from AIPAC supporters and corporations friendly to Israel. It is not so simple minded as you make out in pooh-poohing the influence of the Lobby. There are many actors in Washington, and they are not always on the same page, so the Lobby can be that much more influential. --mkb<div><br></div><div><br><div><div>On Apr 23, 2010, at 9:05 PM, David Green wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">So who chooses to have Ross in the heart of the administration?</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt; "><br><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt; "><font size="2" face="Tahoma"><hr size="1"><b><span style="font-weight: bold; ">From:</span></b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Morton K. Brussel <<a href="mailto:brussel@illinois.edu">brussel@illinois.edu</a>><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold; ">To:</span></b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>David Green <<a href="mailto:davegreen84@yahoo.com">davegreen84@yahoo.com</a>><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold; ">Cc:</span></b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Peace Discuss <<a href="mailto:peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net">peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net</a>><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold; ">Sent:</span></b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Fri, April 23, 2010 7:55:10 PM<br><b><span style="font-weight: bold; ">Subject:</span></b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Re: [Peace-discuss] "honest broker"<br></font><br>I take the thrust of the article as one where if it were not for someone akin to Dennis Ross in the heart of the administration, the U.S.policy towards Israel Palestine might have been different. We disagree. Petraus saw it correctly on this issue. --mkb<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><br><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">On Apr 23, 2010, at 2:42 PM, David Green wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="widows: 2; text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; border-collapse: separate; font: normal normal normal medium/normal Helvetica; white-space: normal; orphans: 2; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: times, serif; font-size: 12pt; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">As long as its agenda doesn't conflict with U.S. "interests", which it usually doesn't.<br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: times, serif; font-size: 12pt; "><br><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: times, serif; font-size: 12pt; "><font size="2" face="Tahoma"><hr size="1"><b><span style="font-weight: bold; ">From:</span></b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Morton K. Brussel <<a href="mailto:brussel@illinois.edu" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" ymailto="mailto:brussel@illinois.edu">brussel@illinois.edu</a>><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold; ">To:</span></b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>David Green <<a href="mailto:davegreen84@yahoo.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" ymailto="mailto:davegreen84@yahoo.com">davegreen84@yahoo.com</a>><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold; ">Cc:</span></b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Peace Discuss <<a href="mailto:peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" ymailto="mailto:peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net">peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net</a>><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold; ">Sent:</span></b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Fri, April 23, 2010 12:33:11 PM<br><b><span style="font-weight: bold; ">Subject:</span></b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Re: [Peace-discuss] "honest broker"<br></font><br>So, is the Lobby important or not in the formulation of U.S. policy in the ME? --mkb<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><br><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">On Apr 23, 2010, at 11:48 AM, David Green wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="widows: 2; text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; border-collapse: separate; font: normal normal normal medium/normal Helvetica; white-space: normal; orphans: 2; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: times, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><a href="http://mondoweiss.net/2010/04/barack-obama-is-speaking-the-language-of-israel-firster-dennis-ross.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://mondoweiss.net/2010/04/barack-obama-is-speaking-the-language-of-israel-firster-dennis-ross.html</a></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">William Quandt is a reliable source and astute observor in this piece; Dennis Ross plays the role of Aaron David Miller:</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">The notion that the United States can’t want peace more than the Israelis and Palestinians want it is, as Quandt points out, a relic of the Clinton and second Bush administration’s approach to Israel/Palestine, and not Baker’s view. It’s also a view that Dennis Ross<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.commongroundnews.org/article.php?id=26422&lan=en&sid=0&sp=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><font color="#2361a1">has pushed hard</font></a>, with tragic consequences for the Palestinians. The question we should be asking is why Ross has such a prominent role in Obama’s strategy for dealing with the Middle East, a role that is very detrimental. Ross, as Laura Rozen at<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>Politico</em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/laurarozen/0310/Fierce_debate_on_Israel_underway_inside_Obama_administration.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><font color="#2361a1">reported</font></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>in late March, is still very much involved in crafting the administration’s approach to Israel, and is reportedly “more sensitive to Netanyahu’s coalition politics than to U.S. interests.”</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">DG</div></div><br><br>--<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>This message has been scanned for viruses and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>dangerous content by<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.mailscanner.info/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>MailScanner</b></a>, and is<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>believed to be clean.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>_______________________________________________<br>Peace-discuss mailing list<br><a href="mailto:Peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" ymailto="mailto:Peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net">Peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net</a><br><a href="http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss</a><br></div></span></blockquote></div><br></div></div></div></div><br><br>--<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>This message has been scanned for viruses and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>dangerous content by<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.mailscanner.info/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>MailScanner</b></a>, and is<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>believed to be clean.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>_______________________________________________<br>Peace-discuss mailing list<br><a href="mailto:Peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" ymailto="mailto:Peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net">Peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net</a><br><a href="http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss</a><br></div></span></blockquote></div><br></div></div></div></div><br><br>--<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>This message has been scanned for viruses and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>dangerous content by<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.mailscanner.info/"><b>MailScanner</b></a>, and is<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>believed to be clean.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>_______________________________________________<br>Peace-discuss mailing list<br><a href="mailto:Peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net">Peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net</a><br><a href="http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss">http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss</a><br></div></span></blockquote></div><br></div><br />--
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