Over the past several weeks Richard Silversteinat Tikun Olam and Phil Weiss at Mondoweiss have been posting reports of the activities of Israel lobbies from both left and right as they mount a campaign to persuade President Obama to press for a two-state solution, stand firm on demands that settlements cease, sanction Iran, strangle Iran, bomb Iran.
Stephen Walt summed up the full-court press planned by various Israel lobby participants in an article excerpted below the fold:
The "new" Israel lobby, J-Street, with its new partner, Brit Tzedek Shalom garner support from the left on the claim that "they are not AIPAC," but many of their goals are the same as the Likud-linked AIPAC ideology.
As Walt writes:
It's equally unsurprising that the United Jewish Communities sponsored an "Iran Advocacy Day" in Washington yesterday, featuring appearances by key administration officials and prominent legislators. Its purpose, of course, was to highlight the danger of a nuclear Iran, put pressure on Obama to take a tough line, and to rally support for stiffer sanctions (at a minimum). M.J. Rosenberg called it just right: "it marks the start of the fall push on Iran."
President Obama struck a pre-emptive blow by declaring that the United States will talk with Iran, discussing issues Iran laid out in a comprehensive proposal for dialog.
That's a gutsy stand for Obama to take.
We got your back, President Obama.
Form a diplomatic relationship with Iran based on US and Iranian mutual interests?
Yes we can.
Pursue American values and interests in the Middle East?
Yes we can.